Veterans with PTSD

Veterans with PTSD –Common Family Problems

Sad news coming out of Phoenix Arizona where it was reported a married returning war veteran shot his wife during a domestic dispute and stated he did so because of his military training and coping skills taught to him by the United States Army. Basically, what the ex-soldier was saying that his military life created problems for his family relationships and caused him to lose control of his anger and set him up for failure in his life, his marriage and his mind.

According to the Veterans Administration, male veterans are more likely to have problems related to their personal relationships or marriages, being sound parents and having poor coping and functional skills dealing with family issues. This is not to imply that female veterans do not experience the same type of problems as they are also prone or susceptible to the same symptoms of PTSD as their male colleagues when they deal with their personal issues.

Looking at marriage problems there are reports of not sharing their thoughts and feeling with their spouses and in personal relationships there appears to be identical issues reported around intimacy and other emotional issues that tend to give them lower satisfaction of the relationship or life itself. In marriage, PTSD veterans tend to be divorced twice as much as non-veteran and 3 times more likely to divorce 2 or 3 times during relationships. In addition to the numerous divorces, their relationships are also reported to be shorter than normal indicative of their problems to handle intimacy and emotional issues related to family issues.

It must be stressed and emphasized that veterans with PTSD are more prone to experience more physical and verbal aggression as well as domestic or family violence issues. In addition, this violence is not just restricted to family but extends beyond their support group or families. Regarding violence, veterans with PSTD commit more family violence than other spouses or partners.

Impacting their daily health and wellness it must be said with most certainty that PTSD impacts the mental health of the veteran and his or her partner. It has been reported that post trauma stress disorder has impacted lower levels of happiness; less satisfaction in their personal lives; excessive disappointment or demoralization / discouragement and reporting more than 50 % feel they are near the rim of a “nervous breakdown” in their lives.

Therefore it is reasonable to conclude that living with a veteran with PTSD who has gone through serious trauma such as a war or other critical incident involves having a high risk of violence within the family setting or circle. Family members and friends must seek effective ways of helping these veterans and assist them in treatment that consists of education for the entire family, support groups for both partners and veterans, therapy either group or individual and preemptive family counseling.

Source:

http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/partners-of-vets.asp