post traumatic stress disorder

Brain Kindling, Seizures, and Suicide Attempts: The Aftermath of Antidepressants

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In 1985, Mark joined the Air Force. He was 18 years old. Mark and I met Christmas of 1985 and we were married in October 1987. In 1991 we had our first daughter and 1992 Mark discharged from the Air Force. Mark worked as a Security Officer and later in a Mister Minut store repairing shoes and key cutting etc. In 1996, we had our second daughter and Mark decided to get back into the Air Force. Mark worked as a Life support fitter in the Air Force. In 1996, Mark had a full medical and psychological assessment done on him so he could re-join the Air Force. Mark passed his medical. In 1998 and January 1999 Mark had another two full medicals and psychological assessments as he was trying to re-muster to another job. Both medicals had Mark at a very high level of fitness, health and psychological.

Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine and Black Mold: A Toxic Combination

This is where things fell apart for Mark.

We were in a married quarter and I was having hassles with an elderly gentleman that lived across from us (we were warned by housing department that he can be a pain at times). We had to move house and as my oldest daughter was settled in school, we decided to stay in the area. Before we moved house, Mark had to have a series of Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccinations. Mark had his final JE vaccination as we moved into our new home in July 1999. He had to stay within an hour of the medical hospital in case they had a serious reaction.

We moved in and within a week of moving in a Plumber turned up to fix a pipe under the house, something to do with the toilet leaking. The plumber told me he would contact DHA (Department of Housing) and let them know it was a huge mess under there. We heard nothing more from DHA or the plumber and did not think any more about it. I was talking to the Chaplin one day and he asked where I moved too. I told him where and he was shocked. He said “You didn’t? We were going to put a match to that place.” I told him the place was freshly painted, new carpet, it looked really good.

Mark was a very fit man, he would ride his pushbike to work every day, run five kilometers every lunch hour, play soccer, come home and play with his daughters and do chores around the house. Mark was a very active fit man.

By September/October 1999, Mark’s health was deteriorating quickly. He was becoming fatigued, quick to anger, not interested in anything. He told me he was feeling very unwell but I misunderstood and took it as for that day. He continued to struggle and tried to get to Christmas, so he could take his leave and have a break. He was becoming very hostile towards me when he came home from work. He wanted nothing to do with his daughters and me, he just wanted to be left alone. I had had enough and decided to leave Mark as it was becoming unbearable (approx. November 1999). The Chaplin put me up in one of the emergency housing facilities on the base, and was going to go and see Mark. I did go back to Mark on the Sunday.

Antidepressants, Brain Kindling, and Violent, Painful Seizures

Mark continued to get worse and he was trying to get to his Christmas leave as he felt all he needed was a break. He didn’t make it to his leave; I had to take him to medical. The doctor gave him medical leave until his Christmas leave. Mark tried to push through but kept feeling worse. By early January 2000 he was back at Medical. They decided that Mark was depressed and decided to put him on SSRI antidepressants. From the moment Mark started taking these tablets, he began experiencing what he described as electric shocks in his brain. Mark explained it like someone had a cattle prod and kept zapping his brain every few seconds. The longer he was on them the more intensified the electric shocks became, making his whole body jump and he would scream out at times too. The doctors continued to tell him just keep taking them, your body just needs to adjust and we just have to find the right antidepressant for you. “You will be right – no long term effects,” they said.  He wasn’t.

He could not sleep for a few months as the electric shocks were so violent. He would grab knives and have them at his wrist, just wanting the pain to stop. Mark would cry in my arms for hours. Mark was hospitalized a few times for his suicidal attempts, plus to give me a break.

They would put him on sleeping tablets, which made his situation worse. He wanted to sleep but the electric shocks would go through his brain and jolt him awake every few minutes. It was torture and no one cared or knew how to help his situation.

There would be times he would try to come to bed and cuddle up to me and he would jump and he would lift me off the bed as well.

When he has these abnormal movements, his body would get tense and he would lean backwards, at nearly the point he would fall flat on his back. He has fallen numerous times. His body is so tense. I grab him to try to stop the fall but this difficult because of the ridged body. He will also grab me (or anyone near him) and will not let go until it passes. He screams out as if he has Tourette’s syndrome. His hands, arms shake and body shake similar to Parkinson Disease. He throws his head back too and twists his body.

