Next week I’m doing a book signing and was preparing to write simple synopsis pages for The Lost Son Series. I kept trying and then it dawned on me that the more people know about PTSD, the more they grow happier, healthier, more understanding of other, more optimistic about their future and more generous to others. Sure you may get the rest of that list but the “generous” part may seem odd. The generous part is actually how you go from grow to glow because when you do heal, you’re thrilled with the opportunity to help others too. After all, other people got you to where you are now. The thing is, someone got them to where they were at the point in their lives when they could help you.
That is what The Lost Son Series is all about.
June is PTSD Awareness Month.
Even though PTSD treatments work, most people who have PTSD don’t get the help they need. June is PTSD Awareness Month. Help us spread the word that effective PTSD treatments are available. Everyone with PTSD—whether they are Veterans or civilian survivors of sexual assault, serious accidents, natural disasters, or other traumatic events—needs to know that treatments really do work and can lead to a better quality of life.
National Center For PTSD
While it is on the Department Of Veterans Affairs site, I hope you noticed the list of causes and people who are struggling with #PTSD. If you are on that list, now you know you are not alone and maybe finally understand that surviving the event, means you survived something and that is the only way to end up with PTSD.
Too many people are only aware that veterans get PTSD. They forget that those veterans had their traumatic events while in the military. Members of the military, active as well as reserve components, (National Guards and Reservists) also deal with PTSD while they are serving, but all too often get left out of the awareness.
Approximately 39% of WWRP participants screened positive for PTSD, which is higher than the 28% identified in a previous study using the same instrument among military personnel with high combat exposure.14 Another study among Marines and Soldiers returning from deployment identified 12–13% PTSD positive using a 4-item PTSD screening instrument.16 In the present study, all service members had at least 1 potentially traumatic event (i.e., combat-related injury), which could explain the higher prevalence of participants who screened positive for PTSD relative to other studies.
The finding of increasing prevalence by time since injury suggests that PTSD may develop or persist several years after combat-related injury, and underscores the need for continual assessment. The higher prevalence of screening positive for PTSD in participants with mild or moderate combat-related injuries suggests that PTSD symptoms in these individuals may not have been as promptly or readily identified and treated as in those with serious/severe injuries. Further, service members with serious/severe injuries likely received more extensive care for physical ailments and may have been regularly assessed for mental health symptoms leading to earlier identification, treatment, and resolution. Other aspects of serious/severe combat-related injuries, such as medications received during treatment in-theater, could also explain lower PTSD prevalence in this group.17
Brief Report: Prevalence of Screening Positive for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Service Members Following Combat-Related Injury
Now you are even more aware. As more and more people are paying attention to veterans, more and more survivors are being left behind because the general public is not aware we exist.
That is why I wrote The Lost Son. The main character was a reporter who covered the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He understood how his friends could end up with PTSD, but never thought that was what he was dealing with. They knew better and saw it in him right away,
He suffered for seven years trying to fight a battle with an enemy he didn’t understand. Worse, he was trying to fight it alone. His friends understood what that was like because there had been time when they didn’t want to ask for help or admit they needed it to anyone, including themselves. They didn’t even trust those they served with, risked their lives with and were wiling to die to save them.
Once someone got through to them, they understood more than they hoped for. They understood what caused the demon they were fighting, how to defeat, and they learned it was a battle the could not win alone. The decided to #BreakTheSilence because someone told them they to #TakeBackYourLIfe from PTSD. They became committed to helping others do it too!
They turned around and passed on the pathway to others, including Chris. All the causes of PTSD are included in these books simply because we are all fighting the same battle with the same enemy even though the experiences are different.
When next month rolls around and you hear someone say something about PTSD Awareness or read news reports, now you know more than they do. What are you going to do with the knowledge you gained?
