Thursday, 20 April 2017

Dealing With Veterans Struggling With Depression

By Martha Perry


Depression and anxiety are two of the most common psychological disorders. Veterans struggling with depression is not uncommon, because it can be so traumatic when you are on the battlefield. You don't realize this at the time, but it only really hits you when you get back to the real world and start to live your life once again. This sense of reality is the most difficult part of the situation.

In the past, there was little support available for people who came back from the war. This was obviously a problem because there are times when a veteran needs a lot of emotional support. It can be difficult for the family because they won't know what they are going through. They may not recognize them anymore because of the way they will be trying to cope.

Your family, friends and work colleagues may not understand what you are going through. This is why it is important to talk to someone that understands you. There are people who specialize with war veterans. There are groups that you can join up with. There are other veterans who will discuss their major issues with you and you will talk about coping mechanisms.

Besides depression and anxiety, people will also be stressed much of the time. They will prefer not to go out, thinking that something might happen. A loud noise may just set them off. Flashbacks are common occurrences with veterans. They may look up and see a helicopter, thinking they are back in combat, and of course this is very frightening.

Vets can become paranoid thinking that something terrible is going to happen. Meanwhile, it is simply a plane flying overhead. However, something like this is so real for them that they think that they are back in the war torn country which they have come from. Psychosis can develop when they don't get the right type of attention with other more severe types of depression.

Often people isolate themselves, preferring not to go out and isolate themselves. This is a new way of life which they are not used to. They may remember that they used to have friends and family that they used to sit outside on the porch with and simply chat over a cup of coffee. However, getting used to this lifestyle is not easy. Your emotions start to take over and you may feel as if you are losing control.

Veteran suicide is not uncommon when you think of how chaotic and how difficult this is to manage, emotionally. PTSD was only noticed after Vietnam where soldiers came back to their homes and were unable to adjust. This is also known as combat exposure which is similar as being abused, tortured or held prisoners of war. In some instances it is something you can't really get over.

Besides actually just being there, you would have found that depression can be caused when you have lost a friend in the battlefield. So many soldiers die every year. You may be wondering more about survivor's guilt. This can make you more and more depressed. This is why specialized therapy is encouraged before it becomes worse, which is so often the case.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment