Shortly before my husband’s unit returned from Iraq the National Guard gave a family briefing and talked about what we should expect from our soldiers upon their return home, we were told they had not seen enough action to warrant PTSD for any of them.
That statement had struck me odd at the time because I knew many of our soldier’s had seen more action than anyone would want to see in a lifetime and given part of our unit had been at a place that was nicknamed “Camp Mortar” for the large number of attacks, I wondered how these people thought our troops had not seen enough action? Many of our soldier’s had come home for leave and they had been very jumpy, had trouble sleeping and being around others. As family members we knew something wasn’t right.
I was later told that the people that did the speaking at this briefing were civilians and the only thing they knew about our unit was that they were “mechanics”. They had no idea what had occurred in Iraq and I decided that I would do my own research when and if the time came that my husband had any problems.
I would discover that my own husband would come home with a mild form of PTSD and one of the men in his team even now, a year later is struggling with a case so severe he barely leaves him home.
You know your spouse probably better than anyone and you know when something is wrong. If your spouse is behaving in an irrational manner, withdrawing from activities that he once enjoyed, suffers from nightmares, insomnia or has outbursts over the littlest things then you are probably dealing with someone who is suffering from PTSD.
While you may feel that this is something the two of you can handle together it is important that both of you seek help. Your spouse will need to see a medical professional in order to treat the PTSD, this is not something that will go away with enough love or time, in fact it can become worse. For you a support group or even a therapist than help you help your spouse and maintain your own well being in this process.
Both you and your spouse can also seek additional support from groups such as the VFW or American Legion, you will find that there are many there who are intimately familiar with this condition and have learned to live with it and even control the problem. Talking with others who have been in your shoes is often the greatest help and relief possible but it does not replace professional help.
What to look for when you suspect PTSD in a loved one