Partners of Veterans with PTSD
This 4-page fact sheet is from the United States Department for Veteran Affairs. It is called, “Partners of Veterans with PTSD: Caregiver Burden and Related Problems.” In the introduction of this fact sheet, it is stated, “A number of studies have found that veterans' PTSD symptoms can negatively impact family relationships and that family relationships may exacerbate or ameliorate a veteran's PTSD and comorbid conditions. This fact sheet provides information about the common problems experienced in relationships in which one (or both) of the partners has PTSD. This sheet also provides recommendations for how one can cope with these difficulties. The majority of this research involved female partners (typically wives) of male veterans; however, there is much clinical and anecdotal evidence to suggest that these problems also exist for couples where the identified PTSD patient is female.”
PTSD and Relationships
This 3-page fact sheet is from the United States Department for Veteran Affairs. This fact sheet addresses how trauma may affect relationships. As is stated in this fact sheet, “PTSD involves symptoms that interfere with trust, emotional closeness, communication, responsible assertiveness, and effective problem solving.”
PTSD and the Family
This 4-page fact sheet is from the United States Department for Veteran Affairs and it addresses how PTSD affects family members. The opening paragraph of this fact sheet states, “Because the symptoms of PTSD and other trauma reactions change how a trauma survivor feels and acts, traumatic experiences that happen to one member of a family can affect everyone else in the family. When trauma reactions are severe and go on for some time without treatment, they can cause major problems in a family. This fact sheet will describe family members' reactions to the traumatic event and to the survivor's symptoms and behaviors.”
PTSD, Work, and Your Community
This 2-page fact sheet is from the United States Department for Veteran Affairs. In its opening paragraph, it is stated, “Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can change your relationship with your community. Some people may shy away from you because of your PTSD. Getting work or finding a place to live may be more challenging. But you are in control of how your community views you. The way you act and treat others can help influence people's attitudes about PTSD. “
PTSD and Your Family
This 3-page fact sheet is from the United States Department for Veteran Affairs. This fact sheet addresses issues such as, family support, talking with your kids about PTSD, Triggers, and more.
Helping a Family Member who has PTSD
This 3-page fact sheet is from the United States Department for Veteran Affairs, and it offers suggestions as to how you can help your loved one who may be suffering from PTSD.
Talking to Children About Going to War
This 5-page fact sheet from the United States Department for Veteran Affairs offers suggestions about how to talk with children about war.
War-Zone-Related Stress Reactions: What Families Need to Know
This 3-page fact sheet is from the United States Department for Veteran Affairs. It addresses issues such as how traumatic stress reactions can affect families, the important role of families in recovery, what happens in treatment for PTSD, and much more.
Anger and Trauma
This 3-page fact sheet from the United States Department for Veteran Affairs addresses questions such as, why is anger a common response to trauma, how can posttraumatic anger become a problem, and more.
PTSD and Problems with Alcohol Use
In this 3-page fact sheet from the United States Department of Veteran Affairs, it is stated, “PTSD does not automatically cause problems with alcohol use; there are many people with PTSD who do not have problems with alcohol. However, PTSD and alcohol together can be serious trouble for the trauma survivor and his or her family.”
Children of Veterans and Adults with PTSD
This 4-page fact sheet is from the United States Department for Veteran Affairs. As is stated in the introduction of this fact sheet, it is stated, “Researchers have recently examined the impact of veterans' posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms on family relationships, and on children of veterans in particular. Family members of individuals with PTSD may experience numerous difficulties. This fact sheet explains the common problems that children of veterans experience and provides recommendations for how to cope with these difficulties. Although much of the research described here has been conducted with children of Vietnam veterans, it is likely that much of the information applies to children of combat veterans of other conflicts.”
Common Reactions After Trauma
This 3-page fact sheet is from the United States Department for Veteran Affairs. It states, “Following a traumatic event, people typically describe feeling things like relief to be alive, followed by stress, fear, and anger. They also often find they are unable to stop thinking about what happened. Having stress reactions is what happens to most people and has nothing to do with personal weakness. Many will also exhibit high levels of arousal…”
War-Zone-Related Stress Reactions: What Veterans Need to Know
This 3-page fact sheet is from the United States Department for Veteran Affairs. This fact sheet deals with issues such as unwanted remembering or re-experiencing, physical activation or arousal, emotional numbing, self-blame, and more.
Depression
This 2-page fact sheet is from the National Center for PTSD. It states, “Depression is a common problem in which severe and long lasting feelings of sadness or other problems get in the way of a person’s ability to function. In any given year, as many as 18.8 million American adults—9.5% of the adult population—experience some type of depression. Unlike a blue mood that comes and goes, depression is a persistent problem that affects the way a person eats and sleeps, thinks about things, and feels about him- or herself.”
FAQs About PTSD Assessment
This 2-page fact sheet from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs offers answers to some frequently asked questions about PTSD, such as, how can I tell if I have PTSD, and how can I find out if a particular mental health provider can evaluate me for PTSD.
