Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental illness that develops following exposure to or experiencing a traumatic event. As a result of their exposure to increased levels of trauma during military service, combat veterans are the population most susceptible to experiencing PTSD. PTSD, a debilitating illness with mental and psychosocial implications, is the most prevalent mental health issue among combat veterans.
On occasion, combat-traumatized veterans strive to find purpose in their wartime experiences. Due to the plethora of signs and symptoms, every PTSD patient is affected differently. PTSD symptoms may include nightmares, avoidance, flashbacks, unnatural excitement, and a negative disposition. Pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, and alternative treatments are available to treat PTSD. This work will briefly overview PTSD, including its root causes, symptoms, and treatments, focusing on combat veterans.
Introduction
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that sometimes develops in individuals who have experienced a life-threatening or terrifying event. PTSD may interfere with anyone who has gone through a traumatic incident, but military personnel are more likely to develop the condition due to prolonged exposure to combat-related trauma. All individuals may encounter traumatic events at some point in their lives. Since there is an increased risk of PTSD among veterans, it is essential to devise interventions for physicians, counselors, and psychotherapists to use when treating clients.
Causes of PTSD in Combat Veterans: Post-Deployment Stressors
The vast majority of service members who return from a deployment can effectively adapt to either private life or living on a military base. Nevertheless, veterans who return home face a real risk of negative impacts on their mental health as well as social functioning due to combat-related contact and other stressors (Bøg et al., 2018). Exposure to intense battle while watching the death of fellow troops and the struggle to adapt to everyday life are typical post-deployment stresses that can contribute to PTSD. Flashbacks, dreams, hypervigilance, evasion of triggers, and feelings of apathy or separation can all result from exposure to such stresses.
Military Sexual Trauma
Military sexual trauma (MST) describes sexual assault and sexual harassment that occurs while serving in the military. Unwanted sexual approaches, demands for sexual favors, and other verbal, behavioral, and physical actions of a sexual nature all fall under the category of MST, which encompasses a wide range of sexual offenses along a continuum of damage. Significant research among US military groups links MST to mental health illnesses like severe depression, drug misuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal thoughts (Bell et al., 2018). Despite the fact that figures differ from study to study, MST is reliably linked to mental health problems among all segments of the military community, from males to females, from active duty to survivors, and from deployed to non-deployed troops.
Symptoms of PTSD in Combat Veterans
Individuals with PTSD may exhibit the following three kinds of symptoms. The first category of symptoms is re-experiencing the traumatic event. Nightmares, recollections, intrusive visions or thoughts, and repeated emotional and physical feelings like perspiration, trembling, nausea and dizziness, and disturbed or furious responses when reminded of the traumatic event are all examples of this (Mann & Marwaha, 2023).
Another category of symptoms is hyperarousal, which occurs when the body’s protection processes are triggered unnecessarily in everyday life, such as over relatively harmless events. Due to this, it will be challenging for those affected to relax as they will be quickly shocked and unsettled. The inability to focus or relax, sleep disturbances, and sudden, intense panic attacks are all signs of hyperarousal.
Avoidance is a third category of symptoms associated with PTSD. With PTSD, denial is the third sort of manifestation. Here, the person with PTSD makes conscious efforts to avoid recalling or discussing the traumatic event and any locations associated with or evoking memories of that event. People with this indication avoid talking about their painful experience and instead try to distract themselves and their thoughts from the recollections and emotions associated with it (Mann & Marwaha, 2023).
Their social skills decline because of their inability to express their feelings. Isolation, loneliness, and a lack of kindness or love toward others are all avoidance symptoms. In extreme instances, people with avoidance issues may become addicted to drinking or lose interest in activities they once enjoyed.
Treatment for PTSD in Combat Veterans: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Combat veterans who have PTSD have access to a number of effective therapies. Depending on the intensity and symptoms manifested, available treatment may include medications like antidepressants and various kinds of counseling and coaching. Treatment for PTSD frequently involves cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) (Mann & Marwaha, 2023).
CBT is most often used to treat anxiety disorders and depression, but it can also be used to treat phobias, sleeplessness, alcoholism, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Although it is ineffective in treating these illnesses’ underlying medical causes, it can help patients learn to live with their symptoms. Cognitive behavioral therapy for PTSD will alter the client’s irrational assumptions and eliminate the negative emotions linked to the stressful event.
