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PTSD, from page 10 ____________
experience survivor’s guilt,” Richard
said. “They wonder why they survived
while their friends died and how they
can enjoy their lives going forward.”
Trauma events are not limited to
just military members. Every day
distressing events such as traffic ac-
cidents, assaults, or injuries can result from some form of support.
in PTSD.
“Research by The National Institute
of Mental Health indicates the adult
prevalence rate of PTSD is approxi-
mately 6.8 percent,” Richard said,
“With 9.7 percent for women and 3.6
percent for men.” In other studies
PTSD was identified in approx. 12-18
percent of combat veterans deployed
to Iraq and Afghanistan.”
There are many myths surrounding
PTSD in the military. A more recent
myth is that remotely piloted aircraft
aircrew are more susceptible to PTSD.
Richard went on to relay that dur-
ing a 2015 USAF School of Aerospace
Medicine survey, five percent of pilots
and sensor operators within the MQ-1
Predator and MQ-9 Reaper communi-
ty endorsed symptoms consistent with
post-traumatic stress. However, the
mere presence of such symptoms does
not automatically translate to PTSD,
News
which would indicate life impairment,
nor did the study relate symptoms
to military or combat duties. The
study inferred the probability of less
incidence of PTSD when comparative
to the civilian population and other
military cohorts, as well as it high-
lighted the importance and relevance
of trauma responses that may benefit
Despite the commonality of people
experiencing a significant response
to trauma in everyday life, it is not
uncommon that people may not want
to accept support for their experience. possible.
“Sometimes people want to just do
their jobs and say ‘I don’t want to be
told I’m broken because I don’t see
myself that way’. But if they do tell
me that, how do I deal with that?”
Richard said. “Some people won’t go
to mental health because they don’t
want to get labeled. They’re afraid of
being treated differently.”
For military members, there’s been
a stigma about going to mental health.
“For a lot of years there’s a stigma
of mental health that if you go, some-
thing bad will happen like losing your
firearm, not being able to fly or los-
ing your clearance, but these are all
myths,” Richard said.
Because of these myths, some service
The race is on.
members may choose not to seek help.
“There is no good reason for not
getting help. Less than two percent of
people who go to mental health have
career impacting decisions made,”
Richard said. “Maybe they lost their
firearm or flying status for a little bit
but the individuals got it back them.
It doesn’t get better on its own, it will Therapy is a newer treatment which
only get worse.”
PTSD and post-traumatic stress
symptoms can be treated and it’s
important to seek help as soon as
“Get treatment early,”Richard said.
“Manage it, resolve it, go forward, and
if something happens in the future,
you’re better prepared to handle it.”
There are many treatments, but
the most practiced by the DOD is
prolonged exposure therapy, and cog-
nitive processing therapy and certain
types of medications. The first two
treatments take approximately 12
weeks to complete.
Prolonged Exposure Therapy is the
practice of mentally re-experiencing
the traumatic event and engaging with
it rather than avoiding it. This helps
individuals to process the trauma and
reduce distress. This is also known as
fear extinction.
Cognitive Processing Therapy is
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a three-phase practice of educat-
ing and informing the patient about
PTSD and their thoughts, helping
patients develop skills to challenge
their own thoughts, and finally help-
ing the patient apply adaptive coping
techniques.
The Cognitive Behavior Conjoint
involves the patient’s family as a sup-
port system during the therapy.
PTSD is a problem that has affected
the lives of many Americans, includ-
ing service members. Often times
the negative stigma associated with
seeking professional mental health
is daunting. Getting help early and
staying close with family and friends
could help individuals overcome
the struggle of post-traumatic stress
symptoms and decrease the risk of
developing or exacerbating PTSD.
“Having a spouse, friend, or family
member during initial therapy can
give a better understanding of what
to look out for and how to help the
patient,” Richard said. “It’s impor-
tant for the family to be patient and
flexible. The member will have good
days and bad days and it’s important
for the family to be supportive both
emotionally and by keeping them on
the treatment path.”