How long does it take to get over post traumatic stress war syndrome.?

Question

My has been back from the iraq for almost a year. Although she never saw any dead bodies. She does'nt sleep at night. She drempt of a member of her unit, calling to tell her she would have to return overseas. Since she's been asked to reenlist, she has been freaking out. Not eating, not sleeping or talking to anyone close to her.
All I do knowis that she was working in a highly dangerous area everyday. Why and how is this still affecting her every day?

Answer 1

She must not re-enlist, and she should see a psychiatrist as soon as possible. This syndrome appears to be deeply entrenched. A year's worth of anxiety and poor sleep, withdrawal from family and food, signals a very precarious situation. She needs help, the sooner, the better; it probably would be useful for you to have some counselling as well; caring for someone in her condition has its own stresses on you.


It is still affecting her because it has not been properly dealt with; the reliving or constant remembering of events, and the lack of refreshing sleep, will trigger depression, digestive disturbance, irrational thinking.

On top of it all, she may also feel guilty that she lived but someone else she knew did not - a common occurrence in this syndrome.
Good luck.

Answer 2

Sweety, get this girl to counseling now. Have her talk to her doctor or her CO - but she needs help yesterday.

This isn't something that will ever go away. We are wired to go into 'flight or fight' during times of stress. It's a good response to have as it has kept our species alive and pulled us to the top of the food chain. But when we are exposed to prolonged stress and the body is constantly running on that 'flight or fight' mode we start to break down. Add to this that the military and war zones are not conductors of good mental health and it's a perfect formula for a breakdown.

But call this condition what it is. Shell shock. The more words we add the less attention people seem to pay to it.

Study a bit about the veterans of WWI and you'll understand a lot. Most of these young men who returned home never again had normal lives. Same thing for WWII.

Answer 3

I think that you are correct in assuming that she has post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of her military experiences. Post-traumatic stress disorder at its best affects victims until they deal fully with their emotions surrounding their negative experiences. This is usually done via therapy. You want to locate a therapist who deals with post-traumatic stress disorder. One way of finding such a person is to see who teaches the post-traumatic stress courses in the psychiatry department of a local university. There should also be plenty of vet therapists that deal with it as well since it is so prevalent among vets.

Some of the symptoms are anxiety and depression which are treated by a psychiatrist who will write various prescriptions.

Post-traumatic stress disorder can occur anytime after a traumatic experience. A person could be fine for five years and then get it. It doesn't go away without treatment as far as I know.

As her spouse, you will want to help her recover. There are books at Amazon which you can probably also get from your local library that deal with post-traumatic stress disorder. There are all kinds of over-the-counter remedies at your health food store that treat stress, anxiety and depression. For the most part, these work for the milder cases and since there are side effects, their usage should be cleared by a physician.

Given what you have written, it seems to me that her case is not mild and does require professional treatment if she will go.

Answer 4

Dealing with stress is a hard thing. The kind of stress she has been under is something most people cannot understand. Even though she didn't see death firsthand she knew it was happening around her. I have the upmost respect for your daughters duty to our Country and only hope that she is able to work on these issues and get the help she needs. Sometimes I think it helps just to tell her that there are a lot of us out here thanking our lucky stars that we have young people like your her willing to put herself out there in defense of what others take for granted. I personally would like to thank her and please let her know I pray every night for those who are still in Iraq and those who have made it home. What she does is important and I hope she is feeling better soon.
"God Bless"

Answer 5

"how long does it take .." is like asking .. "how long is a piece of string". There is no perfect answer. It depends upon the person and their circumstances. My father is almost 80 and is still bothered by things he saw and experienced in WWII, mum is almost 75 and remembers the sounds of air raid sirens and the drills they had in school. In the days of their youth, there was very little counselling available or offered. Thank goodness that help is available today. God Bless.

Answer 6

Just stop and think about it a minute. hell doesnt go away in a night,sometimes not even a life time,I hope you are being supportive cause she really needs it. it might be good for her to join a support group of people who know how she feels,you will never be able to understnd how she feels or why,you werent there. oh and to ansewer your q how long? 4-ever and a day.

Answer 7

Check out ( http://www.reducingstress.net )
It is a really good stress site.
There are lots of articles on all stress related topics.
I think you will find help for this situation there.

Answer 8

U usually dont ever get over PTSD! It is an illness that plays the mind as long as there is a mind! Get some help, talk to somebody!!!! Thats about all anyone can do!!!!!

Answer 9

Pathological dissociation can be a symptom of complex ptsd, but I can't officially say what it is. A professional would need to do that, in real life.

Answer 10

may be somethink bad happen to her and they never get over it my friend boyfriend was over there he ben back for 2 years and he still does it