Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Veterans Essay -- Post-traumatic st

Military service members who are and have been deployed to the middle east show high levels of emotional distress and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Both active duty and reserve component soldiers who have experienced combat have been exposed to high levels of traumatic stress. As a consequence, many have gone on to develop a wide range of mental health problems such as PTSD. â€Å"According to researchers, PTSD is a long-term reaction to war-zone exposure that can last up to a few minutes, hours, several weeks, and for some a lifetime.† Common symptoms include: emotional numbing, anxiety, feelings of guilt, and depression. If the disorder turns chronic veterans may experience functional impairment (Friedman, M. J. et al., 1994, p. 265).† PTSD is on of the most prevalent mental health disorders from veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. In general, the younger veterans are the more likely they are to develop PTSD when deployed. Deployment related issues f rom veterans may have a devastating impact on their relationships back home. â€Å"Numerous research studies have linked PTSD to family relationship problems (Goff, Crow, Reisberg, & Hamilton, 2006).† PTSD is likely to be â€Å"the† contributor to relationship problems that are not related to deployments. Spouses or partners of veterans who are diagnosed with PTSD are at greater risk of hostility and aggression in their relationship than spouses whose veterans are not diagnosed. To combat this direction and effective coping skills have been shown to improve adjustment, stress management, and problem solving within a relationship. Family focused approaches bring down the psychological risk of developing PTSD and exploit constructive outcomes. Fundamental education is a method that... ... of the military have been related to stress. â€Å"[Both veterans and their spouses,] on average, valued Army service in general more than they valued the current mission in Iraq and Afghanistan (Allen, E. S. et al., 2011, p. 244).† Those that feel less enthusiastic about the military’s mission are more likely to experience greater stress. Male can be decreased if they obtain more rank, are financially stable, and are able to balance work and home related issued more efficiently. By comparison, spouses stress can be predicted by negative communication outcomes with their love one. In closing, I suggest psychologist researchers to review sampling methods being conducted on veterans because, in my opinion, there are a significant amount soldiers with PTSD are not known. I Also suggest that research not be limited to Caucasians but other groups to include minorities.