Fighting PTSD Together.
If you are a soldier the help is here for you. You do not have to suffer this there is help.
If you know a Soldier please let them know there is help.
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 830,000 Vietnam War veterans suffered symptoms of PTSD.
Four out of five reported recent symptoms when interviewed 20–25 years after Vietnam.
Today's Veterans are even more susceptible with the type of warfare they face.
High rates of PTSD in Iraq War veterans are being seen, as well as a number of other difficulties, including alcohol and drug use, and depression. This may not be too surprising to read as the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are in the news everyday, as are reports of their effect on the mental health of the men and women serving there. A majority of service members in Iraq and Afghanistan have encountered traumatic experiences and high rates of PTSD and other difficulties have been found.
Medal of Honor Recipient Paul Bud Bucha Captain, US Army,
Medal of Honor Recipient Jack Jacobs Captain, US Army
Medal of Honor Recipient James Fleming Captain, US Air Force
Combat Troops in Iraq talk about PTSD
The time to act is NOW. The number of veterans returning from war with PTSD, depression, and those who committed suicide are growing every year. These are dismal facts, yet display the urgency of action. Join me in becoming a citizen cosponsor of this important legislation and show Congress that veterans shouldn't have to jump through hoops to get the benefits they have earned.
Sign this petition below then pass it one. Once you have done that call your Congressman and ask them why they are not trying to bring this to a vote.
PTSD Overview: List of Fact Sheets
Facing Down PTSD, Vet is Now Soaring High
For Veterans and the General Public
Cognitive Processing Therapy: CPT has been shown to be one of the most effective treatments for PTSD. For this reason, the VA's Office of Mental Health Services has rolled out a national therapist training program. VA therapists throughout the country will be trained in how to use CPT treatment. These therapists will also consult with CPT experts to learn how to best provide this therapy. Then they will be asked to use CPT in their routine clinical care.
Prolonged Exposure Therapy
After a traumatic event, many individuals experience distress and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This distress may be highest when dealing with memories, thoughts, feelings, and situations that are related to the trauma. Exposure therapy is a type of therapy that helps you decrease distress about your trauma. This therapy works by helping you approach trauma-related thoughts, feelings, and situations that you have been avoiding due to the distress they cause. Repeated exposure to these thoughts, feelings, and situations helps reduce the power they have to cause distress.
Prolonged Exposure (PE) is one exposure therapy that works for many people who have experienced trauma. It has four main parts:
- PE starts with education about the treatment. You will learn as well about common trauma reactions and PTSD. Education allows you to learn more about your symptoms. It also helps you understand the goals of the treatment. This education provides the basis for the next sessions.
- Breathing retraining is a skill that helps you relax. When people become anxious or scared, their breathing often changes. Learning how to control your breathing can help in the short-term to manage immediate distress.
- Exposure practice with real-world situations is called in vivo exposure. You practice approaching situations that are safe but which you may have been avoiding because they are related to the trauma. An example would be a Veteran who avoids driving since he experienced a roadside bomb while deployed. In the same way, a sexual trauma survivor may avoid getting close to others. This type of exposure practice helps your trauma-related distress to lessen over time. When distress goes down, you can gain more control over your life.
- Talking about your trauma memory over and over with your therapist is called imaginal exposure. Talking through the trauma will help you get more control of your thoughts and feelings about the trauma. You will learn that you do not have to be afraid of your memories. This may be hard at first and it might seem strange to think about stressful things on purpose. Many people feel better over time, though, as they do this. Talking through the trauma helps you make sense of what happened and have fewer negative thoughts about the trauma.
With the help of your therapist, you can change how you react to stressful memories. In PE, you work with your therapist to approach trauma-related situations and memories at a comfortable pace. Usually, you start with things that are less distressing and move towards things that are more distressing. A round of PE therapy most often involves meeting alone with a therapist for about 8 to 15 sessions. Most therapy sessions last 90 minutes.
With time and practice, you will be able to see that you can master stressful situations. The goal is that YOU, not your memories, can control what you do in your life and how you feel. Therapy helps you to get your life back after you have been through a trauma.
PE therapy for Veterans
PE has been shown to be one of the most effective treatments for PTSD. For this reason, the VA's Office of Mental Health Services has rolled out a national PE training program. VA providers throughout the country will be trained in how to use PE treatment. The providers will at first be supervised as they use these treatments in actual cases. Then they will be asked to use PE in their routine clinical care. Others will be selected and trained as consultants.
How can I get help?
Ask your VA healthcare provider about getting PE therapy. A list of VA facilities can be found online at: VA Facilities Locator
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