Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a term for certain severe psychological consequences of exposure to, or confrontation with, stressful events that the person experiences as highly traumatic.[1] Clinically, such events involve actual or threatened death, serious physical injury, or a threat to physical and/or psychological integrity, to a degree that usual psychological defenses are incapable of coping with the impact. It is occasionally called post-traumatic stress reaction to emphasize that it is a result of traumatic experience rather than a manifestation of a pre-existing psychological condition. The presence of a PTSD response is influenced by the intensity of the experience, its duration, and the individual person involved.
It is possible for individuals to experience traumatic stress without manifesting Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, as indicated in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and also for people to experience traumatic situations and not develop PTSD. In fact, most people who experience traumatic events will not develop PTSD. For most people, the emotional effects of traumatic events tend to subside after several months. PTSD is thought to be primarily an anxiety disorder (possibly closely related to panic disorder) and should not be confused with normal grief and adjustment after traumatic events.
PTSD may be triggered by an external factor or factors. Its symptoms can include the following: nightmares, flashbacks, emotional detachment or numbing of feelings (emotional self-mortification or dissociation), insomnia, avoidance of reminders and extreme distress when exposed to the reminders ("triggers"), loss of appetite, irritability, hypervigilance, memory loss (may appear as difficulty paying attention), excessive startle response, clinical depression, and anxiety. It is also possible for a person suffering from PTSD to exhibit one or more other comorbid psychiatric disorders; these disorders often include clinical depression (or bipolar disorder), general anxiety disorder, and a variety of addictions.
Symptoms that appear within the first month of the trauma are called Acute stress disorder, not PTSD according to DSM-IV. If there is no improvement of symptoms after this period of time, PTSD is diagnosed. PTSD has three subforms: Acute PTSD subsides after a duration of three months. If the symptoms persist, the diagnosis is changed to chronic PTSD. The third subform is referred to as delayed onset PTSD which may occur months, years, or even decades after the event.



The first documented case of psychological distress was reported in 1900 BCE, Egypt by an Egyptian physician who described a "hysterical" reaction to trauma (Veith 1965).
Railway spine was a nineteenth-century diagnosis for the post-traumatic symptoms of passengers involved in railroad accidents. The first full length medical study of the condition was John Eric Erichsen's On Railway and Other Injuries of the Nervous System, published in 1864. For this reason, railway spine is often known as "Erichsen's disease". Many physicians thought that the symptoms were due to the "excessive speeds" (about 30 mph) of the trains, and that the human body could not cope with speeds that fast. It was later found to be purely psychological in origin, and no longer exists as a valid disorder.[2][3]
There have been numerous reports of military veterans suffering from PTSD-like symptoms for well over 100 years. For example, veterans of the US Civil War who suffered emotional problems were diagnosed as being afflicted with "soldier's heart" or “Da Costa’s Syndrome” which shares many symptoms like PTSD. Shell shock was a term used to describe the condition of veterans of World War I who seemed emotionally disturbed in a similar fashion. In World War II, these symptoms were classified as "battle fatigue" or "combat fatigue". Other terms used to describe military-related mood disturbances include "nostalgia", "not yet diagnosed nervous", "irritable heart", "effort syndrome", "war neurosis", and "operational exhaustion".[4][5][6][7][8]
Hysteria was also related to "traumatic reminiscences" a century ago (Janet 1901). At that time, Sigmund Freud's pupil, Kardiner, was the first to describe what later became known as symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (Lamprecht & Sack 2002).
Stress is often defined as the reaction to a situation that threatens the balance or homeostasis[9] of a system (Antonovsky 1981). The situation causing the stress reaction is defined as the "stressor", but the stress reaction and not the stressor is what jeopardizes the homeostasis (Aardal-Eriksson 2002). Post-traumatic stress can thus be seen as a chemical imbalance of neurotransmitters, according to stress theory.
However, PTSD in and of itself is a relatively recent diagnosis in psychiatric nosology, first appearing in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in 1980. It has been said that development of the PTSD concept has, in part, socio-economic and political implications (Mezey & Robbins 2001). War veterans are the most publicly-recognized victims of PTSD; long-term psychiatric illness was formally observed in World War I veterans. The syndrome entered wide public consciousness after the Vietnam War. PTSD patients had difficulties receiving veterans' disability benefits because there was no psychiatric diagnosis available by which veterans could claim indemnity. This situation has changed during the last two decades and PTSD is now one of several psychiatric diagnoses for which a veteran can receive compensation, such as a war veteran indemnity pension, in the U.S. (see below: Mezey & Robbins 2001)
PTSD has also been recognized as a problem for marginalized groups within societies. One such group is Australian Aboriginal peoples, and other Indigenous peoples around the world. In these cases the repeated history of childhood and adult trauma, removal of children from their families, interpersonal violence and substance abuse, and early death, results in generations of people with high levels of PTSD.[10][11]