Nightmares
This 3-page fact sheet from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs discusses how nightmares are related to PTSD, cultural differences and nightmares, effective treatments for nightmares, and how common nightmares occur.
What If I Have Sleep Problems?
This 2-page fact sheet is from the National Center for PTSD, and it offers suggestions as to how one can overcome sleep problems.
Sleep and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
This 3-page fact sheet is from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. As is stated in this fact sheet, “Many people have trouble sleeping sometimes. This is even more likely if you have PTSD. Having trouble sleeping and nightmares are two symptoms of PTSD.” This fact sheet offers reasons why people with PTSD may experience problems sleeping.
Domestic Violence
This 4-page fact sheet is from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. This fact sheet states, “Domestic violence is a prominent public health issue in the United States. It is the most frequent cause of serious injury to women, more than car accidents, muggings, and stranger rapes combined. 1 This fact sheet provides information regarding the definition of domestic violence, the prevalence of domestic violence, the dynamics of abusive relationships, the effects of domestic violence, treatment for victims and perpetrators, and resources offering assistance.”
PTSD and Negative Coping
This 2-page fact sheet from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs states, “If you have PTSD you may try to deal with problems in ways that cause more harm than good. This is called negative coping. Negative coping means you use quick fixes that may make a situation worse in the long run.” These quick fixes may include substance abuse, avoiding others, anger and violent behaviors, dangerous behaviors, etc.
PTSD and Older Veterans
This 3-page fact sheet is from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, and it addresses how PTSD can and does affect older veterans. From the opening paragraph of this fact sheet, it is stated, “From the time of Homer's ancient story of the battle between the Trojans and the Greeks, and the times of the Bible and Shakespeare, military personnel have been confronted by the trauma of war. Recent books and movies have highlighted the impact of war trauma on veterans of the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War. However, the traumas faced by veterans of World War II and the Korean conflict have been publicly acknowledged in the media less often and less clearly. The recent movie, "Saving Private Ryan," showed the reality of war trauma during World War II. World War II was terrifying and shocking for hundreds of thousands of American military personnel. For most World War II veterans, memories of the war can still be upsetting more than 50 years later, even if the memories arise only occasionally and for brief periods. For a smaller number of World War II veterans, the war trauma memories still cause severe problems, in the form of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.”
Treatment of PTSD
This 3-page fact sheet is from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Different types of therapy for the treatment of PTSD are discussed. As the opening paragraph states, “Today, there are good treatments available for PTSD. When you have PTSD dealing with the past can be hard. Instead of telling others how you feel, you may keep your feelings bottled up. But talking with a therapist can help you get better.”
PTSD Among Ethnic Minority Veterans
This 4-page fact sheet is from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. In the opening paragraph of this fact sheet, it is stated, “Race and ethnicity are important indicator variables that help further our understanding of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Studies of ethnic minority veterans have helped us understand how race and ethnicity relate to PTSD. Ethnic minority Vietnam veterans, through their participation in surveys, research studies, and clinical case studies, have made a major contribution toward our understanding of PTSD in these special populations.”
Bereavement and Grief: Information for Military Families and Communities
As is stated in this 3-page fact sheet from the National Mental Health Association,
“The death of a loved one is always difficult. When the death results from a war or a disaster, it can be even more troubling given the sudden and potentially violent nature of the event. After the death of someone you love, you experience bereavement, which literally means, “to be deprived by death.” You may experience a wide range of emotions, including: Denial, Disbelief, Confusion, Shock, Sadness, Yearning, Anger, Humiliation, Despair, and Guilt.”
Returning From The War Zone: A Guide for Families of Military Members
This 13-page guide is from the National Center for PTSD. As is stated in the opening paragraph, “The days and weeks after a homecoming from war can be filled with excitement, relief, and many other feelings. This guide is for military family members, like you. This guide is also helpful for friends and returning veterans themselves. Following the veterans return from overseas duty, the entire family will go through a transition. This guide will help each of you understand readjustment during homecoming.”
Returning From The War Zone: A Guide for Military Personnel
This 13-page guide is from the National Center for PTSD. As is stated in the opening paragraph of this guide, “This pamphlet is provided to assist military service members and veterans, like you, with your return from the war zone. The days and weeks after your return from overseas duty will be a transition. During this time, service members often describe a range of emotions from excitement and relief, to stress, tension or concern. All of these emotions are a normal part of a healthy transition from a war zone back home. You may also feel distant, uninterested, or be overly critical and impatient with others. These types of behaviors and feelings are normal combat stress reactions. This pamphlet, describes these normal reactions and how normal reactions can become problematic. You will learn about ways to cope with the return home, and if problems arise, ways to find assistance.”
Homecoming After Deployment: Dealing With Changes And Expectations
This 1-page fact sheet is from the National Center for PTSD, and it states, “With deployment comes change. Knowing what to expect and how to deal with changes can make homecoming more enjoyable and less stressful.”
