Transcript
PTSD & Exposure Therapy
(The Dr.)
Although PTSD is considered by most people a “men’s disease”, stats make it clear that women actually have twice the chance to acquire PTSD than men. PTSD is widely known to affect those who have served in the military, but occurs at any time when something dramatically life changing or tragic occurs. Some symptoms of this disease according to the episode of “The. Dr” are: “Having flashbacks or bad dreams, avoiding certain places or thoughts, being easily startled, having difficulty sleeping or having angry outbursts, and having problems remembering things. There may be a feeling of low mood, sadness, and sometimes guilt. PTSD can be treated with therapy, medications, and self empowerment strategies.
(60 Minutes)
According to these veterans, a tough thing about living back in the states is the idea that “nobody knows what it’s like. You basically are just getting laughed at.” They feel like it’s hard to talk to anybody that hasn’t been in the position they were in because nobody would understand. After losing 17 of his friends, a veteran was asked what he did to cope. He answered: “With a lot of drinking.” That would escalate to cause depression and then substance abuse. The veteran labeled crack/cocaine as his “drug of choice”. Something used to treat PTSD is a process called “Prolonged Exposure Therapy”. This asks these veterans to remember moments back at the time they were in a tough situation. Collins will relive the story of an attack 5 times a session. This kind of solution will help sleep and react. This will help vets get by something they call a “survivor’s guilt”. Something that surprised me was how the exposure therapy worked… Personally, without really knowing, it’s kind of alarming when you think that this process brings these veterans back to a time where they felt compromised and threatened, where they lost people they were close to, and almost themselves. To me, that’s really crazy and potentially dangerous, but the fact that it works makes it so incredibly worth it. What we can learn from this story is that these people that sacrifice their time and lives for our freedom and our country… it’s not just for a little bit. They’re literally sacrificing their entire lives both physically and mentally. All because some come home, doesn’t mean they have their lives back or that they’re free. For some, the battle had then just begun.
