PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome) exists and is far more prevalent than most people want to admit. People need to know more about its causes and treatment. People need to know how it affects an individual and the family of the PTSD sufferer.

I was pleased to see a significant military figure come out and speak openly about his bout with PTSD. General Carter Ham, one of only twelve four star generals in the Army, was the subject of a front page story in a recent USA TODAY. He was in command in northern Iraq during the early part of the war in 2004. When he returned stateside “all of him didn’t come back… Pieces of him the way he used to be were perhaps left back there.  I didn’t get the whole guy I’d sent away” said his wife, Christi.

According to Ham, loud noises startled him, sleep did not come easily, mood swings over trivial things were prevalent.  Concerned, General Ham realized he needed help so he sought screening for PTSD and received counseling. He says this counseling helped him get “realigned”. General Ham admitting the disorder and seeking help is viewed as a “tectonic shift for a military system in which seeking such help has long been a sign of weakness.” Ham says “military tradition doesn’t easily tolerate talk of vulnerability… There is a part of Army culture that says ‘Tough it out’” There does appear, however, to be a shift in that mentality as PTSD is being more recognized and screening and counseling for it are being encouraged by military brass.

According to Rear Admiral David Smith, Joint staff surgeon, five to twenty per cent of the 1.8 million troops in Iraq and Afghanistan will have some PTSD symptoms.  The problems range from “loss of sleep to homelessness and suicide.”  Alcohol and drug abuse, raging anger, and the difficulty of being emotionally close to anyone are common responses to the pain of PTSD.

A major study done in 2006 said twenty per cent of Vietnam veterans suffered from PTSD.  That is roughly 540,000 people.

PTSD is an emotional illness that develops as a result of a terribly frightening, life threatening, or otherwise highly unsafe experience.  It certainly is not limited to warfare experience. A young child seeing parents fight, physical/ sexual abuse, seeing or experiencing brutality, automobile accidents, being victim of a crime, death threatening medical diagnosis, natural disasters, etc… all are possible causal factors in PTSD symptoms.

PTSD statistics reveal that up to more than 40% have endured at least one traumatic event, resulting in the development of PTSD in up to 15% girls and 6% of boys. Symptoms can occur weeks, months, or even years after the traumatic experience(s). Normal brain functioning has been altered by these experiences. Symptoms, in varying degrees of severity, may include: “flashbacks” about the traumatic event; feelings of estrangement or detachment; nightmares; sleep disturbances; impaired functioning; occupational instability; memory disturbances; marriage-family-parenting difficulties.

This article is intended to raise the reader’s awareness of the magnitude of the problem of PTSD in our society and in our military.  Understanding, family and friend support, counseling, and perhaps medication are important factors in limiting the devastation it can cause.  

     Over the years I have counseled many civilians and veterans of war with PTSD.  It is a challenging process because the emotional wound, the brain wiring, has been so deeply impacted by the particular traumatic events experienced.  

If you are suffering from PTSD symptoms, get help.  If a loved one is manifesting PTSD symptoms, support that person and help him/her get the counseling needed.

Thank you, General Ham, for the service you have rendered for our country, both in battle and in the healing of the emotional wounds of PTSD.  Your brave example will, hopefully, help others to be “vulnerable” and get the assistance needed.

“The unexamined life is not worth living”    Socrates

Dr. Stathas is a Counseling Psychologist, licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, in the Lake Oconee area.  He is the Founder of the Stathas Life Development Center.  He can be reached at (706) 473-1780. Email: Stathas@plantationcable

.net. Web site: drstathas.googlepages.com. His blog: drstathas.com