Insight anyone? We lose 22 veterans a day. Is it beyond PTSD?

[Kat_Joch]

Hello all. I live in an area that is near military bases. I work in a retail store that has quite a few military customers around their pay day. If I know they are military or veterans, I thank them for their service. I don't suffer with PTSD - disappointing crap I have been through (sexual abuse as a child, mental and emotional abuse the first 6 years of my marriage), I have resolved and do not relive to the point of distraction or worse. But I am concerned with the military and veterans I see. What is going on? Is it a combination of poor mental health VA treatment, feelings of isolation, pain, and poorly managed medications? Is it more insidious - spiritual attacks, or something beyond common knowledge? I was hoping there may be veterans with greater understanding to share in terms that are not too personal.

[AnyaC]

I'm not a veteran, but I do know that PTSD has not been treated well at the VA, and with what the military personnel have survived, there are many dealing with PTSD. Many commit suicide... from what I understand, attitudes about veterans dealing with PTSD are changing, and perhaps the future will be better for our warriors. They do isolate themselves often, too, I think, because what they have seen is so horrifying they can't talk to the rest of us about it. Law enforcement has the same problem - they can't talk about what they have seen because it's too awful.

I hope that helps, even though I'm not officially one of them.

[Hidden]

I thinks it is a combination of a lot of things. First, vets in some ways get a lot of attention. Suicide among the general public doesn't get as much in my opinion. I've never been in the military, but I come from a military family and have interviewed a lot of vets.

The underlying culture in the military is about killing. We sanitize it by adding in protection and service/duty to one's country and all that, but the underlying concept is about killing the enemy. You win by killing the enemy. All vets going through basic are taught to kill. In my opinion it is a natural progression.

They also teach about order. The non-combat part of military life is about order. Everything is designed to fit in a nice little box free of emotions. Fit into the system and life goes on. You obey. You go and do hat you are told.

However, civilian life when military life is over isn't that way. One goes from order and being told what to do, to civilian life where you are in control. With PTSD you are out of control in your emotions and life at times. Once a civilian, the order of military life is no longer present. My suspicion is that what those of us with non military PTSD learn to cope all along Those from the military are thrust into non orderly civilian life.

That little neat box they (military) have been living in isn't there all of the sudden and it hits them square in the face. Going back to the main aspect of training, when you have a problem (enemy) you kill it. Those of us non military have learned to cope over time without being told what to do and think.

[Hidden]

POSSIBLE TRIGGER: I have complex ptsd. I totally understand the frustration (not a strong enough word) with the system who harms us and rarely, very rarely helps us. Outside the system, the population for the most part Doesn't Have A Clue and harm us as well. At a certain point, we realize how much of a tall order it is for people to be able to get on board with us & what we deal with 24/7. I get tired of it too...and totally understand the suicide ending. I've been to the edge with it, and did some research into the spiritual aspects of the act and have had many teachings about It over the years. I have had years of working with suicidal people, suicidal people knocking on my door at all hours of the night. I've also cleaned walls & floors & furniture in my neighbors house, trying to get it all cleaned up before the mom came home. I've worked with people on both ends of the suicide spectrum, doers & those left behind. The aftermath for the loved ones is beyond words and damages for the rest of their lives. It's taken me 8 years to get back up.

I've been getting some cranial sacral therapy which is helping me more than anything I've tried so far, and I've been in the healing field for over 35 years. You can't ignore the spiritual component in ptsd - it's prolific and mainstream 'help' feeds that spiritual dysfunction more than helps it - they don't have a clue. Cranial is considered alternative so most establishments turn their noses up at it. Personally, I am beyond tired of their close minded ignorance that has so much direct affect on us. I've worked in the mental health field for many years, and have plans in speaking up about the dysfunction when I can get my sh*t back together, because I was splattered/annhilated through choices of my youngest daughter & the drug world.

I send out prayers of comfort for those who have chosen to pass rather than live in a world saturated with so much misunderstanding & judgment. Family life has been a nightmare ( of which I walked away from) and I know it is for many of us. If they're not helping us, they are harming us - it's just that plain and it's just that simple. A person can only handle so much harm and we all have our limits. And for our VETS -- it is beyond excruciating. Until the world wakes up...and what is the percentage of the population that suffers PTSD & C~PTSD these days?????? -- higher than you'd think. We are becoming a PTSD species and no one has much is place to correct that....and then what?