Understanding PTSD in Military Veterans
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a significant mental health condition affecting many military veterans. This complex disorder often develops after experiencing or witnessing traumatic events during military service. Understanding the causes, symptoms, treatment options, self-help strategies, support services and preventive measures for PTSD in military veterans is crucial for their overall well-being and quality of life.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, a nationwide study found that the number of veterans experiencing PTSD at some point in their life varies depending on their service era:
- Iraq and Afghanistan wars (Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom): 29%
- Persian Gulf War (Desert Storm): 21%
- Vietnam War: 10%
- World War II and Korean War: 3%
Causes of PTSD in veterans
Several factors contribute to the development of PTSD in military veterans. These include combat experiences, military sexual trauma (MST) and witnessing traumatic events.
Combat experiences: Combat experiences are frequently cited as a primary cause of PTSD in veterans. The intense and prolonged exposure to life-threatening situations—such as being under fire or witnessing the injury or death of fellow service members—can profoundly affect their mental well-being.
Military sexual trauma: The VA reports that about 1 in 3 women and 1 in 50 men using the VA say they have experienced instances of MST, which can also result in prolonged traumatic stress.
Traumatic events: Being exposed to events such as bombings, mass casualties or natural disasters can have an emotional impact on service members and veterans.
Symptoms of PTSD in veterans
Veterans may experience symptoms of PTSD to varying degrees of intensity and in different ways. Their onset may appear soon after a traumatic event or not for weeks, months or years after.
Reliving the event: Awake or asleep, a trigger can cause painful memories to surface and make the sufferer feel as though they’re experiencing the event all over again. They may experience flashbacks, which are intense and intrusive memories of the traumatic event. They can be triggered by various stimuli, such as smells, sounds or visuals, making the veteran feel as if they’re reliving the traumatic experience.
Avoidance: Veterans will often avoid situations that remind them of the event. For example, some veterans avoid crowded places or loud, overstimulating situations. Some veterans will even avoid talking about the incident that affects them.
Persistent negative emotions: Veterans who experience PTSD can be overwhelmed by negative feelings. A veteran may also feel difficulty establishing trust; experience feelings of guilt, shame, remorse or disinterest in previously enjoyable activities; or genuinely find it hard to feel happy.
Hypervigilance or hyperarousal: Veterans who feel on edge or are experiencing hyperarousal will feel constantly on alert and often uneasy in unfamiliar situations. For instance, they may prefer to find a seat facing the door in a restaurant, watch for dangerous people or objects in normal everyday situations, or feel the need to be near a point of egress. This can be distracting and make it difficult to focus or enjoy simple experiences, like dinner with family. Veterans with signs of PTSD may also find it difficult to sleep or relax, be prone to anger or irritability, startle easily, act recklessly or abuse drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism.
PTSD treatment for veterans
Sometimes, correcting emotional or chemical imbalances in the brain requires the help of professionals. For anyone showing signs of PTSD, there’s no shame in asking for help. Remember, it’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help; it’s a sign of strength. VA Vet Centers offer combat veterans across the country a broad range of counseling, outreach and referral services for post-traumatic stress and complex PTSD.
Proven treatments for PTSD include trauma-focused psychotherapies, prescription medication and a combination of the two.
While several treatment options have shown effectiveness, not all approaches work the same for everyone. Each veteran’s experience with PTSD is unique, and treatment plans should be tailored to their specific needs. Seeking help from health care providers experienced in treating PTSD in veterans is crucial for comprehensive and personalized care.
Additionally, seeking assistance from a local DAV benefits advocate can be a first step toward learning about earned benefits or finding the counseling or mental health services needed to diagnose and treat PTSD.
DAV partners with two programs that take a holistic approach to helping veterans experiencing PTSD, Boulder Crest Foundation and Save a Warrior.
At Boulder Crest, veterans can experience Warrior PATHH (Progressive and Alternative Training for Helping Heroes), a 90-day non-pharmacological program that starts with an onsite, immersive seven-day initiation. Boulder Crest focuses on the science of posttraumatic growth, a psychological transformation that can happen after trauma.
Save A Warrior’s approach starts with a 72-hour onsite program that engages in ceremony, ritual, storytelling and story listening to help participants identify and resolve the source of their psychic pain. This experience leads into a long-term daily care program that focuses on connecting with and serving others. The premise of the program is based on scientific evidence that damage to the brain’s limbic system can be changed and healed.
Some commonly used psychotherapies are:
Cognitive processing therapy (CPT): Typically occurring over 12 sessions, CPT focuses on identifying and changing negative thought patterns and behaviors contributing to PTSD symptoms. Your therapist will help you learn coping mechanisms while talking through and writing about your traumatic experiences.
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR involves recalling distressing memories while focusing on back-and-forth movements (like a finger or light) or sounds.
Prolonged exposure (PE): Instead of avoiding thoughts or situations that remind a veteran of a traumatic event, PE has them confront the traumatic event in a controlled manner, which can decrease PTSD symptoms. This happens over a series of sessions that a therapist will manage—including offering breathing techniques and gradual exposure to triggering situations.
Self-help strategies for veterans with PTSD
In addition to therapy, there are ways veterans can cope with PTSD that empower them to take control rather than allowing it to dominate them. Some of those coping mechanisms include:
Lifestyle changes: Interacting with other trauma survivors and other veterans who have experience with PTSD, exercising, eating healthfully, volunteering, avoiding drugs and alcohol, spending more time with loved ones and practicing optimism are all helpful.
Mindfulness: To be mindful is to be aware of and concentrate on the present instead of dwelling on the past. This can be practicing simple breathing exercises or intensely focusing on a singular thing in your present—perhaps a certain smell or taste.
Practicing optimism: Seeking things that create joy and a sense of peace or happiness can help take focus off feelings of stress or anxiety. It may be helpful to reflect on the good things—big or small—that have happened in the day.
Peer groups: Finding others who have experienced similar events can help veterans feel comfortable talking about the traumatic events they have experienced and work through the intense emotions associated with them.
PTSD resources
National Institute of Mental Health: Traumatic Events and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
In times of crisis, it’s crucial to have immediate access to help. Any veteran in distress may call the Veterans Crisis Line to access free, confidential support 24/7. The resource connects veterans and their families and friends with qualified VA responders. Access this resource by:
- Dialing 988,then press 1
- Texting 838255
- Using the online chat
Veterans Crisis Line staff members can connect veterans with VA services and make necessary referrals to local suicide prevention coordinators and VA providers specializing in PTSD, traumatic brain injury, MST and other issues.
The Veterans Crisis Line website also features a resource locator, which can direct veterans to local VA suicide prevention coordinators, crisis centers, VA medical centers and outpatient clinics, Vet Centers and Veterans Benefits Administration offices.
