Monday, April 17, 2017

Dealing With Veterans Struggling With Depression

By Martha Perry


Depression, anxiety and PTSD are on the rise amongst veterans. It is not an uncommon fact these days to read more about veterans struggling with depression. In the past, there was little support for this, and nobody knew what was happening with soldiers who came back from the battlefield. Nobody took care of their mental health.

It is difficult to know how to deal in a situation like this, when you don't know where to turn. A lot of people simply think it is part of the process and it will pass in time. However, by not dealing with it you will find that it is going to become worse. You will find that there will be other things that will crop up which are going to be difficult to cope with on your own as well.

Many veterans can't take the pressure. A lot of people commit suicide because of what they have been through and because of the emotions that they are dealing with. Many of them don't get support and it is something that they have to deal with every day of their lives. They will be forced to remember tragic events from when they were in war torn areas.

They may have been given order to shoot someone. They will have flashbacks which can last some time. This can be really frightening. Post traumatic stress disorder is common among veterans like this. They often see no way out of the situation, and decide to end it all. They will suddenly think they are back on the battlefield after hearing a loud noise, for example.

Vets can become paranoid thinking that something terrible is going to happen. Meanwhile, it is simply a plane flying overhead. However, something like this is so real for them that they think that they are back in the war torn country which they have come from. Psychosis can develop when they don't get the right type of attention with other more severe types of depression.

Many war vets would have suffered from a traumatic brain injury. Although they are protected, there are exposed to physical conditions and there are times when they have fallen and rolled on their heads. You may not even be aware of this. Depression can set in here along with other mental disorders. A person like this will not be the same, and learns to cope in various way which are not always healthy.

Veteran suicide is not uncommon when you think of how chaotic and how difficult this is to manage, emotionally. PTSD was only noticed after Vietnam where soldiers came back to their homes and were unable to adjust. This is also known as combat exposure which is similar as being abused, tortured or held prisoners of war. In some instances it is something you can't really get over.

Besides actually just being there, you would have found that depression can be caused when you have lost a friend in the battlefield. So many soldiers die every year. You may be wondering more about survivor's guilt. This can make you more and more depressed. This is why specialized therapy is encouraged before it becomes worse, which is so often the case.




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