I grabbed this from Wikipedia.
If you know someone who is suffering from this, help them help themselves!
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Official site of the primary agency. Provides detailed information on claims submission, appeals and local VA contact information.
www.va.gov/ - 23k - Cached - Similar pages
Find a Facility - www.va.gov/directory/
Find a VA Form - www.va.gov/vaforms/
Disabled Veterans - www.vba.va.gov/bln/vre/
Contact VA - https://iris.va.gov/
More results from www.va.gov »


Also there are several free hot lines available to everyone:


Hotline Numbers

National Toll-Free Help Lines

The numbers listed below can be dialed toll-free from anywhere within the United States. These organizations provide mental health information and referrals, and in some cases, crisis counseling.
2007 Toll-Free Numbers for Health Information
Advocates for Human Potential, Inc.
Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) Technical Assistance Center
800-795-5486
Alzheimer's Disease Education & Referral Center
800-438-4380
Department of Transportation's Hotline for Air Travelers With Disabilities
1-800-778-4838 (voice) or 1-800-455-9880 (TDD)
National Clearinghouse on Family Support and Children's Mental Health
800-628-1696
National Library of Medicine's Health Hotlines Subject Index
National Mental Health Association
800-969-NMHA (6642)
National Resource Center on Homelessness and Mental Illness
800-444-7415
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
800-273-TALK (8255)
SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
800-662-HELP (4357), 800-487-4889 (TDD), 877-767-8432 (Spanish)
SAMHSA's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information
800-729-6686
Su Familia (a bilingual service of the Office of Minority Health Resource Center)
866-783-2645



This is a helpful reminder from your local A5OG mental health counselor (not licensed, but here as a helping hand)
If a person who has problems happens to just "go off" or "goes over the deep end" and you fear for your life, their life or the lives of those around you, please don't hesitate. CALL 911 ! You might not be able to help them, but the police/emergency workers can.
Pass this to your friends who might have problems.
every person we tell might be another life saved.


Thank you for your time,


sectionate
SGT Andrew Neilson
USMCR

great info to share . your are true nobleman ,and im not saying it to say it .

I know that I have it.
I was fired from a job for it.
I just want other people to know about the help that is out there.
It hasn't been easy for me, but with my Marines, family and a great VA across town, I am surviving.

My wife's nephew has it. (we beleive) He shows all the traits associated with it. The problem is that unless he breaks the law, he can't be forced into an evaluation- it's voluntary. At this point he just tells everyone to *blank* -off and continues on his angry way; which is another sign. I can't disclose the details, but it has come to a head and he may well be forced into getting some help.
This is a very serious condition and it deserves more press and public understanding. These guys served us and our country, now it's our turn.

__________________
* - B.T.D.T/G.T.T.S.______ "Adversity Builds Character"

Check your state laws on mental health.
In Florida we have the "baker" act and the "marshman" act.
"Baker" is for mental health problems leading to the threat of self or others.
"Marshman" pertains to substance abuse with intent to harm self or others.
Check your local laws and if nothing pops up, have an "intervention" where family and friends sit him down and discuss his actions, reactions and possible law enforcement involvement.
At all times express concern but not necessarily pity and certainly not anger. Bring him "into" the situation knowing that he is loved and cared for and that these problems are not uncommon, nor is shameful to ask fopr help.
Encourage him to get help and offer to walk him through all of the stages of therapeutic or psychiatric steps necessary to help him get back to feeling normal. Family support plays a huge role in patient recoveries.

Good information, Thank you for post this as I have been looking for some of it. I have several good friends that served in the Middle east. Not all of them are "whole" in spirit after the experience. They all deal with their problems differently, some not at all. I will forward this to one of them in particular as he still carries a unhealthy bit on anger with him, Especially on certain days of the year.

My only suggestion is to support anyone you know when they fall and be especially forgiving when they are in a "mood".

Counseling and therapy and mind-altering drugs (PERSONAL PRESCRIPTIONS ONLY! NOT YOUR FRIENDS!) are real life savers

If anyone who was in the service feels that they have issues with PTSD, please seek help at your closest VA hospital.

If you are being treated for it, the local Disabled American Veterans will gladly review your story and help you file a claim with the VA Regional Office. The DAV representatives (National Service Officers) are the best trained in the "industry" and are well versed in what you need to do to seek help and get any disability you are entitled to. I know, I was one and I helped several Veterans with their issues.

Take care of yourself, and take care of your loved ones.
Britt
FL^!
Disabled USN (subs) Vet.

__________________

When you call 911, remember this... some studies say that as many as 70% of the people that are coming to help you suffer from some form of PTSD themselves...

__________________

A5, 12" PPS Brass (.690) with Apex tip, Tacamo HK 416 shroud, Tacamo AK-47 Sight Cover, JCS Gold Powertube, E-Grip (APE), Core CQB Wire Stock w/ RVA, Palmer Inline Stabilizer, Lapco Cyclone Ratchet, 450 round Hopper, 48 oz CO2 with remote line

Considering what they have to respond to can range from a month old drowned infant to a 10 car accident and everything in between, you can't really blame them. It goes with the job. I know that they have counseling services as well. Some are even mandatory.