The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is the second largest department in the US Government; it is second to the US Department of Defense. It was created during the Revolutionary war to provide medical help to those injured during battle. As the United States became involved in more and more fighting the amount of funding put towards the Department of Veterans Affairs increased. Currently, the department receives funding from both the government as well as numerous sponsoring organizations. Upon joining the military everyone is guaranteed services provided by the USDVA for themselves and their family. These services include Health Care, Life Insurance, Dental Benefits, financial benefits, home loans, vocational rehabilitation, education, as well as various services for surviving families. The United States offers the most comprehensive system of assistance for veterans in the world. This is greatly attributed to the assistance they provide for dependents and survivors as well as those dealing with mental illness.
The most common illness seen in veterans is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. The National Institute of Mental Health defines PTSD as an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that may trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, or military combat. Common symptoms of PTSD include persistent frightening thoughts and memories of their ordeal, emotionally numbness especially with people they were once close to, sleep problems, feel detached or numb, they are easily startled, as well as fits of anger or rage. In order to be clinically diagnosed with PTSD a person must show at least one of these symptoms regularly for at least one month.
Dealing with this disorder as well as the other side effects of returning from war is very taxing for both the person affected as well as the people they are close to. The only medications prescribed to assist people with the disorder are anti-depressants, which for many people come with a whole other list of side effects. The best way to assist someone with PTSD is to let them know that you are their for them one hundred percent. Each person will deal with the effects of this differently and providing support for them is the best way to help.
PTSD can also affect the survivors of those lost in combat. I have witnessed this first hand. One of my best friends lost her older brother in Iraq and I was present when the two Army soldiers walked to the door to inform her mother of the news. The whole practice of how this news is delivered is quite the event in itself and is exactly like it’s depicted in the movies. The weeks and months following this were a whirlwind with lots of time spent trying to find the right words to say to make things even a tiny bit better but that was a task that was impossible. I quickly figured out that the best way to help my friend and her family was to just be there. This is the goal of many non-profits that aid veterans. They look for not only funding for families but for community support so that whenever a family needs they have someone to simply be there for them.
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