The Testing Always Comes Back Negative

The doctor did many medical tests on Mark including Lyme disease as Mark had developed a rash on his chest with one area having a pus-filled sore. Mark would snore since I have known him, but his snoring was at the point that he would stop breathing and then take a deep breath. He would hold his breath for so long and I would be getting in a panic. I was talking with Mark to his psychiatrist and I mentioned this to him. From that point, Mark must have sleep apnea and they put the focus on this. Mark was sent to specialist, sleep studies, and yes, he had sleep apnea. Mark could not tolerate the CPAP machine as he was still having trouble breathing and he was still jumping from the electric shocks. So they made him up a mouth splint to wear to bed.

Living in a House Full of Black Mold

Mark had spent near nine months on medical leave and he knew he would be looking at a medical discharge. So we decided we should pull his uniforms out of the cupboard to make sure they were all clean. His uniforms were covered in black mold. All clothes in his cupboard and my daughter’s cupboard had black mold. (I had free standing hanging racks for our clothes as limited cupboard space). We then started to look further around my daughters and my bedroom. As we had been there for a short time, I hadn’t moved furniture to clean behind. To our horror we found thick black mold behind the furniture and beds. My youngest daughter’s carpet was very damp. I would have to mop the windows in her and our room as there would be pools of water in the morning. I contacted the Chaplin to find out what we could do about it. My oldest daughter’s room was not affected. I moved my youngest daughter into her room and Mark and I slept on the floor in the lounge room. My youngest daughter constantly had a runny nose and breathing problems. The doctor was going to test her for asthma; she now suffers from rhinitis and is on a nasal spray too.

The Chaplin had a look and arranged for the Defence Housing Authority to come out and assess the house, along with a plumber. We were told that the main sewerage pipe under the house was broken and that we had a huge mess under there. We would have to be relocated immediately. So within 2-3 weeks we were moved to another house in Bligh Park. We had spent nearly nine months breathing in toxins from the broken main sewerage pipe.

After moving house, Mark’s condition improved. Within a couple of weeks of moving Mark was able to return to work full-time. Mark still had the twitching/ jerks, but nowhere as bad as in the other house. He could now get some sleep, but still had sleep Apnea.

A New Deployment and New Health Issues

I can remember Mark coming home from work excited, as there was a chance they could be deployed to Afghanistan. He said he wanted to go and he was going. He was still not cleared from Medical yet. At the time I did not think they would let Mark go. Mark was working hard at work to get all of his clearances done so he would be ready to deploy. He was on the list to be deployed and four weeks from deployment (2002) he was cleared. Mark left June/July of 2002 for approximately three months.

I spoke to Mark a couple of times while he was over there, he said he had hurt his ribs badly. They were playing volleyball and he dived, hit a rock and heard a crack. His boss made him go to medical the next day. He saw an American doctor (I think) who said “you will be right, off you go.” No x-rays were done. Mark could not get comfortable on the stretcher and had to purchase a soft like mattress from the Yurta shop to get some comfort. Plus, he had to keep working.

When Mark had come home he had lost so much weight.

He was given some time off. The girls and I had a good time on his return. I kept getting the feeling that something was not quite right with him. We had Christmas and went back to work. The year went on. I know I had a chat with one of Mark’s mates, and again, he reassured me. All of his mates were still rallying around him to help him get through.

Simple Stressors Proved to Be Too Much

Mark had a meeting with someone (who chats about posting preferences, etc.). Mark came home and was furious about this person. Mark wanted to stay in Richmond until his promotion to Sargent and for his daughters’ schooling. This person would not have a bar of it and said “you will be posted and that is it!”

Sure enough the posting came out and we were posted to Perth, not even one of our preferences. Mark was in a rage. He did not want to go there, and he was going to discharge rather than go there. I thought, ‘oh no, here we go again with the fighting and arguing.’ He just could not cope with the stress of it all. After a while, he settled and I was able to say let’s go and enjoy it. He was concerned about Candace’s schooling as she was in a gifted and talented class. She was in the top 5% of the state for her year. I assured Mark I would find her a school over there that would meet Candace’s needs, and I did.

As time was getting closer for the move, Mark was not coping with the stress. He wanted to just get there so we drove across Australia within three days. He was a little edgy on return to work. He knew his sergeant quite well from Richmond.

I got the girls settled in at School. Mark was going to work. He was not happy and not coping very well at all, but he kept a brave face.

