Our military heroes and PTSD
By Liz Lockhart
Did you see the T.V. coverage of our military hero awards presented by Philip Schofield and Amanda Holden this week?
I watched in awe as these incredible men and women received their accolades for astounding acts of bravery. I must admit I shed several tears. The awards were given to military individual men and women, squadrons and reservists for some of the most amazing acts of heroism.
Many of the individuals had been wounded and several had lost limbs but despite these shattering injuries they have gone on to achieve goals and ambitions which would daunt the able-bodied - reaching the North Pole and cycling across America are just two achievements that were cited.
The stoic attitude of these injured soldiers took my breath away. You could feel the pride and determination which the military had instilled in them.
It made me realise that the soldiers who have suffered mental scars must find it doubly hard to step forward and admit their injuries. These are injuries that cannot be seen and are all too often hidden. It is easy to understand that these individuals feel in some way weak when they look at the horrendous physical injuries and the loss of life that can be the lot of others.
The strength of our military personel is admirable and inspiring and thank goodness that this brave breed of men and women exists, however, there is no weakness or shame when faced with PTSD. The things that our servicemen witness on a daily basis are more than we can imagine. Many manage to endure these things and carry one whilst others are so traumatised by them that they cannot ignore the mental scarring.
So many soldiers self medicate by using alcohol or drugs to block out the terrible memories but this can only add to the problem or temporarily mask it. PTSD is as legitimate a problem as any physical injury and deserves all the treatment and understanding that is available.
If you are suffering from the symptoms of this condition then there is help and understanding available and you should feel no shame in seeking it. Fighting PTSD makes you a hero too.
You can read more about PTSD here.
