Can PTSD Produce Health Related Symptoms and Health Risk Behaviors?

Can Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Produce Health Related Symptoms and Health Risk Behaviors?

Retrieved December 3, 2012, “Why Do We Stick to Our Bad Habits”

http://medicineworld.org/news/news-archives/cancer-blog/Dec-20-2006.html

Over the past years the amount of veterans receiving PTSD treatments are steadily multiplying. The question has aroused whether PTSD symptoms lead to other mental and/or

physical problems. The image above represents bad habits. Smoking and consuming a large amount of alcohol are bad habits that can be formed due to PTSD symptoms. When depression takes over the body, the body cries for help and leans on other negative activities or people for comfort.

Two possible important mediators of the connection between PTSD symptomology and health- related functional effects are health symptoms and health risk behaviors. PTSD has been linked both to increased risk of somatic symptoms such as dizziness, fainting spells, pounding or racing heart, or shortness of breath  and to medical illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, nervous system disease, and gastrointestinal disorders(Vasterling 2008). Health risk behaviors were measure by the amount consumed during a certain amount of time.

Although several mental and genetic mechanisms may explain the connection between PTSD and health effects, alcohol use, tobacco use, and poor sleep hygiene stand out as potentially adaptable risk factors for poor health effects in individuals showing high levels of PTSD symptoms. For example, the tragic September 11^th terrorist attack in New York where among more than 2,000 adults residing in there had excessive alcohol use which was associated with both PTSD symptoms and poor mental health functional status (Vasterling 2008).

            My father has developed the sleeping disorder sleep apnea and horrible sleeping patterns since all of his deployments. He has to sleep hooked up to a loud machine with a mask that helps his breathing while he is sleep. Most nights he goes to sleep without it because he does not like it or is up too late and forgets.   He is always tired and takes plenty of naps during the day; therefore he has quite a few late nights of just sitting on the couch watching television. He also had poor eating habits and tends to drink alcohol more than usual. Just analyzing the small amount of negative health related issues that has increased over the years I do believe that the impact of PTSD extends beyond adverse emotional sequel to health symptoms and health-related day-to-day functioning (Vasterling 2008)

Vasterling, J et al. (2008). Post-traumatic stress disorder and health functions in a non-treatment seeking sample of the war veterans: the prospective analysis.Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development.,Retrieved October 27, 2012 from the  Academic Search Complete database.

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Visual Rhetoric One

Visual Rhetoric One

Retrieved December 8, 2012;www.socgen180cd.wordpress.com/page/3/

            This image was a perfect example of how civilians few soldiers, especially the ones who have been to war. We are so caught up in having them return home safely so our lives can get back to normal. My mother stressed enough how she could not wait until my father returned home. She was tired of being a single parent. I was tired of having to grow up early and assist my mother with my siblings. This is an example of pathos because we had mixed emotions and feelings toward the army and my father being present or away.  Every time my father returned we just expected him to jump back into routine with picking up the children from day care, helping with house chores, cooking, helping the children with their homework, etc. (ethos). However his return from his last visit that’s when we noticed something was wrong. We greeted him just like the guy in the image above but it was like my father’s brain was going to explode.

           

            Everywhere we go people thank him for his service and he sometimes receives free items. When he is around other people I feel he is calmer and better person (mythos). He is quicker to snap on a member of his immediate family versus a complete stranger out in public. For example you are more likely to vent and lash out on a family member or close friend because you know they hold it against you majority of the time (logos).

Do Trauma Symptoms Impact Relationship Satisfaction?

Do Trauma Symptoms Impact Relationship Satisfaction?

      

The year 2001 was the beginning of the change and separation the military soldiers and their families had to undergo. Toward the end of 2005, more than 160,000 soldiers were deployed to Iraq and Kuwait for Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and 20,000 soldiers were deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (Nelson 2007). The picture above represents the last time I could remember our lives being normal and adventurous. Since we have had all these family issues we rarely take pictures as a family or of each other. It wasn’t until I had my son that I began taking tons of pictures of every moment possible. Starting from the left is my mom, me, my sister (who is deceased), my other sister, my cousin, my brother, and my father. We usually take family vacations every other year and we went to Gatlinburg, TN. 