My eldest daughter had a soccer carnival on one day, so I spent the day there with her and the youngest. I thought it was a little unusual that Mark had not called me, so I rang his section where I was told by one of Mark’s LAC’s he had gone to medical and there taking him to hospital in an ambulance, hasn’t anyone contacted you. NO! I rang the hospital on the base to find out what was going on. They said they are sending mark up to hospital to have more tests done, as he was having bad pains in his chest. I was told not to go up there, as there was nothing I could do. They would call me when I could go and see him. I collected Mark from hospital in the early hours of the morning.

A Return to Antidepressants: More Brain Kindling, Stronger Seizures, Memory Loss and Other Symptoms

Mark never returned to work from this day 21/04/2004. They kept him on full pay until he was medically discharged in September 2005.

They decided as to Mark’s previous medical history of 1999/2000 (which was never resolved), the doctor said he would have to go off previous medical records and put him back on antidepressants. Again, Mark didn’t want to go back on the tablets and he was very scared and reluctant to go back on them. The doctor said we have much better antidepressants now and not to worry. Mark’s involuntary jerking got worse very quickly and did not go away this time. They were violent. The doctor was quite shocked and stopped the tablets straight away.

Mark’s symptoms: nausea, severe headaches, very tired, speech problems, fatigued, numbness in the left side of his face, arm and tongue, weak legs, confusion, memory loss at times, diarrhea to name a few of his symptoms. He was a very sick man and it was not getting better.

Suicide Attempts and More Antidepressants

We were posted from Perth to Brisbane, while Mark waited for his discharge. Mark was just left to himself with very limited contact from medical. I was very busy setting up our business.

DVA / Comsuper made a couple of appointments for Mark in the city. I would try and go with him, but this one day Mark wanted to do it all by himself, as I was so busy. He went in, he waited for his appointment, and the doctor (a Psychiatrist, I think) was running two hours behind. He finally saw Mark for ten to fifteen minutes and sent him on his way. Mark walked into Queen Street mall balling his eyes out as he could not cope. It all became too much for him. He managed to call me. I had to leave work and race into town to collect him. He was a mess and just could not cope at all.

Ten days later, Mark hooked himself up to his car to end his life. I was able to get to him and unhook the car and turn it off. He then got hold of his bottle of Valium and took the whole bottle and sleeping tablets. I had to call an ambulance to come and collect him. Mark was taken to the Hospital again. He spent eight weeks in there. He was released and a home visit was arranged for Mark and he was readmitted seven days later.

I have had Mark at the hospital a few times since then for him trying to end his life. I had days of Mark not wanting to live, I had to keep fighting to keep him alive.

I sent a report to Comsuper from the hospital. I received a phone call from a lady from Comsuper, wanting to know who this doctor is (rather angrily at me). I turned around and asked her who her Doctor was, as Mark had seen him 10 days prior and did not pick up how bad Mark was and he was in hospital after suicide attempts. She was very quiet after that. They put Mark on antidepressants and again they made his situation even worse.

He kept telling doctors he did not want to go on antidepressants as he has reactions to them. They would say I have never heard of the medication doing this to anyone before and we have newer and better drugs now.

And Again, More Antidepressants: Is This Really All We Have to Offer Patients?

Mark was pushed into taking the medication, and again, Mark’s situation deteriorated very quickly. This time the jerking and movement would not leave or diminish. Mark was becoming very distressed and just wanted it to stop. I spoke to the doctor asking for Mark to have a room to go to for an hour or two for a rest. The doctor at the hospital would not let Mark have a room to himself, they wanted him to desensitize with the other patients. This was causing grief to other patients where Mark was nearly punched and people could not be around him, as they had their own issues to deal with. Mark could not cope either. I had to bring him home quickly. The Doctor wanted to do the electric shock treatment on Mark. Mark said no and begged me not to let it happen. Sure enough the doctor approached me to give Mark electric shock treatment. I said NO! That was the end of it!

Mark and his family have suffered enough.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has Mark diagnosed with:

  • Major Depression
  • Anxiety and Panic Disorder
  • Conversion Disorder

Mark strongly believes his brain has been damaged by the SSRI’s. He can still feel the pain in his head where he was having the electric shocks. Nothing will show up on a scan, so doctors are quick to dismiss his issues. Mark refuses to take any medication for depression and so has to deal with all this on his own.

