By Alexa Telano | Development Associate
Since 2001, America has deployed over 2 million military personnel to Iraq, Afghanistan, and other areas in support of the global war on terror. As troops return home to their families, friends, and communities, they face an entirely different set of challenges: the struggle of reintegration and, for many, PTSD.
Each year on June 27th, National PTSD Awareness Day recognizes the effects post-traumatic stress has on the lives of those impacted by it. We had the honor of interviewing Dr. Sonja V. Batten, a clinical psychologist with a specialization in traumatic stress. In her words: “PTSD first became an official mental health condition with specific criteria in 1980. PTSD, or post traumatic stress disorder, is an anxiety disorder that can occur when somebody experiences an event that they feel their life has been in danger, they were at risk of being severely injured or maybe they saw something horrific that happened in front of them. People may experience problems with having trouble sleeping, having images of the event come back to them when they're not trying to think about it, feel alert all the time, become emotionally numb or avoid things that remind them of the event. And those symptoms go on for a period of time and affect the person's functioning in their day to day life. With veterans, we may first think of PTSD being the result of a combat event. Veterans, just like any other individual, can also develop PTSD as a result of sexual trauma, a car accident, a training accident.”
According to the PTSD Foundation of America, an estimated 7.8 percent of Americans will experience PTSD at some point in their lives, while about 30 percent of service members who have spent time in war zones experience PTSD. Typically, only 50 percent of PTSD sufferers seek treatment.
3 Generations has been telling the stories of veterans since 2011. We have produced over a dozen videos for our website as well as two short films. We have supported efforts to help veterans return to work, seek appropriate mental health support as needed and told the stories of veterans of earlier wars. To watch this interview and other stories of courageous veterans, please visit our website here and connect with us on social media at @3_generations.
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