There is no doubt that Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can put strain on any relationship, but marriages are especially affected, and many of them can lead to divorce . The military is notorious for its exceptionally high divorce rates, and while this fact exists for various reasons, among them is the challenges that spouses face when one of them suffers from PTSD. After all, the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs finds that one in five combat veterans will develop PTSD either during or after their service.
PTSD can develop when an individual has either witnessed or undergone a traumatic event. Veterans are especially susceptible to developing this illness due to the highly stressful and volatile atmosphere of a warzone. Oftentimes, this stress and paranoia carries over into their home lives, putting strain on the veteran's familial and spousal relations.
The symptoms of PTSD do not help bring spouses closer together either. In fact, veterans who suffer from PTSD report on how they feel alienated from society and isolated in their impaired mental state.
The National Institute for Mental Health breaks down the many symptoms of PTSD into three main categories: "re-experiencing symptoms," "avoidance symptoms," and "hyperarousal symptoms". Boiled down, these symptoms can manifest as flashbacks or nightmares, feelings of guilt, depression, and anxiety , and insomnia respectively. Since there is still no known cure for PTSD, sufferers must stick to regimented treatment programs in order to see progress in their rehabilitation. Those who do not, or worse yet cannot find adequate support and treatment options, suffer through having their symptoms completely control their lives to the point where many commit suicide. At least 22 combat veterans a day who suffer from undiagnosed PTSD take their own lives on a daily basis because they simply cannot live through the horrors of the illness anymore.
Of course, suicide is an extreme consequence of untreated PTSD, but since a veteran can easily become so consumed with his or her symptoms, it becomes easy for him or her to lose touch with reality and let previous priorities like marriage fall by the wayside. Additionally, spouses may be ill-equipped to take on all of the responsibilities both domestically and corporately once the other has succumbed to the effects of PTSD. This further distances spouses from one another, and may attribute to divorce . Since PTSD is incurable, working to overcome the illness is sometimes a lifelong battle, one that some spouses just aren't prepared for-- and that is okay. PTSD is never premeditated and surely not desired by any veteran who leaves the battlefield, yet such a high number of veterans (and their families ) must no learn to cope with the pitfalls of the disease.
By ways of treatment for PTSD, therapy and medication are recommended. For veterans, the VA offers both psychiatric medication and talk-therapy, although studies released in 2012 by CNN and other media outlets found that medical professionals associated with the VA prescribed 259% more narcotics than in 2002, and that individualized therapy had fallen by the wayside. Therefore, ailing soldiers and veterans who suffer from insomnia might want to consider consulting outside organizations to rehabilitate their physical and mental health.
One of those organizations is Operation: I.V, a 501(c)3 non-profit founded in 2012 that helps combat veterans heal from both PTSD as well as traumatic brain injuries. Its founder, Roxann Abrams, is a Gold Star Mother who lost her son SFC Randy Abrams in 2009. Randy took his own life after experiencing a PTSD flashback from his service in Iraq. Randy had undiagnosed PTSD- a common occurrence among combat veterans either due to mistakes made by the medical field or simply the individual’s failure to report such grave symptoms.
As a result of her son’s death, Abrams founded Operation: I.V. so that combat veterans who served in either Iraq or Afghanistan have a place to receive treatment through a specialized “VIP”, or “Veteran Intervention Plan” program. “VIP” offers ten different rehabilitation programs, including hyperbolic oxygen therapy, service dogs, and anxiety reduction therapy. Additionally, veterans may also partake in programs such as job retraining, business mentoring, and educational assistance. Again, while there is no cure for PTSD, the programs provided by Operation: I.V. can drastically improve a veteran’s mental health and overall outlook on life!
Abigail Fazelat is a contributing writer for Operation: I.V. , a non-profit organization founded by Gold Star Mother Roxann Abrams who lost her son SFC Randy Abrams to PTSD. Randy took his own life after experiencing a wartime flashback- an experience not uncommon to any combat veteran. As a result, Abrams founded Operation: I.V. as an “intravenous of help” for other Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, and contemplating suicide. Fazelat has worked for the organization since October 2013 under a pseudonym.