Medications given to Mark in 1999/2000

  • SSRI Fluvoxamine
  • Lovox
  • Temazepam
  • Clonazepam

Where We Are Now

Mark is still suffering. He cannot socialize, as he is scared of grabbing or hurting someone. He still has the violent, seizure-like movements. They can happen any time or anywhere. His body gets tense and he leans backwards, at nearly the point of falling flat on his back. He has fallen numerous times. His body is so tense, when the seizures happen. He will grab me or anyone near him and will not let go until it passes. He screams out as if he has Tourette’s syndrome. His hands, arms shake and body shake similar to Parkinson Disease. He throws his head back too and twists his body.

If anyone out there can offer help for recovery, we would greatly appreciate it. Our entire family has been affected.

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PTSD and Violence: Some Thoughts from a Veteran

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Recently, Hormones Matter published a piece about Helping a Loved One Suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The author offers some good advice in the piece, but I am somewhat concerned with the accidental implications of one section of the article. The longest individual section specifically highlights the dangers of veterans with PTSD to friends and family, describing it at length.

As a veteran with PTSD I’d like to take a moment to put this section in perspective. The impression it leaves is that veterans with PTSD are likely to be a potentially deadly threat to those near at hand. I’m sure that was not the author’s intention, but the suggestion is there nevertheless. Unfortunately, the popular view agrees with this sentiment, leading to significant issues with stereotyping that hinders, rather than aids, PTSD sufferers.

Violence in America

To best put this into perspective, we need to first establish a baseline. According to the FBI Uniform Crime Reports, 1,163,146 violent crimes occurred in the United States in 2013. This breaks down to a rate of 367.9 violent crimes per 100,000 inhabitants over the course of the year for a rate of 0.39% per person. Of these crimes, 1.2% (4.4 per 100,000) were murders while 62.3% (229.2 per 100,000) were aggravated assaults. Happily, these numbers are down from the previous year, but that still represents an unpleasant amount of violent crime amongst the general U.S. population.

Violence with PTSD

A paper published last year in the British Journal of Psychology undertook a study of veterans with PTSD, specifically examining the link between these veterans and violence. The study specifically studied over 1,000 veterans, examining the coincidence of violence with PTSD, drug and alcohol abuse, financial factors, and a history of violence prior to entry into the military.

When we look at the veterans examined, some had PTSD and some did not. When factoring for how PTSD impacts crime rates, veterans not suffering from PTSD would represent that general U.S. population mentioned above. The BJP paper, therefore, should tell us how much more violent PTSD sufferers are than the general population by stating how much more likely those diagnosed with it are to act violently than veterans without it.

The conclusion they came to was that PTSD on its own was not a factor. “Compared with veterans with neither PTSD nor alcohol misuse, veterans with PTSD and no alcohol misuse were not significantly more likely to be severely violent.” Veterans who had an alcohol misuse problem, however, were twice as likely to engage in violent behaviors, while those with both PTSD and alcohol misuse were three times as likely. Alcohol, it seems, is a far greater risk factor than PTSD.

This isn’t to say that PTSD doesn’t create anger issues. It most certainly does. However, the likelihood of a veteran with PTSD to lash out because of those anger issues are no higher than the likelihood of anyone else in the general population to lash out.

Stereotypes of Veteran PTSD Stigmatize the Sufferer

Unfortunately, the stereotype of the violent PTSD sufferer is widespread. A quick search online will find numerous headlines reporting on the dangers. Popular media is fond of using what I call the Rambo Effect to sell movie tickets and draw TV viewers. This “if it bleeds, it leads” attitude has a significant effect of stigmatizing real PTSD sufferers.

And that’s where the real problem with the emphasis on “the violent PTSD sufferer” has a very real, and dangerous impact. PTSD sufferers may not be any more violent, but they certainly are more likely to suffer from alcohol and drug abuse, and have higher rates of suicide. (Remember when I mentioned the risk of violence associated with Alcohol misuse? Here’s where that comes into play.)

The incidence of suicide amongst veterans diagnosed with PTSD was roughly two and a half times higher than that for the general population. Alcoholism shows a similarly high rate, as does drug use. PTSD may not be a risk factor for the public at large, but it most certainly is an increased danger to the veteran suffering from it.

Sadly, the stigma of being diagnosed with PTSD means many sufferers won’t seek out help. When being diagnosed is the social equivalent of being declared to be a public menace many veterans choose instead to suffer in silence, engaging in a process of “self-medication” that only worsens the symptoms and which too often lead to suicide as the means of escape.

