Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a growing disorder in the United States. While it most commonly associated with veterans, PTSD can affect men, women, and children alike. The main treatment for PTSD is psychotherapy, or “talk therapy” which is an effective tool if used. The problem with PTSD is that it is considered a “soft” disorder and is easily hidden by its sufferers. Military members in particular often view it as a weakness.
PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that may trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, or military combat (NIMH 2010). Many people affected by PTSD experience uncontrollable anger, nightmares, and sleep problems. In children, regression may occur such as bedwetting, forgetting how to talk, or acting out.
Psychotherapy is the most useful know treatment for PTSD today. It is an individualized trauma focused way of combating PTSD. This type of therapy is not done when someone is currently in crisis. Group psychotherapy is likely the most beneficial psychotherapy method for PTSD, especially for military personnel and veterans (Cohen 2008). The reason this method can be beneficial is because the person is in a group that has experienced similar trauma. Other types of treatment for PTSD include Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). The question becomes, how effective are these treatments, especially when many people who suffer from PTSD deny it and refuse counseling. Also factor in the fact that many symptoms of PTSD can be considered minor and mistake for regular stress. In the military, many fear the stigma of PTSD and don’t report it and women in the military face an even harder battle. The number of female veterans being treated by the VA has more than doubled since 2004 and...