News

Raising Awareness of PTSD

Scott Wagar

07/02/2013

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A number of black, red and gold balloons flew over the city of Bottineau on Thursday evening to raise awareness of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and to honor those soldiers and veterans who have lost their lives to the illness during a special ceremony at the Bottineau County Veteran’s Hall during the state’s PTSD Awareness Day.

“PTSD is more common in returning soldiers then people think,” said Carrie Cote-Grindeland, a founding member of Bottineau’s Veteran and Family PTSD Support Group, which is also known as Bottineau’s Veterans and Family Support Group. “I personally know veterans that suffer from the condition.”

Cote-Grindeland led a number of community members in raising awareness of PTSD and honoring those who passed away through a special balloon ceremony where a number of black, red and gold balloons, the colors that symbolize PTSD, were released by those in attendance. Prior to the event, friends and family members were given the opportunity to write the names of soldiers and veterans they wished to remember during the awareness day on the balloons.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health’s website, PTSD comes from experiencing harm in one form or another.  

“When in danger, it’s natural to feel afraid. This fear triggers many split-second changes in the body to prepare to defend against the danger or to avoid it. This “fight-or-flight” response is a healthy reaction meant to protect a person from harm. But in post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), this reaction is changed or damaged. People who have PTSD may feel stressed or frightened even when they’re no longer in danger,” the NIMH stated. “PTSD develops after a terrifying ordeal that involved physical harm or the threat of physical harm. The person who develops PTSD may have been the one who was harmed, the harm may have happened to a loved one, or the person may have witnessed a harmful event that happened to loved ones or strangers.

“PTSD was first brought to public attention in relation to war veterans, but it can result from a variety of traumatic incidents, such as mugging, rape, torture, being kidnapped or held captive, child abuse, car accidents, train wrecks, plane crashes, bombings or natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes,” NIMH added.

It is uncertain what causes PTSD, but researchers believe it could be gene based. “Currently, many scientists are focusing on genes that play a role in creating fear memories. Understanding how fear memories are created may help to refine or find new interventions for reducing the symptoms of PTSD,” NIMH stated.

There are many symptoms associated with PTSD, which are in three categories:

1. Re-experiencing symptoms

  •  Flashbacks—reliving the trauma over and over, including physical symptoms like a racing heart or sweating
  •  Bad dreams
  •  Frightening thoughts


Re-experiencing symptoms may cause problems in a person’s everyday routine. They can start from the person’s own thoughts and feelings. Words, objects, or situations that are reminders of the event can also trigger re-experiencing.

2. Avoidance symptoms

  •  Staying away from places, events or objects that are reminders of the experience
  •  Feeling emotionally numb
  •  Feeling strong guilt, depression or worry
  •  Losing interest in activities that were enjoyable in the past
  •  Having trouble remembering the dangerous event


Things that remind a person of the traumatic event can trigger avoidance symptoms. These symptoms may cause a person to change his or her personal routine. For example, after a bad car accident, a person who usually drives may avoid driving or riding in a car.

3. Hyperarousal symptoms

  •  Being easily startled
  •  Feeling tense or “on edge”
  •  Having difficulty sleeping, and/or having angry outbursts


Hyperarousal symptoms are usually constant, instead of being triggered by things that remind one of the traumatic event. They can make the person feel stressed and angry. These symptoms may make it hard to do daily tasks, such as sleeping, eating or concentrating.

It’s natural to have some of these symptoms after a dangerous event. Sometimes people have very serious symptoms that go away after a few weeks.

This is called acute stress disorder, or ASD. When the symptoms last more than a few weeks and become an ongoing problem, they might be PTSD. Some people with PTSD don’t show any symptoms for weeks or months.

Do children react differently than adults?

Children and teens can have extreme reactions to trauma, but their symptoms may not be the same as adults. In very young children, these symptoms can include:

  •  Bedwetting, when they’d learned how to use the toilet before
  •  Forgetting how or being unable to talk
  •  Acting out the scary event during playtime
  •  Being unusually clingy with a parent or other adult


Older children and teens usually show symptoms more like those seen in adults. They may also develop disruptive, disrespectful or destructive behaviors. Older children and teens may feel guilty for not preventing injury or deaths. They may also have thoughts of revenge. For more information, see the NIMH booklets on helping children cope with violence and disasters. (from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD)

PTSD affects around 7.7 million American adults. Women develop PTSD more often than men and the disorder can run in families. Studies have also shown that individuals do not have to experience harm personally.

"Not everyone with PTSD has been through a dangerous event,” NIMH stated. “Some people get PTSD after a friend or family member experiences danger or is harmed. The sudden, unexpected death of a loved one can also cause PTSD.”

When it comes to veterans, Cote-Grindeland said that veterans from any war can experience PTSD.

“Some are Vietnam vets, World War II vets and Iraq war vets,” she said.

The balloons, which were purchased and donated by Bottineau’s VFW Ladies Auxiliary Post #8688, are the colors for PTDS.

ASSISTANCE:

Treatments are available for PTSD which included psychotherapy, medication or both.

Soldiers or veterans in the area who need assistance with PTSD, or would like more information on the illness, can call Todd at 263-3442 or 871-1006; Patrick at 278-4127; Leo at 228-2983 and Ronnie at 228-8994 for assistance.
Individuals, can also go to the NIMH link for information on the disorder, at www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml.

North Dakota’s PTSD Awareness Day is in honor of Joe Biel, an Iraq veteran who suffered from PTSD and took his life.