Supporting Our Veterans

Earlier this week, we celebrated Veterans Day. Veteran’s day is a day to reflect and remember the many sacrifices that our veterans have made for us to be able to live the lives that we do. We acknowledge those sacrifices and we honor them for their service.

Some of the sacrifices that our veterans make comes at the expense of their mental health and wellness. Due to the unique, and sometimes challenging, lifestyle inherent to military life, often our veterans experience mental health challenges such as PTSD, traumatic brain injury or depression.

One of the best ways to lend support to our veterans is to be able to understand some of the issues that they are facing on a daily basis. 

Here are some ways in which we can support our veterans through understanding of their symptoms:

Understanding Anxiety

Anxiety problems are common, but when they begin to affect the quality of life for a veteran, they must begin to gauge the severity of it. A few of the symptoms include, but are not limited to, feeling restless, jumpy, or on edge, excessive worrying about everyday decisions, difficulty concentrating, or having difficulty sleeping. Recognizing some of these symptoms can allow you to provide a veteran with the professional help that they need. 

Understanding PTSD

There are 4 types of PTSD symptoms, but they may not be exactly the same for everyone. Each person experiences symptoms in their own way. Memories of the traumatic event can come back at any time. They can feel very real and scary. They may try to avoid situations or people remind them of the trauma event. They may even avoid talking or thinking about the event. They may be jittery, or always alert and on the lookout for danger. They might suddenly become angry or irritable. The way they think about themselves and others may become more negative because of the trauma.

Understanding Suicide

For Veterans, many of the mental health issues that they face can be heightened due to their military experience. Due to this reason, many of the suicides nationwide are conducted by our veterans. Not all veterans show signs of intent for self harm, but there are those that do. Here are some of those warning signs: Hopelessness, excessive guilt, rage or anger, increased alcohol or drug misuse, withdrawing from family and friends, or giving away prized possessions.