When one enters the military a thought that may cross the mind of the young soldier, or their loved ones, might be the possibility of dying in combat. This is a reasonable concern for all involved. But what people rarely are concerned about is the risk of death when one gets out of the military. While it might seem, to civilians, like this would be the least likely time in a person’s life to die by suicide, the numbers tell a completely different story.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a problem not just for veterans, but also for people who have experienced other types of trauma such as a natural disaster or an assault. Because of this, many types of therapy have been tried to treat PTSD including alternative therapies. One such alternative therapy for PTSD is acupuncture. While many consider sticking pins (not technically a needle as it is not typically hollow) in various locations throughout the body to be a fringe practice, there have actually been four randomized controlled trials and two uncontrolled trials on this practice and their results are promising.

Whenever a tragedy occurs, it is natural to look for someone or something to blame, even when the blame isn’t rational; and no one is guiltier of this than the media. This was clearly evident in the way the media treated the tragic Fort Hood shooting last week in which Spc. Ivan Lopez shot and killed three people and wounded 16 others before taking his own life. Instead of just reporting these facts, many in the media tried to tie these actions to combat-related posttraumatic-stress disorder (PTSD). And while Spc. Lopez was being evaluated for PTSD, there is no way of knowing whether his actions were in any way related to the disorder and insinuating such does a great disservice to veterans and those serving in the military. In fact, all the media has done is further stigmatize PTSD.

In the last two articles I commented on how combat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be transmitted between parent veterans and their children and what combat-related PTSD might look like in the children of veterans. Today, I talk about what a parent with combat PTSD can do to fight its effects in his or her children.

Last week I discussed the fact that combat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be transmitted to children from their parents in cases where a parent suffers from combat PTSD. This intergenerational transmission of trauma, or secondary PTSD, can drastically impact a child’s behaviors. Symptoms of combat PTSD in children can range from hyperactivity to extreme withdrawal.

It is understood that combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects the warrior, but combat PTSD doesn’t just affect the person suffering it, it also affects those around him (or her) and the effects of combat PTSD on children are just recently being recognized. When the person suffering combat PTSD is a parent, he can turn his home into a combat zone.

Various types of psychotherapy are effective at treating trauma survivors and one type of psychotherapy for combat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is exposure therapy. Exposure therapy has been well-studied within the military population and involves PTSD survivors re-experiencing their trauma. While this may sound terrible, it’s actually a very effective way of dealing with trauma. Prolonged exposure therapy currently has the best supporting evidence.

A couple of weeks ago, The Daily Show did a piece about Vietnam vets getting denied benefits from the Veteran’s Administration (VA). As usual, The Daily Show piece was irreverent and fun, but like so many of the show’s pieces, it, unfortunately, contained many truthful elements. It is true that Vietnam veterans with combat PTSD wrongly get denied benefits and it is a travesty. (See The Daily Show clip, below.)

There are many ways to get help for combat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but one you might not think about is a combat PTSD mobile app. And while there are many apps that aim to help mental health issues, the app I would like to highlight is the PTSD Coach (which is free). The app is created by the United States Department of Veteran’s Affairs National Center for PTSD in partnership with the Department of Defense's National Center for Telehealth and Technology This combat PTSD app has been downloaded over 100,000 times, so clearly I’m not the only one who really feels it can help. (And, I should say, while designed with combat PTSD in mind; this app is appropriate for anyone suffering from any form of PTSD.)

Anger is a completely normal response for a person put in a life-threatening situation, and, of course, in a combat zone, that’s exactly what you’re in. Anger is even a helpful response during these times as it focuses you and gives you the energy to fight for your life. Anger is part of your survival instincts. However, if you have combat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), when you get home from combat, you may find yourself unable to turn off that anger. You might find that you’re reacting to everyday events with the rage that’s appropriate for a combat zone – not a grocery store. The anger of combat PTSD can negatively impact your family, work and social life.