Sunday

Dealing With Veterans Struggling With Depression

By Martha Perry


Depression, anxiety and PTSD are on the rise amongst veterans. It is not an uncommon fact these days to read more about veterans struggling with depression. In the past, there was little support for this, and nobody knew what was happening with soldiers who came back from the battlefield. Nobody took care of their mental health.

This especially related to soldiers who came back from the first and second wars. Families could see that they had been affected in some way. They were obviously torn because of the way they were acting out. A lot of them would become depressed and anxious. They would prefer to stay in isolation, frightened to go out, should they think they were going to have a panic attack.

Many veterans can't take the pressure. A lot of people commit suicide because of what they have been through and because of the emotions that they are dealing with. Many of them don't get support and it is something that they have to deal with every day of their lives. They will be forced to remember tragic events from when they were in war torn areas.

There were hundreds and hundreds of vets who came back from Vietnam and people found that there was more of a problem that they were having to deal with. There was more support offered. A lot of these vets had trouble coping in the home. They would have mood swings, losing their temper a lot the time. Flashbacks can be set off any point in time.

It is a long, lonely process when you decide to work through this on your own. In fact, many people find that they are not able to adapt to the changes. Coming back to a more tranquil setting after you have had your mind focused on a mission for so long can be difficult to cope with. You will become anxious which leads to depression.

Many war vets would have suffered from a traumatic brain injury. Although they are protected, there are exposed to physical conditions and there are times when they have fallen and rolled on their heads. You may not even be aware of this. Depression can set in here along with other mental disorders. A person like this will not be the same, and learns to cope in various way which are not always healthy.

Vets who get back and try to adjust will often become confused because they don't know why they are feeling in a particular way. They won't be able to explain their mental state of mind. However, this is something that you need to be patient. This is why it is a good idea to work with others that are going through the same thing. A lot of people enjoy connecting with other vets in a group.

There are many methods and techniques that therapists use which help them to reach out to the vet. This can come in the form of something creative, which is also helps the vet take the focus off of what is bothering them. They begin to let go and express themselves in another way. This can be helpful as well, because of someone like this battles to communicate.




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