Getting Help for a Vet with PTSD

If you are a family member of someone with PTSD it is important to remember that treatment is important. Yes, there are veterans with PTSD that truly are a threat, just there are members of the general populace who are a threat. If your veteran is one of them, do protect yourself. But don’t assume that because your veteran has PTSD you are in any greater danger than you would be otherwise. Such an assumption, and the behavior it drives, will only further convince the veteran in question that admitting to having PTSD will result in their suffering from a stigma that won’t ever go away.

Instead, be supportive. Take the time to learn about PTSD. Get into the research to find out the treatments that are available and what you can do to support your veteran’s fight against PTSD. Connect with the Veteran’s Administration, the VFW, or the American Legion to learn the best ways to encourage your veteran to seek help.

If your vet has sought help, be an active supporter. Spend some time with the mental health specialist helping your service member and find out what you specifically can do to help with your service member’s specific needs. If your service member has been prescribed medications to treat symptoms, spend time with a medication therapy management specialist to learn about potential side effects and the best times and methods to take the medications, or learn about alternatives if the current medications aren’t working out. If they are struggling with a substance abuse problem, do what you can to help them recover.

You are an important part of your family member’s fight with PTSD. You can help a great deal with it. But believing that your veteran is more dangerous to you than anyone else solely on the basis of a PTSD diagnosis is not helpful. It’s counterproductive. Don’t buy the hype, be a key to the solution. You can help. But you have to be there to do it.

Helping a Loved One Suffering from PTSD

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Recently, I wrote about the biological impact of PTSD. You can read the first article of the series here.

This week I want to look at what you can do if you have a friend or loved one who you think is suffering or has been diagnosed with PTSD. Specifically, in honor of Father’s Day I’m going to write about helping the brave men in our lives, who are often fathers and soldiers. Statistically, in the military women are more likely to suffer from PTSD, but women are also more likely to seek treatment than men. Culturally, men are taught to be strong and brave, characteristics that are reinforced in the military. Not only are men less likely to get treatment or talk about their symptoms with loved ones, they are more likely to suffer from angry or violent outbursts, as well as drug or alcohol abuse. Let’s look at what you can do to help a loved one who is suffering from PTSD.

Research

If a family member is diagnosed with cancer, what is the first thing you do? Research. Whether it’s asking the doctor five billion questions or reading medical journals, you want to know everything you can about the disease so you can find the best way to treat it. PTSD is no different. In order to understand the diagnosis, you have to research it. Read first hand accounts on blogs, news articles, books or research journals. Read through the information on the VA’s National Center for PTSD, click on the links of studies, journals and other resources listed on the site. In the military we are taught to know our enemy. You can help your loved one by knowing their enemy.

Write

In grad school, I taught a creative writing class at the Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego. It was one of the most rewarding and challenging experiences in my life, because I know that it helped some of the vets start writing through their demons. Writing can be a very healing process. Buy your loved one a blank journal and a writing book for healing, like Writing out the Storm or Writing as a Way of Healing (I used both of these for my class). He/she might decide to share their writing with you or others, but be respectful as it is a very personal project and they might not wish to share what they write. While teaching this class, one young Marine told me that he would sit and write for hours and at the end of it just deleted the file. This was his healing process. It will be different for everyone individually. If you are having difficulty dealing with a loved one who is withdrawn or depressed as a result of PTSD, it can be beneficial for you to keep a journal as well. You may choose to share your writings with your partner/loved one or keep it personal.

Encourage

Remember, men are less likely to talk and address their feelings. Whether it’s biological or cultural doesn’t matter right now, getting them help does. As a veteran, I can tell you it’s very difficult to talk about things that happened in the military to people who were not in the military. Trying to get an appointment at the VA can be equally as frustrating. Outside of the VA there are also Vet Centers that provide a broad range of counseling, outreach, and referral services to eligible veterans in order to help them make a “satisfying post-war readjustment to civilian life.” Technically they are part of the VA, but fall under a different chain of command. I can personally speak for their services. The counselors and employees are all veterans and provide a very warm and safe environment for vets struggling to readjust. This isn’t just for OIF/OEF vets, any veteran from WWII and Korea to today can seek service there. Also, since 2003, Vet Centers furnish bereavement counseling services to surviving parents, spouses, children and siblings of service members who die of any cause while on active duty, to include federally activated Reserve and National Guard personnel. For counseling and other services, this can be a good alternative to trying to fight for an appointment at the VA.

