Who To Talk To About Ptsd

File For A Secondary Service Connection

Secondary service connections refer to conditions that have been caused or exacerbated by a condition for which a veteran has been awarded a VA disability rating. If a 100% rating or TDIU are not realistic options for you, and claims or appeals have done nothing to sway VAs original rating for your PTSD, consider if your PTSD has caused any other psychological or physical ailments for which you can prove the connection. You can submit a new claim for benefits with proof of your diagnosis and a nexus statement to connect the two conditions.

General Tips For Communicating With People With Disabilities

• When introduced to a person with a disability, it is appropriate to offer to shake hands. People with limited hand use or who wear an artificial limb can usually shake hands.
• If you offer assistance to the person, wait until the offer is accepted. Then listen to or ask for instructions.
• Treat adults as adults. Address people who have disabilities by their first names only when extending the same familiarity to all others.
• Relax. Don’t be embarrassed if you happen to use common expressions such as “See you later,” or “Did you hear about that?” that seem to relate to a person’s disability.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions when you’re unsure of what to do.

Changes In Physical And Emotional Reactions

Sometimes referred to as arousal symptoms, these symptoms emerge in reaction to the trauma and include things like:

• Easily startled

• Feelings of detachment from friends and family
• No interest in things that once brought you joy
• Inability to experience positive emotions
• Emotional numbness
• Memory problemseven difficulty remembering key details of your trauma

PTSD symptoms may come and go over time. Seeking treatment can help you recognize certain triggers so that you can manage the emotions they bring about if you cant avoid these triggers.

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Who Can Experience Ptsd Anyone

PTSD is a condition that affects people of all ages. No one is immune to trauma or how it affects the human brain. Depending on the person, PTSD may mean something different but be equally as impactful.

The experience of post-traumatic stress can vary depending on the trauma that the individual went througheven symptoms can vary between two people. In some cases, symptoms can appear nearly instantaneously. For others, it can take decades for symptoms to surface and be recognized. For many, theres a delayed onset of symptoms, when the brain is no longer as preoccupied or the person has the opportunity to absorb what has happened.

There is no definitive answer to why some people who experience trauma develop PTSD and others do not. A combination of elements may cause the disorder or make individuals more susceptible to post-traumatic stress, such as:

• Exposure to trauma, including factors like the number of traumas experienced and the severity of those traumas

Talk With Someone You Trust

After a traumatic event, or trauma, it’s normal to think, act and feel differently than usual. Most people will start to feel better after a few weeks. If your symptoms still bother you after a month, are very upsetting, and disrupt your daily life, it’s time to consider getting treatment. Whether or not you have PTSD, if thoughts and feelings from the trauma are bothering you, treatment can help.

Take a first step by talking with:

• Your family doctor or primary care provider
• A mental health professional, such as a therapist or counselor
• Someone who works at your local VA facility or Vet Center, if you are a Veteran
• A close friend or family member who can support you while finding help
• A clergy member

Another option is for you to fill out a PTSD screening questionnaire .

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How Can I Get 100% Va Disability Rating

The highest percentage that can be given for service-connected compensation purposes is a 100 percent VA disability rating, or total disability rating. This rating is only available to veterans with extremely debilitating service-connected ailments that make them unable to work and mostly unable to care for themselves. You start by filing a service connected claim. You may also want to consider VA unemployability with VA Form 21-8940.

If you are unable to work and need someone to help take care of you, then a 100 percent rating may be appropriate.

Disability ratings range from 10% to 100%. The idea behind these ratings is that the veteran should be compensated according to the impairment that the disability would cause to the average persons ability to earn a living. This compensation generally comes in the form of monthly payments.

Q: Is It Helpful For People With Ptsd To Talk About The Trauma Should I Offer Them A Vent Session

A: Talk therapies are helpful for people with PTSD to discuss the trauma, their symptoms, and work through it, but this is done with a professional.

Its not recommended that you try to pull the story out of someone you know or love. Let them open up however they feel comfortable.

There may be times someone you know will let you into their lived experience.

Perhaps theyre explaining a seemingly out-of-place behavior of theirs recently. Or maybe theyre being transparent about whats on their mind when you ask what they were thinking about when they looked lost in thought.

Just remember: Unsolicited prodding can violate a persons boundaries, increase PTSD symptoms, and spoil your sincere intentions to support them.

