PTSD

Come on, what kind of Mil Spouse blog would this be without a post on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)? Seriously!

For info on PTSD, start here, then google to your heart's content, reading everything with a grain of salt.


I have two people in my "real" life with diagnosed PTSD (one civi, one military), and then there is the Wolf and his issues, which "everyone" thinks are PTSD/OSI. (OSI - Operational Stress Injury). I also have a number of bloggy/virtual friends who are caring for partners or family with PTSD.


Both of my "diagnosed" friends have or are receiving treatment for thier PTSD, and both have been absolutely invaluable to me as we work through this. ♥

PTSD is a difficult thing for families and friends. You need to be supportive and understanding without sacrificing your own mental and physical health, sense of self worth, etc.

The below is from the MayoClinic.com article referenced above:

When someone you love has PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder can significantly strain the emotional and mental health of the affected person's caregivers and loved ones. In fact, the term "compassion fatigue" was coined to describe the feelings, such as depression and helplessness, that commonly develop in those close to a person with PTSD.

Hearing about the trauma that led to your loved one's PTSD may be extremely painful for you, and may cause you to relive difficult events in your own life. The person you love may seem like a different person than you knew before the trauma — angry and irritable, for example, or withdrawn and depressed.

If someone you love has PTSD, you may find yourself avoiding his or her attempts to talk about the trauma, or feeling hopeless that your loved one's symptoms will improve. At the same time, you may feel guilty that you can't fix your loved one or hurry up his or her process of healing.

In order to take care of yourself and your loved one, it's critical that you make your own mental health a priority. Eat right, exercise, and rest. Continue to take time alone or with friends, doing activities that help you recharge. If you continue to have difficulty coping, talk with your doctor. He or she may refer you to a therapist who can help you work through your emotions.

A good blog (Canadian!) about Compassion Fatigue can be found here. Of course, if you are like me, it isn't so much a matter of knowing that you should take care of yourself, or even knowing how to take care of yourself, its a matter of actually doing it.

I get it on multiple fronts. I obviously care about the Wolf, and what he is going through right now, and want to do everything I can to support him. I am also involved in my local MFRC (Military Family Resource Center), and give some time, and emotional energy, there. I have a dear neighbour, T, who is going through some things, and of course I care about and am there for her. I have another friend, civi, with PTSD from a traumatic family accident a couple of years ago, who is in the healing process, and has good and bad days. My professional life is also pulled in many directions with projects about "caring and helping".

I am burnt out. I don't have a passion for my job any more, and I am a bit numbed to the hurt of the issue with the Wolf. I don't know if I am accepting it to work itself out because I have faith and peace that it will be OK, or because I am too burnt out to care any more.

And I don't know how to make the time to actually care for myself.