            After redeployments some soldiers might face mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, anger, sleep disturbances, somatization, substance abuse, alienation, sexual problems, and related symptoms (Nelson 2007). They measure how an individual and couples are affected after trauma has occurred by using the Couple Adaptation Traumatic Stress (CATS) model (Nelson 2007).

            For this study forty-five soldiers participated from Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth. The results of the current study indicate that soldiers’ trauma symptoms did predict lower relationship satisfaction for soldiers and their partners; however, even though depression and anxiety have a greater risk following deployments these symptoms did not significantly predict marital satisfaction. Constant flashbacks, memory problems, nightmares sexual and sleep problems all have a huge impact on soldiers’ marital satisfactions. Due to much more needed research and comprehension of the systemic repercussions of being exposure to war trauma we can no longer consider trauma to be a strictly individual experience (Nelson 2007). 

            I agree fully with trauma symptoms decreasing lower relationship satisfaction because my father is the number one prime example. He tells he has flashbacks of being at war when my mother is yelling and fussing and when my baby is screaming. He never ever remembers anything you tell him. We have to constantly remind him to pick up my brother from tutoring, his doctor’s appointments, plans we made, etc. Since it has been so long we expect it yet it still frustrates us especially my mother. She feels like she is a single parent because she has to worry and remember everything regarding the bills, children, house, cars, etc. They have more and more arguments each deployment. I have gotten to the point where I do not want to live with them anymore because the environment stresses me out even more. One of these days I pray that we can get back to the days when we were in the picture above.

Nelson-Goff, B. ( 2007). The impact of individual trauma symptons of deployed soldiers on relationship satisfations.Journal of Family Psychology..Retrieved October 27 2012, from the Academic Search Complete database.

How does Spousal Communication affect PTSD Symptoms during Deployments?

How Does Spousal Communication affect PTSD Symptoms during Deployments?

Reaching beyond the yellow ribbon. (n.d.). Military Missions. Retreived November 4, 2012, from http://www.military-missions.org

            When a solider is deployed the only way of communication is through letters, care packages, e-mails, phone calls, and instant messages. The picture above reminded me of when we would send my father care packages when he was deployed four times back to back starting in 2004

 The fun part was getting together all his favorite snacks such as, strawberry cookies, fishes (the candy), Mike and Ikes, etc. My siblings and I would also add something special to the package to remind him of us such as school painting, pictures, and notes reminding him how much we love and miss him. My dad would also send us gifts back. I have gotten a big warm wool blanket for my bed, a bear necklace, and a camouflage backpack with my name written in the Afghanistan language.

            Social support has a strong impact on post-traumatic stress disorder. The high rate of Marriages in the military, technology advancements, and deployment frequency and length grab researchers’ attention to see how they communicate. Four hundred-seventy six army couples were chosen from Fort Campbell, Kentucky to participate in the study to determine which communication affects PTSD symptoms (Carter 2011).  The psychometrically validated civilian version of the PSTD checklist of seventeen items was used to measure the symptoms of PTSD. Marital communication was evaluated by how often each method of communication was used with their spouse. Phone calls, instant messaging, and e-mails were used daily. Letters and care packages were used one to two times a month (Carter 2011).

            Interactive communication (phone calls, e-mails, and instant messages) can cause higher PTSD symptoms than delayed communication (care packages and letters). Delayed communication is more personal and is a constant reminder of their loved ones versus having a phone call that only last for a few minutes (Carter 2011).

            During my father’s first deployment to Kuwait in 2004, we communicated more through video instant messaging, phone calls, and care packages.  With each deployment, to Iraq and Afghanistan every other year after 2004,we communicated less due to his unit not being stable in one area, and each time he returned he came back a different person. My father once was an energetic person. On the weekends we would always get on and do activities as a family such as going bowling, to the movies, or site seeing and traveling to different cities. Now my dad has extremely poor communication with us. There are days when he would just leave the house without letting anyone know where he is going. Other days he would tell my mother goodbye in the mornings and walk past my siblings and me. Going to work and sitting on the couch and watching television is all my dad likes to do. I believe if we would have communicated more throughout all four of his deployments, his PTSD symptoms might have not been as severe.  

Article Cited:

Carter, S., et al. (2011 June).  Relationships between soldier’s PTSD symptoms and spousal communication during deployments. Journal of Traumatic Stress. Retrieved October 8, 2012, from the Academic Search Complete database.