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A soldier arrives home after eight years of reserves, having spent most of her time away from home. Her eight-year-old son and three-year-old daughter see her walk through the door and they run to greet her, glad to have their mother home for good. As the months go by, her children notice that their mother is acting differently than she usually does. As her children play in the living room, they make noises that scare their mother and she begins to yell and scream, as if she on base in the reserves. The two children later find out that their mother is suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a mental disorder that can range from mild cases to severe, depending on the traumatic experience the person went through. Most soldiers returning from active duty or the reserves that had unpleasant experiences suffer from this disorder. PTSD has many effects on the patient as well as their spouses and children, but there are treatments and ways to cope with PTSD for patients and family alike. Many people hear others talking about PTSD and see it in articles but don’t really understand what exactly it is. The definition of PTSD is easy to understand once one understands PTSD is more likely to be a reaction to experiencing or witnessing type one traumatic events. one often has detailed, clear memories of what happened. One may frequently look for a way to explain what happened and how it could have Once one understands PTSD it is easier to understand a veteran suffering from the disorder. It is easier to understand why a veteran has the disorder, how to avoid sending a veteran into a flash- back and how to react if a veteran does go into a PTSD moment. This comprehension may be easier if one knows where the disorder originated. The history of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is vast and very informative as to how the disorder became what it is today. The name of the disorder has changed over the years, going as far back at the Civil. The name of the post-traumatic stress disorder depends on the time period and the war it occurred after. Some of the common names for the disorder during and after WWI were “combat fatigue” or “shell shock,” the more common of the two being “shell shock,” which is still used today. The name used during the Civil War was “soldier's heart”; this was the earliest name of post-traumatic stress disorder. Even though the disorder has been known for decades “the Vietnam War brought significant public attention to this emotional disorder when doctors began to diagnose it as post-Vietnam syndrome” (The History of PTSD). None of these names would be around if the veterans didn’t show symptoms. The symptoms of PTSD vary from the severity of the disorder, and how the veteran handles the shell shock. The most common symptoms of PTSD are triggers that remind a veteran of the traumatic event experienced; insomnia, uncontrollable anger, having a difficult time concentrating, and being very skittish. If a soldier arriving home experiences these symptoms, then it is not a sure sign of PTSD, but it is suggested that the veteran gets tested. The family may also experience these symptoms, on a lower scale, just from being around the veteran on a day to day basis. The veteran and family may not realize the behavior others are noticing until it is pointed out. Friends of the family and the veteran may contact a local therapist to confirm the behavior of PTSD. When a veteran does return home from combat or the Reserves, therapists highly recommend getting tested for the symptoms before the PTSD goes from a mild case to a severe case. The causes of the disorder are as diverse as the symptoms. There are many cause to PTSD, all of them are life-changing and have a long-lasting effect. Soldiers may react differently to traumatic events, some may talk about it, and some may decide to keep it to themselves. The most common cases of PTSD are found in the men of the armed forces. For these men the causes could be going into combat, being shot at, seeing a fellow soldier killed, losing a limb, seeing the dead bodies of comrades, and constantly hearing the sound of bombs going off and gun shots in the air. The veterans may live with these experiences for their whole lives, but some may suppress the memories, as if they had amnesia. Women develop this disorder as well, but under different circumstances. The military women have to go through a lot more than the military men, just because the military just recently allowed women to be apart of it. These women develop PTSD from being in the military; most of this is caused from the men in the military. The most common occurrence is sexual harassment, a study shows that “55 out of 100 women (55%) have experienced sexual harassment when in the military” (www.psychologytoday). Other causes for women to have PTSD would be from rape and mental or physical abuse. These causes occur because the men believe that the military is not a place for a woman. But when it comes to the mentality of the disorder both men and women are psychologically the same. PTSD is a very common psychological in veterans from combat or reserves. In the past it was hard to determine if a veteran had soldier's heart or not, resulting in a low percentage of PTSD patients. As years went by medical science evolved to more advanced equipment it was able to find what exactly the symptoms were and the percentage drastically increased over the years. The percentage of veterans returning home with PTSD seemed to increase resulting in more treatments to be given to help with the disorder. Since the percentage did, in fact, increase, the treatments for PTSD also increased, offering more options for those with the disorder. The treatments have proved to be very effective for the veterans with PTSD. There are many treatments for PTSD; the treatments have become more effective and advanced over the years. Some of the treatments are available at the local Veteran’s Affairs (VA), a few possible treatments could be “one to one mental health assessment and testing, medicines, one to one psychotherapy and also family therapy, group therapy which covers topics such as anger and stress, combat support, partners, or groups for Veterans of specific conflicts” (www.ptsd.va.gov). More treatments are offered outside of the VA, such as therapy for veterans who dislike hospitals, or psychology for veterans who prefer civilian doctors. The family of a veteran with PTSD may also go to the therapy with the veteran to help cope with the effects that The people most affected by