How has the military change you? - The Affects of War

I was sitting in my office on a Tuesday afternoon when a young man walked in. He said he was here for the interview. I welcomed him in, offered him something to drink, and began asking him questions. I noticed his eyes were bloodshot with dark circles, and he kept licking his lips but couldn’t seem to get them moist. When he leaned from side to side the skull tattoo on his left forearm peeked out from under his shirt.

I began the interview by asking him general questions, his age, rank, pay grade, which service he served in, and various fact gathering questions. I then began asking the interview questions. He was able to answer why he enlisted, what he liked most and least about being in the military but when I asked him “How has the military changed you?” He stood up and began to pace, taking his hat off and running his fingers through his hair. His breathing became shallow and his eyes began to dart back an forth across the room while gritting his teeth he said, “Its too hard!”

At this point I knew the interview was over. I put my notebook down and asked, “What can I do to help?” He said, “No one can help me! I can’t sleep. If I fall asleep I wake up in the middle of the night from nightmares. I keep getting the feeling people are following me. At night when I am going to bed I keep thinking there is someone outside my house. I can’t concentrate at work or school. I keep getting into fights. I constantly drive my car at speeds of 100-120 mph. I woke up one morning with my car in a ditch, sitting in the drivers seat hanging out the car door. I had no idea where I was or how I got there. I won’t go to the mall because there are too many people and I feel like my heart is pounding out of my chest. It’s too hard!”

The experiences this young man has described are symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Many of these symptoms begin as a natural response to witnessing, having a person close to you, or you personally experiencing a traumatic or life threatening event. A person is diagnosed with PTSD when they report the reexperiencing of the event through reoccurring dreams or nightmares, and intrusive thoughts of the event. This is accompanied by symptoms of increased arousal. Having a heightened sense of smell, sensitivity to light, startled easily by loud or sudden noises, easily agitated or angered by little things, feeling frustrated most of the time or on edge. These symptoms are then exasperated with the need to avoid almost anything that may remind you of the event.

What most people are unaware of is that these symptoms are actually a natural response to the exposure to, or personal experience of any traumatic event. The problem arises when they do not naturally dissipate over time. If these symptoms persist for three months or more you may have a mild or severe case of PTSD.
What you need to help you move through your PTSD depends on the severity of the symptoms and level of negative impact on your quality of life. PTSD is not a sign of psychological weakness it is a lapse or bump in the natural recovery process. You got stuck somewhere along the way and you need some assistance moving through the process.

In our next addition we will explore the most effective treatments for PTSD.