MSI Press Blog

  PTSD is often described as a disorder of memory — the past refusing to stay in the past. But for many people, especially (though not exclusively) former military service members, PTSD is also a disorder of survival . The nervous system stays on high alert long after the danger has passed. The body keeps bracing. The mind keeps scanning. And over time, that constant vigilance can become unbearable. It’s in that unbearable space that suicidal thoughts sometimes take root. What the Research Shows People living with PTSD have significantly higher rates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts than the general population. The risk increases when: trauma was severe, prolonged, or repeated symptoms include hyperarousal, nightmares, or intrusive memories PTSD coexists with depression, anxiety, or substance use the person feels isolated or misunderstood the trauma involved moral injury — a violation of one’s core values Among former military service members, the risk is shaped ...

  PTSD doesn’t happen to one person. It happens to a system. A family. A friendship circle. A marriage. A neighborhood. A workplace. Trauma radiates outward, and the people closest to the blast absorb the shock in ways that rarely get named. We talk about veterans, survivors, first responders, victims of violence. We talk about symptoms, treatments, triggers. But we almost never talk about the people who live beside PTSD—the spouses who flinch at slammed doors, the children who learn to tiptoe around moods, the friends who don’t know whether to call or stay away, the siblings who feel helpless watching someone they love disappear behind a wall of vigilance or withdrawal. This is what happens to the rest of us. 1. We become interpreters of invisible storms People with PTSD often live with a nervous system that reacts before they can. Their loved ones learn to read micro‑expressions, tone shifts, and silences like meteorologists tracking pressure systems. Is today a high‑alert...

  This excerpt comes from  Helping the Disabled Veteran  (Joanna Romer) PTSD   In the 2017 movie Dunkirk , a soldier is rescued from an airplane wreckage by a fishing boat. He is shocked to learn that the boat is on its way to Dunkirk to help the war effort, and he refuses to go. Instead, he flies into a rage. “He’s shell-shocked,” the boat captain tells his mate. The mate asks if the solder will recover, and the boat captain tells him there is no way of knowing. “He may never be the same,” the captain adds ruefully.   Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has replaced the term shell-shocked to describe the agitated state born by some soldiers after combat. The symptoms are: 1)     Headache 2)     Agitation 3)     Dizziness 4)     Chest pain 5)     Insomnia (dhproject.org)   If your veteran is displaying one or more of these symptoms, try to get him or her to talk to you about it. Yo...