Most of us have heard the term PTSD. But what does it really mean?
According to National Today, PTSD is defined as “post-traumatic stress disorder.” Experts from the publication go on to explain that it can “occur in people after they have experienced a particularly traumatic event like war, violent physical/sexual/verbal assault, accidents, and so forth.” People experience many different symptoms, but some of them may “include depression, anxiety, nightmares, paranoia, insomnia, disturbing thoughts, and much more.” Some people’s symptoms appear worse than others. Sometimes, someone can have an anxiety condition and not display any outward symptoms at all.
PTSD is not a new mental condition. Although, until recently there was a lot more stigma around the term. Back in World War I and World War II, people used the terms ‘shell shock’ and ‘battle fatigue’ to describe psychological illnesses that soldiers suffered from. It wasn’t until the Vietnam War in the 1970s that the disorder was formally recognized and named ‘post-traumatic stress disorder’.
Back in the days before modern mental healthcare, people didn’t necessarily understand how to treat the condition. They used to use different methods such as electric shock therapy. Today, we generally treat PTSD with counseling, therapy, and antidepressant drugs.
According to Purdue, some modern-day treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR). These are ways to help reprogram someone’s brain and help them cope with stressful things in a different way than they are used to.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, “There are currently about 12 million people in the United States living with PTSD.” It’s not just a condition that is going away anytime soon. There are a lot people out there who suffer from this and other various forms of anxiety, and luckily we are in a much better place now to help them.
There are several different ways that you as a reader can help spread the word and raise awareness. Many ways to do your part are listed on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website.
One of those ways is by making a pledge to talk about PTSD so that people will know how they can get treatment. You can start here by making the pledge. This also helps to lessen the stigma around being diagnosed and receiving treatment.
The website even has a neat self-screening test you can take here to see if you might have PTSD. With June recognized as PTSD awareness month, there’s no better time to start than now.
The history of celebrating June as National PTSD Awareness month dates all the way back to 2010. National Today states that “In 2010, the U.S. Senate declared June 27 to be National PTSD Awareness Day. However, in 2014, it designated the whole month of June to be observed as National PTSD Awareness Month.”
It’s important that we all work together to spread the word and raise awareness around PTSD. We can lower the stigma around what it means to be diagnosed and how people can get treatment.
If you are suffering from PTSD, there are many different ways that you can get help. You can call this helpline 888-881-5462 for help 365 24/7. There’s also a digital support group here. As well as many other sources and outlets for help and/or guidance.
Jaime Herzog
Intern