It’s Not Just for Soldiers Anymore

 

I had gone down to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to visit relatives.  As a young Marine I was well aware of the fact that the ocean-side city was a prime destination for young women at the adventurous stage of their lives.  Thus it didn’t take long for me to team up with three beautiful girls who were more than happy to accompany me for a friendly swim at a nearby pool.  We stood around in the water getting to know each other better for a while then one of the girls found a beach ball and we got caught up in a game of keep-away.  One of them jumped in front of me to prevent me from getting the ball so I reached an arm around her waist and picked her up, laughing.

Suddenly, she started to flail around and scream, “Put me down!  Put me DOWN!”  She continued screaming, telling me, “NEVER GRAB ME LIKE THAT!  Don’t TOUCH me…EVER!”

The look the other two girls and I exchanged said it all.  What the heck was THAT all about?

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I don’t know how much the military knew about such things back then, but I had never heard of anything like it.  Within a few years it was common knowledge among servicemen.  Later, when I began training for my current job with the Missouri Division of Youth Services, my eyes were opened wide.

I had witnessed a well-known symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder – PTSD.

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Since Memorial Day is rapidly approaching, I want be sure and point out that PTSD is nearing epidemic proportions among our veterans.  In no way am I trying to minimize the terrible price these brave young men and women pay to make this world a safer place, but I want to point out that PTSD is common enough among those who have never seen combat that it would be unfair to concentrate solely on my brothers and sisters who have served.

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Post traumatic stress disorder, as the name implies, happens to people who have experienced some kind of trauma.  It can be combat; or a car wreck; or the death of someone close to us (either physically or emotionally); or molestation, rape, or other type of sexual abuse; or more things too numerous to mention.

Researchers have not found any way to predict with any accuracy exactly who will get PTSD.  To top that off, you may experience trauma and show no signs of the disorder for years or decades.  Also, it is not uncommon for children to exhibit symptoms of PTSD and have absolutely no memories of the trauma that brought them on.

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What are those symptoms?  They include, but are not limited to:

feelings of being on edge with no obvious reason

recurring nightmares (Nightmares may be about the event that brought on the disorder, but don’t have to be.)

difficulty sleeping

hyper-vigilance – You’re constantly on alert or you see potential for danger in situations where others are oblivious to it.

sudden noises make you jump like everyone else, but raise alarms to you beyond what others consider normal

you find you don’t want to go places or don’t enjoy things you used to, with feelings of anxiety if you realize you don’t have a choice.

feeling numb or losing interest in things you used to care about

behavior in some situations that others consider excessive

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Let me make one major point.  PTSD is NOT a weakness.  It is a disorder that sufferers don’t choose for themselves.  It can happen to you no matter how big or smart or macho you are.  It is a natural protective mechanism gone amok or, at the very least, out of place.

Think about that last statement.  Waking up at the slightest noise ready to do battle may be a valuable reaction when you are living in a combat zone.  Not so much when you have kids who may yell out in the middle of the night.  Fighting and screaming when someone is attempting to rape you may stop the assault and give you a chance to find safety.  Acting like that when you are playing a friendly, rough and tumble game of keep-away with friends can lead to embarrassment and discomfort in social situations.

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If you exhibit any of the symptoms listed, especially if you experienced a major trauma that you associate it with, get help.  The Veteran’s Association has programs set up to help afflicted former soldiers.  It’s there for you – use it.  For anyone who doesn’t know of any resources available for them, ask your family doctor.  They should be able to point you in the right direction.

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If someone overreacts to a situation like the girl in my opening story, please, please don’t respond like we did.  Oh, we didn’t behave as badly as some might but, as we walked back to our vehicles, the other two girls apologized to me with, “That was crazy!  I don’t know why she acted like that!” and we let the girl separate herself from us.

At the very least we should have told her that we understood she was in an uncomfortable situation and encouraged her to talk to us.  We could have tried to find out whether she would have been more comfortable talking to the girls, or me, or someone else.  It was a delicate situation and we were too ignorant to know how serious it was.

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I never saw the girl again and have no idea if she got help, or even if she actually suffered from PTSD at all.  If she did have PTSD, I hope she had friends or loved ones who were there for her and supported her in her struggle.

I wish I’d had some idea about PTSD then.  If I had, I would have been more supportive, because understanding is exactly what she needed.

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THAT’S what the heck THAT is all about.

 

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