The use of CBT in the treatment of PTSD is widespread. People with PTSD often experience depressive symptoms; there is evidence that cognitive behavioral therapy can help alleviate these. People with PTSD and depression should collaborate with a qualified mental health expert who can tailor a treatment approach to their specific requirements and objectives.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR is a manualized therapy that assists patients in recognizing and dealing with traumatic events to bring about an adaptive resolution. Unlike trauma-focused therapies, it does not involve prolonged exposure to traumatic memories, detailed information about the traumatic events, or homework assignments (Dominguez et al., 2021).
The client is instructed to picture a distressing image related to the traumatic incident to solicit a description of body sensations connected with the image. This helps to determine a negative self-referring conviction and to pinpoint a desired positive belief to substitute for the negative belief. Accessing and processing disturbing memories while bringing them to an appropriate conclusion is the goal of EMDR, a manualized therapy. The patient is directed to recall a painful memory, invite the feelings associated with that memory into the present moment, recognize an unhelpful self-referring belief, and choose an alternative, more helpful belief to substitute for the rejected one.
The next step involves the patient following the physician’s moving finger in front of their visual field for 20 seconds while keeping the unsettling picture, feelings, and negative beliefs or ideas in mind. This procedure is done until the patient has no aversive memories associated with the targeted picture. In one study, researchers compared two different EMDR treatment schedules, one of which involved twice-daily sessions over ten days and the other of which involved weekly sessions (Hurley, 2018).
Statistically substantial therapy effects were seen in both the weekly treatment and rigorous daily treatment groups, and these effects persisted during the 1-year follow-up evaluation (Hurley, 2018). Outpatient EMDR therapy, whether monthly sessions or a more rigorous 10-day program, is successful. Results corroborate the efficacy of EMDR treatment when provided in both a weekly outpatient framework and an intensive 10-day outpatient framework.
Pharmacotherapy
Medication has been an essential component of treating persistent PTSD for many years. Medications, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), can help alleviate symptoms (Mann & Marwaha, 2023). Chronic PTSD therapy has traditionally included the use of medication. It is possible to alleviate symptoms with the help of medication, such as SSRIs or SNRIs (Mann & Marwaha, 2023).
There is relatively good evidence regarding the use of SSRIs in PTSD on the premise of numerous placebo-controlled Randomized controlled trials. These medications have largely substituted the earlier antidepressants in therapeutic practice due to their higher safety and efficacy. Some studies have shown that SNRIs may be helpful in treating PTSD (Mann & Marwaha, 2023). Mood can be elevated, and PTSD symptoms are alleviated with SNRIs because they raise serotonin and norepinephrine levels in the brain.
Conclusion
PTSD is a mental illness that can manifest after exposure to or experiencing a stressful incident. Veterans who encountered significant violence during service are more likely to experience traumatic stress after returning home. PTSD can manifest in various ways, including flashbacks, nightmares, hyperarousal, evasive behaviors, and an overall negative mood.
Medication, counseling, and alternative treatments are all viable choices for treating PTSD. It is worth noting that medicine is rarely used as the first line of defense in treating PTSD in soldiers. It is frequently integrated into multimodal treatment plans alongside trauma-focused counseling and cognitive behavioral therapy approaches. Medication selection and dose should be determined under the guidance of a medical expert after careful consideration of the patient’s symptoms, medical background, and response to therapy. Veterans should also keep an open line of communication with their doctors to check for any unwanted effects.
References
Bell, M. E., Dardis, C. M., Vento, S. A., & Street, A. E. (2018). Victims of sexual harassment and sexual assault in the military: Understanding risks and promoting recovery. Military Psychology, 30(3), 219-228. Web.
Bøg, M., Filges, T., & Jørgensen, A. M. K. (2018). Deployment of personnel to military operations: Impact on mental health and social functioning. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 14(1), 1–127. Web.
Dominguez, S. K., Matthijssen, S. J. M. A., & Lee, C. W. (2021). Trauma-focused treatments for depression. A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS ONE, 16(7), e0254778. Web.
Hurley, E. C. (2018). Effective treatment of veterans with PTSD: Comparison between intensive daily and weekly EMDR approaches. Frontiers in Psychology, 9. Web.
Mann, K. S., & Marwaha, R. (2023). Posttraumatic stress disorder. Nih.gov; StatPearls Publishing. Web.