Last month, HVRC took time to acknowledge the 4 million plus heroes working in the nursing profession during National Nurse Week. We discussed how people working in jobs where trauma and stress are commonplace are at a higher risk of experiencing mental health problems, compared to those who work in other fields. It is fitting that June is PTSD Awareness Month; many people that are working in the field of medicine are negatively affected by the trauma they experience when fulfilling their duties. However, people working in the hospital are not the only people at risk of witnessing or experiencing trauma; disturbing and shocking events can impact anyone.
It is of vital importance that we all take time to educate ourselves about post-traumatic stress disorder. The National Center for PTSD reports that about 8 million adults have PTSD during a given year; that number includes many people who have never seen the front lines of combat or witnessed someone die in a hospital bed. Merely put, just about anything that is severely distressing can result in an individual developing a post-traumatic stress disorder. Unfortunately, PTSD is one of the many psychological disorders that is undertreated which is why the month of June is so salient; encouraging those who struggle with the condition to seek help is paramount.
At HVRC, we understand that a good number of people work in professions that can have a negative impact on life quality. What’s more, such people are at far higher risk of developing problems with alcohol and drugs due to what is known as the practice of self-medication. At our treatment center, many clients present signs of both PTSD and addiction. We understand that failing to treat both conditions will significantly diminish a client’s ability to work a program of long-term recovery. When we treat both conditions simultaneously, the likelihood of progress exponentially increases.
Help Raise Awareness About PTSD
PTSD can affect anyone; but, women are more likely to develop the condition. The National Center for PTSD points out that about 10 of every 100 women (or 10%) develop PTSD sometime in their lives, compared with about 4 of every 100 men (or 4%). About 7 or 8 out of every 100 people (or 7-8% of the population) will have PTSD at some point in their lives.
The good news is that treatment works, and recovery is possible; the bad news is that people fear seeking help. Some worry that acknowledging the disorder will make their friends, family, and society look and treat at them differently. In defense of those suffering, society hasn’t always been kind to those struggling with mental illness, especially PTSD. During World War II, the term “shell shock” was replaced by Combat Stress Reaction (CSR), or “battle fatigue. General Patton nearly ended his military career when he verbally and physically accosted two soldiers exhibiting signs of battle fatigue during the Allied campaign in Sicily.
“Always remember, if you have been diagnosed with PTSD, it is not a sign of weakness; rather, it is proof of your strength, because you have survived!” —Michel Templet
We live in a different time than the 1940s and have come a long way when it comes to both understanding and empathy. Battle fatigue, which is now called PTSD; is a condition no longer relegated to soldiers alone. The mental health disorder is a condition whose criteria is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; and, to be clear, it can have an adverse effect on anyone. If you are struggling with the condition there is support available; or, if you know someone is living with PTSD, you can prove instrumental to their recovery.
“Often it isn’t the initiating trauma that creates seemingly insurmountable pain, but the lack of support after.”―S. Kelley Harrell
A Proven Approach to Treatment
During PTSD Awareness Month, we invite anyone struggling with PTSD who self-medicates with drugs and alcohol to cope to contact Hemet Valley Recovery Center and Sage Retreat. Our skilled team of professionals can help you adopt a program of recovery that will change your life for the better.