What You Need to Know About PTSDAny person can experience a life-changing, traumatic event that can eventually cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, veterans are especially at risk for this medical condition. Being deployed into combat, stationed in dangerous locations, exposed to life-threatening incidents, and faced with the hardships of war and personal injury can create mental and emotional stress that may manifest into PTSD. 

4 Frequently Asked PTSD Questions Our VA Disability Lawyers Get

While all soldiers may experience combat stress, exhaustion, an inability to focus, and feelings of disconnectedness, PTSD is a much more severe condition that requires medical treatment. Here is important information about this mental illness:

How Do I Know if I'm Experiencing PTSD?

If you re-experience a traumatic event through flashbacks, nightmares, or memories that interfere with your day; if you avoid people, places, or situations that remind you of the trauma; if you feel emotionally disconnected from other people; and if you experience sleep problems, feel irritable, have angry outbursts, or participate in reckless behavior, you may be experiencing PTSD. 

Can Certain Things Increase My Risk of Developing PTSD?

Yes, certain factors increase your risk of developing PTSD. The risk is greater if the traumatic event involved personal danger or a threat to your life, especially if the threat was prolonged or human-inflicted such as rape or assault. Additionally, if you’ve experienced a traumatic event early in life or have a family history of PTSD, depression, or substance abuse, your risk for suffering from PTSD is higher. 

Are There Ways to Decrease My Feelings of PTSD?

Recovering from PTSD can be a long, gradual process. However, there are many ways to deal with this medical condition to help decrease panic attacks, anxiety, stress, and tension you feel. Helping others, volunteering, or reaching out to those in need are positive ways to take the focus off your condition. Additionally, exercise, relaxation, and eating well can significantly decrease the symptoms of PTSD. 

What is Dual Awareness?

You can help deal with nightmares, flashbacks, and difficult memories by using a process called dual awareness. When you recall the trauma, you may feel that it’s happening now. However, despite the immediacy of the memory, you’re also aware that the trauma really happened in the past. If you state out loud that you are currently feeling the trauma, but you recognize by looking around that you’re not in danger, you can separate that incident from the present.  

Our VA Disability Benefits Attorneys Can Help You Qualify for Financial Assistance

If you’re a veteran who suffers from PTSD, it’s possible to qualify for financial assistance from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). If you need help service-connecting your mental health condition and want to file for disability benefits or appeal a rating decision, contact Cuddigan Law. Our VA disability benefits attorneys have been supporting veterans for years, and we’ll carefully examine your case to advise you on the best approach for receiving the maximum in disability benefits. Call us today to speak to an intake specialist for free.

Sean D. Cuddigan
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SSA and VA Disability Attorney in Omaha, Nebraska
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