Spring Break
Traumatic stress disorders can strike students
Meghan Vittrup
Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: NEWS
Sometimes all it takes to change a life is a few seconds. Students serving in the military know that it can happen to them and call the aftereffects post-traumatic stress disorder.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, PTSD is "an anxiety that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened."
PTSD can cause students to feel emotionally detached from family, friends and peers. It can also trigger memories of a traumatic event and cause irregular sleep patterns, according to the institute.
PTSD is a disorder brought on by a number of different situations. These can include traumatic events such as sexual assault, rape, natural disasters or events such as the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and serving in a war.
For students who are serving or have served in war, this is a concern. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs, service members can develop PTSD after being in combat situations with improvised explosive devices, explosions or seeing fellow service members killed or wounded.
"I expect to come back different," said Nina Duong, a Keller junior who will be going to Iraq in August. "I'm a pretty happy person though, so hopefully nothing will happen that will really psychologically change me."
Duong also said the military is helping to prepare its troops prior to deployment. Duong said the sergeants go over slideshows with her and other service members, equipping them with knowledge about the effects of PTSD as well as warning signs of seeing it develop in one another.
"They want you to get used to the environment," Duong said. "And when you come back after being at war overseas, they give you a couple of weeks to re-adjust to living in the civilian world, and they test you to make sure you are OK to go on living your life like you once did."
Students who are service members can apply to receive VA benefits, which could include treatment for PTSD. Students can also visit counselors on campus at the NT Counseling and Testing Services Center or through the psychology clinic.
"There are different approaches to trauma therapy," said Zane Dodd, housing counselor at NT Counseling and Testing services. "Typically PTSD is work that gets deeper before it gets better."
Counseling and Testing services typically work on a 6 to 8 session limit, and because PTSD takes a longer period of time to treat, the center may refer students to the psychology clinic on campus or to other private practices Dodd said.
PTSD can be treated in a number of ways. Some possibilities include therapy and counseling sessions, as well as group sessions. Each case is different, and there is no one course of treatment for PTSD.
Duong is aware of the risks of getting PTSD but remains hopeful.
"Right now I'm excited to go over there," Duong said. "And I'm excited to come back and see how I'm different and how things here at home are different."
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, PTSD is "an anxiety that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened."
PTSD can cause students to feel emotionally detached from family, friends and peers. It can also trigger memories of a traumatic event and cause irregular sleep patterns, according to the institute.
PTSD is a disorder brought on by a number of different situations. These can include traumatic events such as sexual assault, rape, natural disasters or events such as the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and serving in a war.
For students who are serving or have served in war, this is a concern. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs, service members can develop PTSD after being in combat situations with improvised explosive devices, explosions or seeing fellow service members killed or wounded.
"I expect to come back different," said Nina Duong, a Keller junior who will be going to Iraq in August. "I'm a pretty happy person though, so hopefully nothing will happen that will really psychologically change me."
Duong also said the military is helping to prepare its troops prior to deployment. Duong said the sergeants go over slideshows with her and other service members, equipping them with knowledge about the effects of PTSD as well as warning signs of seeing it develop in one another.
"They want you to get used to the environment," Duong said. "And when you come back after being at war overseas, they give you a couple of weeks to re-adjust to living in the civilian world, and they test you to make sure you are OK to go on living your life like you once did."
Students who are service members can apply to receive VA benefits, which could include treatment for PTSD. Students can also visit counselors on campus at the NT Counseling and Testing Services Center or through the psychology clinic.
"There are different approaches to trauma therapy," said Zane Dodd, housing counselor at NT Counseling and Testing services. "Typically PTSD is work that gets deeper before it gets better."
Counseling and Testing services typically work on a 6 to 8 session limit, and because PTSD takes a longer period of time to treat, the center may refer students to the psychology clinic on campus or to other private practices Dodd said.
PTSD can be treated in a number of ways. Some possibilities include therapy and counseling sessions, as well as group sessions. Each case is different, and there is no one course of treatment for PTSD.
Duong is aware of the risks of getting PTSD but remains hopeful.
"Right now I'm excited to go over there," Duong said. "And I'm excited to come back and see how I'm different and how things here at home are different."
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