Post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD) can often go undiagnosed because people are not aware of the
symptoms or do not know that treatment is available. Veterans are often
associated with this disorder because of the trauma many experience while
serving the country. One of my hospice patients, a Viet Nam veteran, described
his symptoms to me with these words:
“I’ve seen and
done things you couldn’t imagine. Some of them were horrible, I mean really
horrible. Don’t ask me to tell you what they were. I can’t talk about it.
They say time heals all wounds, but it’s a lie. I left Viet Nam, but Viet Nam
never left me. I carry it with me everywhere I go. All these years later, I
still have nightmares like you wouldn’t believe. The doctor says it’s
post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. I wake up shaking, gasping for breath
with tears in my eyes. In my dreams, I’m always running hard trying to escape.
Sometimes my enemies are close enough for me to touch. I almost stop breathing
to keep them from hearing me. I’m constantly thinking I’m not going to make it.
Some nights they kill me before I wake up. My dreams are so raw, so real they
turn my soul inside out.”
Many people who never served
in the military suffer these symptoms and more. They may not recognize the PTSD
disorder in themselves and others. In an online PTSD survey assessing PTSD trauma, symptoms, and treatments, PTSD participants included
301 adults (50% veterans). They were asked to identify PTSD related items from
a list. They were better at identifying traumatic events and symptoms than they
were at knowing about effective PTSD treatments. This is important because
people may not seek treatment if they don’t know it is available.
All
wounds are not visible. What can PTSD look like? This video features people
sharing their traumatic experiences that caused their PTSD and what can
“trigger” or generate symptoms in various degrees, even to the point of having
“lost days” that are so scary they have difficulty functioning. Personal and
group therapy are encouraged.
Frances Shani Parker, Author
Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing
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