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Common Internal Ptsd Triggers

• Physical discomfort, such as hunger, thirst, fatigue, sickness, and sexual frustration.
• Any bodily sensation that recalls the trauma, including pain, old wounds and scars, or a similar injury.
• Strong emotions, especially feeling helpless, out of control, or trapped.
• Feelings toward family members, including mixed feelings of love, vulnerability, and resentment.

Try Yoga Or Meditation

Recent studies have shown that meditation and yoga are helpful complementary therapies for people with PTSD.

While yoga or meditation may not provide complete relief from symptoms, researchers recommend them as additions to therapy and medication.

Yoga may help you regulate your breathing, increase your awareness of your body, and respond to changing emotions.

Meditation may help you redirect your attention to the present moment, giving you a greater sense of control over intrusive memories.

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Choose What To Disclose

You do not need to tell your loved ones everything. For example, you do not need to disclose specific information or specific details about your traumatic event. You are in control: what to disclose is completely up to you. Give them enough information to understand the diagnosis and what they can do to help.

If someone asks you an uncomfortable question that you do not want to answer, it is perfectly okay to simply say, “I’m sorry, but I am not ready to talk about that yet.” Prepare beforehand by coming up with some things you can say if someone asks you a question you do not want to answer. You can blame us here at Verywell if necessary, quoting us as saying that you do not need to talk about those specific details now, or anytime in the future. Your friends and family members who will support you will be comfortable with that reply. A true friend will want to support you no matter the history behind your symptoms.

Avoidance And Emotional Numbing

Trying to avoid being reminded of the traumatic event is another key symptom of PTSD.

This usually means avoiding certain people or places that remind you of the trauma, or avoiding talking to anyone about your experience.

Many people with PTSD try to push memories of the event out of their mind, often distracting themselves with work or hobbies.

Some people attempt to deal with their feelings by trying not to feel anything at all. This is known as emotional numbing.

This can lead to the person becoming isolated and withdrawn, and they may also give up pursuing activities they used to enjoy.

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Let Go Of Expectations

For a long time, I held on to unfair expectations that had been set by seeing tropes play out a million times in movies: A single person is hurting. They find the perfect partner who takes their hurt away. The prince finds the owner of the glass slipper, and his life is complete. Happily ever after, the end.

I let my fairy-tale expectations cause hurt and misunderstanding. I kept waiting for Wayne to emotionally open up about the trauma he had lived through. I made accusations about his lack of love when he didnt. I held tight to assumptions that after just a little more time together, the nightmares would go away.

When these things didnt happen, I felt the problem was with me.

It was also important to remind myself that in the case of PTSD, time doesnt heal all wounds.

Because PTSD is associated with specific trauma or traumatic events, it was easy for me to fall into the trap of believing that the further removed from the trauma Wayne got, the more the condition would fade. After all, this has been my experience in light of painful events. But I dont have PTSD.

In some cases, time doesnt fix things. But it does give us the opportunity to grow and change the way we cope this goes for the person with PTSD as well as their partner. Now, I know that there are times when I just need to let Wayne deal however he needs to.

When I see distress rising in his face, I can reach for his hand, but I remind myself not to feel offended if he stays silent.

How To Increase Your Ptsd Va Rating From 70% To 100%

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a very common condition among veterans. Symptoms of PTSD can often be debilitating and interfere with a veterans day-to-day life. The Department of Veterans Affairs offers disability benefits for veterans who developed PTSD as a result of their service. Continue reading to learn more about the different percentage rates for VA disability compensation for PTSD and the criteria needed to qualify for them.

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Eye Movement Desensitisation And Reprocessing

Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing is a psychological treatment that’s been found to reduce the symptoms of PTSD.

It involves recalling the traumatic incident in detail while making eye movements, usually by following the movement of your therapist’s finger.

Other methods may include the therapist tapping their finger or playing sounds.

It’s not clear exactly how EMDR works, but it may help you change the negative way you think about a traumatic experience.

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Talk To Someone You Trust

After a traumatic event, it’s normal to think, act, and feel differently than usual. Most people will start to feel better after a few weeks. If your symptoms last longer than a few months, are very upsetting, and disrupt your daily life, you should get help. Whether or not you have PTSD, treatment can help if thoughts and feelings from the trauma are bothering you. Talk to:

• Talk to your family doctor.
• A mental health professional, such as a therapist.
• Your local VA facility or Vet Center, if you are a Veteran
• A close friend or family member who can support you while finding help
• A clergy member
• Fill out a PTSD questionnaire or screen .

