Family Solution: Services Needed
When one hears the term PTSD the first thought is a person suffering from mental health.But one thing people fail to realize is that PTSD affects more people than just the individual it also affects the family. Voluntary treatment is most often provided to those who are actually suffering from PTSD but family members are frequently left neglected. PTSD can impose the feelings of being scared, frustrated, and angry due to witnessing change among a loved one. A wife may wonder if life will ever go back to the way it once was. Trauma impacts the individual, his or her relationship with family and friends, his or her ability to hold jobs, and the way he or she interact with the world around him or her (Rousseau, 2018). To roster growth after trauma from those suffering, a strong family network is required. How does PTSD impact a family and influences the healing process?
The symptoms of PTSD contribute to a stressful and dysfunctional family environment which decreases familial support in the healing process and delays the return of positive interpersonal behavior (Ray & Vanstone, 2009). The effects of PTSD on a family can cause a wide variety of reactions such as anger, depression, sympathy, failing health, and isolation. The contributing effects are feeling sympathy for a loved one, being emotionally drained, ignoring one’s own health, and becoming just as isolated as a loved one to avoid criticism and shame. Ray & Vanstone found that emotional numbing can negatively impact family relationships and cause further emotional withdrawal forming a struggle with healing from trauma (Ray & Vanstone, 2009). There is no playbook in regards to knowing how to deal with PTSD and often times each family member deals with it on his or her own but a more effective solution is to get help as a family unit.
People are unlikely to recover from PTSD on their own and require a network. Why wouldn’t treatment for a family be provided when PTSD is such a highly regarded diagnosis that is much more common in today’s world? Therapy, cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, stress inoculation training, and medication are some of the most common forms of treatment for PTSD suffers. These types of treatments are not provided to family members. As mental health programs often come with a high price tag, one solution I impose is for insurance companies to start assisting with the cost. Insurance companies shall recognize that individuals can suffer from the impacts of PTSD and trauma simply by caregiving and/or associating with individuals suffering from trauma. More specifically diagnosed individuals shall have mandated intergraded programs upon diagnosis to include couple and family therapy. Martial support improves depression, symptoms of anger, and relationship development. Family members need to learn to cope with PTSD just as much as the individual themselves. This is just as important for the process of recovery. PTSD is a very difficult situation that causes marital issues, behavior problems in children, and increased amount of distress among the house hold. I suggest a 40 hour family training program to teach methods of relaxation, yoga, effective communication, and learning to impose positive activities which can possibly make a significant impact on the recovery process. Re-qualification for this training shall be conducted once a year by qualified individuals as long as a traumatized family member is receiving treatment.
One of the current limitations to PTSD treatment programs is that the majority of programs are voluntary. If someone truly believes their is nothing wrong with them issues are not addressed and anger can become part of their character. I suggest a mandated family program to decrease the possibility of PTSD going untreated. If left untreated, PTSD symptoms do not go away and make it far more difficult over time. Individuals suffering from trauma can have substance abuse problems such as alcohol and drugs, anger management issues, isolations, depression and suicidal thoughts or acts. My suggested program would allow family members to initiate and start treatment to formulate an understanding of PTSD. Research has shown that intervention programs are successful and help create a positive effect in the long run. “It is recommended that treatment for PTSD include support of the family and interpersonal skills training for military personnel suffering while healing from trauma” (Ray & Vanstone, 2009).
References
Rousseau, Danielle (2018). Trauma and Crisis Intervention MET CJ 720A: Module 1 & module 4 [Study Guide].
“PTSD: National Center for PTSD.” Negative Coping and PTSD – PTSD: National Center for PTSD, 1 Jan. 2007, www.ptsd.va.gov/public/treatment/therapy-med/va-ptsd-treatment-programs.asp.
“The Effects of Trauma Do Not Have to Last a Lifetime.” Monitor on Psychology, American Psychological Association, www.apa.org/research/action/ptsd.aspx.
Ray, Susan L., and Meredith Vanstone. “The Impact of PTSD on Veterans’ Family Relationships: An Interpretative Phenomenological Inquiry.” Egyptian Journal of Medical Human Genetics, Elsevier, 7 Feb. 2009, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020748909000066.