How to Get Back to “Normal”
This 2-page fact sheet is from the National Mental Health Association. Here, one will find tips to make the transition back into family life more smoothly.
Findings from the National Vietnam Veterans’ Readjustment Study
This 5-page fact sheet is from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. In the introduction to this fact sheet, it is stated, “The National Vietnam Veterans' Readjustment Study (NVVRS) was conducted in response to a congressional mandate in 1983 for an investigation of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other postwar psychological problems among Vietnam veterans (Kulka et al., 1990a, Kulka et al., 1990b). The purpose of the NVVRS was to obtain accurate prevalence rates of postwar psychological problems in order to serve the needs of the nation's veterans. The NVVRS used a multimethod assessment approach (e.g., self-report, clinical interview) to study representative national samples of Vietnam veterans and their peers. Participants were grouped according to their involvement in the Vietnam war, including Vietnam theater veterans (i.e., men and women who served on active duty in Vietnam, Laos, or Cambodia), Vietnam era veterans (i.e., men and women who served on active duty during the Vietnam era but not in the Vietnam theater), and nonveterans or civilian counterparts (i.e., men and women who did not serve in the military during the Vietnam era).”
The Legacy of Psychological Trauma from the Vietnam War for American Indian Military Personnel
This 5-page fact sheet is from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. It takes a look at the Matsunaga Vietnam Veterans Project. It is stated in the opening paragraph of this fact sheet, “Military personnel of many ethnic backgrounds served with distinction in the Vietnam War. The 1988 National Vietnam Veterans
Readjustment Study (NVVRS) demonstrated that Black and Hispanic veterans who served in Vietnam experienced significantly greater readjustment problems and higher levels of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) than White veterans.”
The Legacy of Psychological Trauma of the Vietnam War for Native
Hawaiian and American of Japanese Ancestry Military Personnel
This 5-page fact sheet is from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opening paragraph states, “Military personnel of many ethnic backgrounds served with distinction in the Vietnam War. The 1988 National Vietnam Veterans
Readjustment Study (NVVRS) demonstrated that Black and Hispanic veterans who served in Vietnam experienced significantly greater readjustment problems and higher levels of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) than White veterans. To extend the study findings to other minority veterans, the late Senator from Hawaii, Spark Matsunaga, initiated a major project to assess the readjustment experience of American Indian, Japanese American, and Native Hawaiian veterans of the Vietnam War. This resulted in Public Law 101-507, which directed the VA's National Center for PTSD to conduct what became known as the Matsunaga Vietnam Veterans Project. The Matsunaga Project involved two parallel studies. The American Indian Vietnam Veterans Project surveyed a sample of Vietnam in-country veterans residing on or near two large tribal reservations, one in the Southwest and the other in the Northern Plains. These populations had sufficient numbers of Vietnam military veterans to draw scientifically and culturally sound conclusions about the war and readjustment experiences.”
Traumatic Stress in Female Veterans
Findings from a National Study of Female Vietnam War Veterans
This 2-page fact sheet is from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opening paragraph of this fact sheet states, “During and after the Vietnam War, mental-health professionals and behavioral scientists began to notice adjustment problems in some veterans returning from Southeast Asia. At first, these problems were characterized as a "post-Vietnam syndrome." In 1980, this condition was officially recognized by the American Psychiatric Association as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.” This is a part of the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study.
An Overview of the Mental Health Effects of Serving in Afghanistan and Iraq
This 2-page fact sheet form the United States Department for Veteran Affairs addresses questions such as, what are the mental health impacts of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, etc.
Traumatic Grief: Symptomatology and Treatment for the Iraq War Veteran
This 3-page fact sheet is form the United States Department for Veteran Affairs. The opening paragraph states, “Although research into the prevalence and intensity of grief symptoms in war veterans is limited, clinicians recognize the importance for veterans of grieving the loss of comrades. Grief symptoms can include sadness, longing, missing the deceased, non-acceptance of the death, feeling the death was unfair, anger, feeling stunned, dazed, or shocked, emptiness, preoccupation with thoughts and images of the deceased, loss of enjoyment, difficulties in trusting others, social impairments, and guilt concerning the circumstances of the death.
Recent research results, although limited to one sample of Vietnam combat veterans in a residential rehabilitation unit for PTSD, have supported findings in the general bereavement literature that unresolved grief can be detected as a distress syndrome distinct from depression and anxiety. In this sample of combat veterans, grief symptoms were detected at very high levels of intensity, thirty years post-loss. The intensity of symptoms experienced after thirty years was similar to that reported in community samples of grieving spouses and parents at six months post-loss. This supports clinical observations that unresolved grief, if left untreated, can continue unabated and increases the distress load of veterans. The existence of a distinct and intense set of grief symptoms indicates the need for clinical attention to grief in the treatment plan.”