Protect Yourself and Your Family

Members of the military are trained to kill. Violence becomes second nature even though it goes against human nature. We are desensitized to violence by chanting, “Kill, kill, kill,” during every drill, meal and exercise. If someone you know is having flashbacks, nightmares or is extremely jumpy and owns a weapon, which most veterans probably do as a self-defense measure, make sure they keep the weapon unloaded. After being trained and experiencing combat, individuals are conditioned to immediately reach for their weapon and kill. This reaction can lead to an accident in the home if someone is simply up in the middle of the night looking for a snack or using the bathroom. If a weapon is unloaded, the time it takes to load the weapon is time for the veteran to gain situation awareness. Encourage your loved one that he/she can still protect the house, but this three-second delay can be enough to stop a gut reaction from accidentally firing the weapon.

Anger is also a natural reaction to readjusting and carrying the memories and feelings of PTSD. If your loved one acts violently towards you or your children, leave immediately. It does no good for anyone to stay in that situation. Anger doesn’t always lead to violence, but can make it difficult to communicate. The National Center for PTSD suggests setting up a time-out system using the following tools:

  • Agree that either of you can call a time-out at any time.
  • Agree that when someone calls a time-out, the discussion must stop right then.
  • Decide on a signal you will use to call a time-out. The signal can be a word that you say or a hand signal.
  • Agree to tell each other where you will be and what you will be doing during the time-out. Tell each other what time you will come back.
  • While you are taking a time-out, don’t focus on how angry you feel. Instead, think calmly about how you will talk things over and solve the problem.

You can seek counseling together or separate to learn how to deal with anger management.

Conclusion

Remember, PTSD doesn’t just affect veterans of the Iraq war and other current conflicts/wars. My sister recently started raising chickens for eggs and meat and when our grandfather stopped by he said he couldn’t help butcher the animals. “I made a promise that I would never harm a living being after the war,” he told her. Grandpa was a tank driver in WWII and was in the Battle of the Bulge. Growing up he never mentioned the war, but after I joined the Marines he told me a handful of stories. Each time his face changed and I could tell he has carried something with him since that time. Let’s encourage our veterans to seek the help they might need so they don’t have to carry their burdens any longer. By creating or helping them find a safe environment to talk, we can help them find the road to freedom from the anxiety, anger, obtrusive thoughts, and other burdens that come with experience war or trauma.

In the coming weeks I’ll be looking into PTSD in female veterans, how our hormones might affect PTSD and if there are any differences between PTSD in male and female veterans.

More on PTSD:
The Gift of Fear
VA Benefits for Female Vets
Memorial Day Reflection

 

PTSD: The Gift of Fear or Burden

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The Gift of Fear

In high school, my dad gave me a book called The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker (you can create a free account on the NYTimes website and read the first chapter here). I was, and still am, obsessed with FBI profiling manuscripts, cop dramas and serial killers. In hindsight, I realize that it was my way of coping with a neighbor who’s behavior was quickly escalating from peeking in our windows at night, to breaking in when we weren’t home, and knocking on the door when I was home alone (we think he probably had some sort of surveillance to know when my parents left). The book saved my life.

In The Gift of Fear, the author explains how we are genetically designed for survival. Our fight or flight instincts kick in even if we do not see or consciously recognize a danger. Have you ever gotten that weird feeling that something just isn’t right? Listen to it. The author explains that our subconscious puts together clues that we see, hear or feel, even if our conscious mind doesn’t recognize them because we are writing to do lists in our mind, talking on the phone, or in general not paying attention. When watching horror movies we make fun of the main character for walking into obvious danger, but we live in a perpetually preoccupied state and might not pick up on obvious clues either. However, according to the book, our subconscious does and this fear is a gift. So, when you get that icky feeling when walking into an empty parking garage, go get the building security guard to escort you. This is one of many simple steps you can take to NOT make yourself an easy target.

More than once, I knew the prowler was out there. Even before I heard his heavy boots crunch on our gravel driveway, or his pounding fist on the backdoor. More than once, I followed this gut feeling and called 911 and had a deputy out there before he could break-in or drive me out of the house. Every time the deputy found some sort of proof that he had been there. I understood that this fear was a gift and I couldn’t ignore it.

