Fear for active-duty spouses triggers symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome

Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, describes a set of reactions many people have after seeing or surviving something involving death or the threat of death or serious injury.

Traumas that can lead to the disorder include going to war, being violently attacked, sexually assaulted, kidnapped, held hostage or tortured or living through a disaster.

Symptoms include having nightmares, insomnia, or flashbacks, avoiding reminders of the trauma, and feeling excessively angry, vigilant or jumpy.

To count as PTSD, the symptoms must last more than a month and must hurt the patient's ability to function at work or in relationships.

A key factor in the diagnosis is being directly exposed to a traumatic event, something not present for Sunich's patient.

Still, "there's a lot of research to show that partners and spouses and kids suffer from secondary PTSD," said Tom Berger, a senior analyst for veterans benefits and mental health issues for the Vietnam Vets of America.

If you don't seek some sort of treatment for yourself, do it for your family.  This news article briefly illustrates the link between veteran and family.   Here are some more information from this news article:

Military spouses' comments from Sunich's survey

• "I don't think I can handle another deployment."

• "Need to look at the effects deployment has on preschool-age children. There isn't much help or programs for the 3- to 5-year-olds."

• "Much of my trauma was from the mass casualties my husband's unit sustained and the funerals afterwards."

• "If I hadn't had my faith in God, I wouldn't have fared so well with my husband's many deployments. That faith has been my saving grace, literally."

• "My biggest problem dealing with my husband coming from Iraq has been that I don't know what to do for him. This causes me great anxiety."

• "Urgent intervention for families should be an outcome."

• "I am on edge because I just don't know when the Army is gonna say, 'Okay, you have to go back.' It's just hard."

To take the survey, go to http://www.shrink-rap.net.

Resources for military families

• MacDill Airman and Family Readiness Center:
(813) 828-2721

• Brandon Resource Center: (813) 655-9281

• MacDill Air Force Base Chapel: (813) 828-3621

• Military & Family Life
Consultant Program: 
(813) 426-4145

• National Military Family Association: http://www.nmfa.org

• Military One Source, around-the-clock answer service on counseling, money matters, deployment and spouse employment: toll-free 1-800-342-9647; www.militaryonesource.com