How Can Parents Help

If your child has been through trauma, here are things you can do:

• Help your child feel safe. They may need extra time, comfort, and care from you for a while.
• Help your child relax. Invite them to take a few slow breaths with you. Breathe in while you count to 3. Breathe out while you count to 5.
• Do things together that you enjoy. Trauma can make it harder to feel the positive emotions that naturally help kids recharge. Play, laugh, enjoy nature, make music or art, cook. These activities can reduce stress and build your childs resilience.
• Reassure your child. Let them know they will get through this. And that you are there to help.
• Let your childs doctor know what your child has been through. Get a referral to a mental health professional .
• Tell your childs teacher that your child went through a trauma. Kids with PTSD may have more trouble focusing on schoolwork. Ask for your child to have extra help or more time to do schoolwork if they need it for a while.

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Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder

Disinhibited social engagement disorder occurs in children who have experienced severe social neglect or deprivation before the age of two. Similar to reactive attachment disorder, it can occur when children lack the basic emotional needs for comfort, stimulation and affection, or when repeated changes in caregivers prevent them from forming stable attachments.

Disinhibited social engagement disorder involves a child engaging in overly familiar or culturally inappropriate behavior with unfamiliar adults. For example, the child may be willing to go off with an unfamiliar adult with minimal or no hesitation. Developmental delays including cognitive and language delays often co-occur with this disorder. Caregiving quality has been shown to mediate the course of this illness. Yet even with improvements in the caregiving environment some children may have symptoms that persist through adolescence.

The prevalence of disinhibited social engagement disorder is unknown, but it is thought to be rare. Most severely neglected children do not develop the disorder. The most important treatment modality is to work with caregivers to ensure the child has an emotionally available attachment figure.

Why Are You So Uptight

For people with PTSD who experience feeling edgy or jittery, it’s essential to understand these symptoms are not a choice. Even with effective treatment for PTSD, some people continue to have symptoms, and the symptoms can happen unexpectedly. So, if you’re thrown off by how a person with PTSD reacts to your words or actions, give them the benefit of the doubt.

“Cut them some slack, give them space, and don’t challenge them on it,” Nitschke said. Instead, Nitschke recommended simply saying, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything.”

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Prevention: Is It Possible

Employers of people working in professions where traumatic events are likely to occur, such as the military and emergency services, may offer training or counseling to help their employees reduce the risk of PTSD or cope.

In the emergency medical services , a form of debriefing, known as critical incident stress management , takes place after certain events to try to minimize the risk of stress and PTSD development.

Poor Thing You Got Triggered You Must Be Really Sensitive

Grover’s first sexual assault happened while the soundtrack of Prince’s 1999 was playing. The song replayed relentlessly when Prince died it was a tough week for Grover. “There was no getting away from it,” Grover said.

A PTSD trigger like this is not merely bothersome it can set off an intense reaction, sometimes leaving the person unable to function. “Being annoyed and being triggered is not the same, ” Grover said.

“When we think someone has PTSD, we might treat the person as really fragile and broken,” Sonya Norman, PhD, director of the PTSD consultation program at the National Center for PTSD and a psychiatry professor at the University of California San Diego, told Health. “You can have PTSD and be a strong person, and, I would say, given what they’ve been through, they are very strong.”

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How To Talk About Your Ptsd Diagnosis

It can be difficult for people with post-traumatic stress disorder to share the news of their diagnosis with others, but it doesn’t have to be. While individuals with PTSD don’t need to disclose their diagnosis to anyone and everyone, it’s important not to keep the condition from loved ones. After all, your loved ones are likely to see the symptoms of the disorder and how they affect you.

Moreover, loved ones can be an excellent source of social support, which has been found to be incredibly beneficial for people with PTSD. Social support may speed up recovery from PTSD and help someone overcome the effects of a traumatic event.

Still, telling others about a PTSD diagnosis can be a stressful thing. Learn the best way to break the news with the tips that follow.

A 50% Rating Applies To Occupational And Social Impairment With Reduced Reliability And Productivity Due To Such Symptoms As:

• Panic attacks more than once a week
• Difficulty understanding complex commands
• Impairment of short- and long-term memory
• Disturbances of motivation and mood
• Difficulty establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships.

A 100% rating means total occupational and social impairment. The symptoms include:

• Gross impairment in thought processes or communication
• Persistent delusions or hallucinations
• The persistent danger of hurting oneself or others
• Disorientation to time or place.

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