Gift Turned Burden

In most people, once the disaster, trauma, or threat is gone, their fight or flight instincts go back to standby mode. However, in individuals who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, their fight or flight instinct is altered. They live in a perpetual state of awareness. In my example above, if I suffered from PTSD because of this repeated trauma, I would show symptoms including nightmares, hyper-arousal, avoidance of situations that made me vulnerable or reminded me of the prowler. The gift of fear would tun into a burden as I lived in a permanent state of fear.

New studies show that the brain chemistry of individuals suffering from PTSD actually changes, but before I go into the details, it’s important to look at the symptoms and definition of PTSD.

Diagnosis

Like mystery meats in school cafeterias, most people think they know what PTSD is, but might be wrong. I was surprised to learn that my own associations of this term were incorrect as I researched this article.

The National Center for PTSD defines it as “an anxiety disorder that can occur after you have been through a traumatic event. A traumatic event is something horrible and scary that you see or that happens to you.” The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (DSM) lists criterion that a person has to meet in order to be diagnosed. This includes a history of exposure to a traumatic event, intrusive recollections, avoidant/numbing symptoms, and hyper-arousal symptoms. For the full definition/criterion click here. If you or anyone you know suffers from these symptoms please check out the information on the National Center for PTSD website and seek professional help.

A traumatic event can include a number of things, but the National Center for PTSD lists the following three categories: Disaster and terrorism, this includes human-caused events (such as terrorist attacks), and natural disasters (like floods and tsunamis); violence and other trauma, this includes abuse and sexual trauma, and motor vehicle accidents; and military trauma, which is a combination of the previous categories, but occurs in a military environment. Military is probably the most recognized trauma because of the ongoing wars over the last decade.

History

PTSD wasn’t recognized by the medical world until 1980, when it was included in the third edition of the DSM. Of course, the public was well aware of the effects that trauma can have on our veterans and labeled it as “shell shock.” Now that we know that it exists, we can provide veterans and their loved ones tools to cope.

PTSD Brain

What biologically happens to someone suffering from PTSD and why does it only happen to some and not others? New studies reveal that one of the hormones that regulate fight or flight, cortisol, is altered in the brain of someone with PTSD.

As reported previously on Lucine: cortisol is a steroid hormone produced in the cortex of the adrenal gland. It belongs to a class of hormones called glucocorticoids and plays an important role in regulating cardiovascular function, blood pressure, glucose metabolism, sugar maintenance, and inflammatory response. Cortisol is best known as the stress hormone, and is released in response to stress, and is part of the fight or flight system. Under normal conditions the body regulates cortisol levels which is usually high in the morning and low at night. But under stressful conditions more cortisol is secreted.

Furthermore, the Mayo Clinic states that Cortisol also curbs functions that would be nonessential or detrimental in a fight-or-flight situation. It alters immune system responses and suppresses the digestive system, the reproductive system and growth processes. This complex natural alarm system also communicates with regions of your brain that control mood, motivation and fear.

People suffering from chronic stress overproduce cortisol, but, strangely, those suffering from PTSD have lower cortisol levels. New research shows that the differing levels of cortisol in anxiety disorders are caused by a hypersensitive hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA). The result is hypocortisolemia, or low cortisol levels, in PTSD patients. Further studies have to be conducted, but imagine what information can do to the diagnosis and treatment of PTSD sufferers.

Treatment

Current treatment includes cognitive therapy, exposure therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and group counseling, which all focus on talking through and understanding the patient’s reactions to memories of the trauma.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a type of antidepressant medicine also used in treatment. However with the increasing rate of suicide among returning veterans and the listed side effect of suicidal thoughts/behavior on anti-depressants it is more important than ever to truly understand the cause of PTSD in order to properly treat it.

Conclusion

It is not yet known why some individuals will develop PTSD and others won’t, even when faced with the same situation. Because PTSD is a relatively new diagnosis there is much more to learn about the causes and treatments. It is important to understand that if you or someone you love no longer has a gift of fear, but rather is burdened by it, there is help.

Veterans, please read about the benefits available to you here.

In the coming weeks I’ll be looking into PTSD in female veterans, how our hormones might affect PTSD and if there are any differences between PTSD in male and female veterans. If you are a female vet, have experience with PTSD and would like to share your story please contact me at Lprifogle@lucinebiotech.com.