PTSD are veterans who experienced harsh combat situations. There are other groups, such as rape victims, domestic violence victims, child abuse victims, and survivor’s guilt patients. Medical science has had a breakthrough on PTSD and how to treat it. Thanks to the medical science today the suicidal rate of veterans suffering from the disorder has dropped. With the help of those suffering from PTSD willing to go through tests to find the most effective medication or method to help cope with the disorder. Though the rate of PTSD patients in the military has increased over the past years, the treatments have proved to be very effective for all cases of the disorder. For some cases medication is most effective and most The medications for PTSD are many and have complicated side effects some people may not understand. The effectiveness of each medication depends on how the veteran handles the side effects and the type of medication. One of the few medications that are available today is Citalopram. This medication affects the concentration of serotonin, a chemical in the brain thought to be linked to anxiety disorders (www.ptsdsupport.net). The side effect of this medication varies from other medications. The common side effects of the medication Suicidal thoughts or behavior, anxiety, agitation, or panic attacks, hostility or aggressiveness, engaging in unusual or dangerous activities, extreme elation or feeling of happiness that may switch back and forth with a depressed or sad mood, chest palpitations, and difficulty sleeping. (mental-health.emedtv) The side effects of a medication can greatly impact a veteran's life, as well as the family's lives. With the side effect hostility and aggressiveness, it may be dangerous for the veteran to be around his or her family. With the insomnia the spouse of the veteran may also suffer from insomnia. The side effect that would affect the family and veteran the most is most likely the suicidal thoughts. When a veteran has suicidal thoughts they might endanger their family, or severely hurt themselves. That is the most serious of all of the side effects, which is why when a veteran takes any kind of PTSD medication the family is told to watch the veteran very closely, looking out for those side effects that can be dangerous not only to the veteran, but the entire Most medical personnel focus on the veterans who have PTSD, but not the most ones who are most affected by living with a PTSD patient, the children of a veteran. Researchers have observed a direct relationship between each of the parent's PTSD symptoms and the children's responses. Researchers also have noticed patterns in the ways children respond to the parent's overall presentation of PTSD. Harkness (1991) described three typical ways these children respond: (1) the over- identified child: the child experiences secondary traumatization and comes to experience many of the symptoms the parent with PTSD is having; (2) the rescuer: the child takes on parental roles and responsibilities to compensate for the parent’s difficulties; and (3) the emotionally uninvolved child: this child receives little emotional support, which results in problems at school, depression and anxiety, and relational problems later in life. (Price, “Children of”) When a child of a veteran with PTSD lives with the veteran most of the time the child is more likely to be affected by the disorder than friends and family that don't live within the household. A child of a veteran may act like they have PTSD from being upset by their parent's reactions and symptoms. So it is possible for a child to “catch” PTSD from a parent, which is also called secondary traumatization. A child living with a parent with the disorder could possibly become very violent towards other people, especially those in the child's age group. The violent behavior in a child comes from the violent behavior of the parent. As the child becomes older the secondary traumatization could possibly stay, making it more difficult for the child to have a stable social life. Children that are suffering from secondary traumatization are more likely to develop and suffer from depression than children that are not. Also it may seem like the child is experiencing the PTSD themselves such as having the nightmares the parents are, or possibly a drop in the child's grades, and the child not being able to concentrate. The problems that a child may experience might not even go away when the child becomes older. Adolescent children of Veterans with PTSD may be similarly affected by their parent's symptoms. Although the research cannot point to cause and effect, compared to adolescents whose fathers were not Veterans, adolescents whose fathers served in combat in Vietnam showed poorer attitudes toward school, more negative attitudes toward their fathers, lower scores on creativity and higher levels of depression and anxiety. In spite of these differences, the two groups of adolescents were actually quite similar on a range of other measures of social and personality adjustment. (Price, “When”) The way a child might react to a parent's PTSD is to act the same way the parent does, trying to connect with the parent and understand the parent more. Though the child does understand the parent more, the child's personal and social life may change drastically. Friends of the child may not want to be around the child, because of the way the child is acting. This means that the child may develop depression from the loneliness and out casting of the other kids. If a child does develop depression along with the effects of the parents PTSD, the depression is magnified. When a child does have depression and the secondary effects of PTSD he or she is more likely to commit suicide from the magnified feelings. Fortunately there are also treatments The treatments for the children are the same as the veterans, except taking medication. Therapy is more recommended for a child of a veteran, since the child does not actually have full blown PTSD, just the secondary side effects of the disorder. Therapy for a child may be different from the therapy of an adult; the therapist may use fewer words, so as not to confuse the child, and try to make the child more comfortable. The children that go to therapy are less likely to develop depression and severe secondary effects of PTSD than children that don't. For the parents that cannot afford a therapist usually try to explain the parent's behavior and what happened to cause the parent's shell shock. Parents also help children cope with the secondary effects and the children help the parents cope with the primary effects of PTSD. Children can be greatly affected by the disorder, even the unborn children. Women coming home from active duty or the reserves and plan on becoming pregnant that suffer from PTSD are advised to wait before conception. The women’s physician may want to find a medication that controls the PTSD and that is safe for the baby. The children born to a shell shock patient usually don't develop PTSD, since the children grew up with the parents having and dealing with soldier's heart. When a PTSD patient has a child while he or she is suffering from PTSD a nurse might possibly come home with the new parents, to watch the child. The nurse only leaves when he or she is certain that the parents are capable of taking care of the child without causing any harm to the young child. As a child goes through the toddler age, where a child learns the most from the parents, the child might grow up with secondary PTSD, but there are some children that do not develop the secondary symptoms. The way a child grows up depends on how controlled the parent's shell shock is controlled. A parent with well controlled shell shock will have a child grow up without the secondary effects of PTSD. But a parent with the disorder that is not well controlled will most likely have a child grow up with the secondary effects of PTSD. The children that do grow up with the secondary effects have a harder time with being social to other children and may develop mentally slower than other children. This happens because the child has too much going through their mind to properly concentrate during classes. The child may also try to connect with their parent through the many ways a veteran can affect their families. The veteran can affect the family and house hold in a number of ways. The most common of the effects are mainly feelings, such as sympathy. You may feel sorry for your loved one's suffering. This may help your loved one know that you sympathize with him or her. However, be careful that you are not treating him or her like a permanently disabled person. (www.ptsd.va.gov/public) When a family member has this feeling he or she might feel as if the veteran's happiness is all that needs to be worried about. In these cases the veteran is never properly treated for the shell shock that may be prominent. If the PTSD is not treated then a flashback from the veteran can take a turn for the worst. If a veteran goes into a PTSD flashback, the veteran may harm others as well as themselves. The first few months home may be the hardest for the veteran, especially one When the veteran first comes home from the combat zone or the reserves it could take a while to adjust to civilian life again. If the veteran does have PTSD certain noises from the daily commotion can possibly put the veteran into a PTSD moment. The people in the community really don't understand the disorder that the veteran may be suffering from. The community members that witness the veteran have flashbacks in the middle of the town usually have mixed feeling of fear and pity. The pity will come from the way the veteran is acting; the people may feel as if the veteran is “crazy” and wouldn't want that kind of person around the other people in the community. The fear comes from the way the veteran might be acting; when a veteran has a flashback due to PTSD the flashback can be mild and calm or violent. If the flashback is violent the outcome may take a turn for the worst. An example of a PTSD flashback becoming out of hand starts with a noise. A veteran, named max, just got home from a severe fight. Where the fight took place there were explosions surrounding the area where he was bunkered and there were enemies all around him and a fellow soldier. Max turns around and shoots, there was an enemy behind him, but it was a teenage boy. After returning home, that image of the teenage boy haunts him in his sleep every night. One day on his way home from work his truck gets a flat tire and he gets out to change it. Nearby there is a building being demolished with explosives, Max feels the reverberation and is suddenly sent into a flashback of that fight in the bunker. Max gets startled and hides, feeling threatened he kills innocent people. Since his reality and flashback where mixed up he didn’t know what he did. In the end the police were called and when max got cornered a small child came up on a bike behind him. Max started towards the child, in a panic, as if he was going to hurt the child. The police felt that he was a large threat and ended up shooting max to death. In that case of a flashback, the veteran got too out of hand and dangerous and ended up losing his life. The effects of Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder can be great on a veteran and their family. If a veteran is not treated then they can go into deadly flashbacks, have sleepless nights, and can affect their entire family. Thanks to the medical science today, there have been many new medications and methods on how to treat this disorder. The veterans of past fights with PTSD can help younger veterans with PTSD through one of the newer methods, a therapy group. With all of the medical advances in the world today the modern-day PTSD can be treated with more ease. The mental disorder Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is common in civilians and veterans, but each is caused from a different experience. The world today is full of PTSD, whether it is untreated or treated, it can have a big effect on veterans and their families, no matter how mild or http://mental-health.emedtv.com/citalopram/citalopram-side-effects.html “Effects of PTSD on Family” U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: National Center for PTSD, “The History of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)” http://www.psychiatric-disorders.com/articles/ptsd/causes-and-history/history-of-ptsd.php “How Common is PTSD?” U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: National Center for PTSD, “Medications” http://www.ptsdsupport.net/ptsd_medication.html http://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder Price, Jennifer L. “Children of Veterans and Adults with PTSD” Price, Jennifer L. “When a Child's Parent Has PTSD” U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: “PTSD Treatment Programs in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs” U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: National Center for PTSD, 2007 Williams, Mary Beth. “The PTSD Workbook” Copyright 2002 New Harbinger Publications

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