Organizations That Help With Ptsd

A Warm Welcome To The Ptsd Association Of Canada

We are a non-profit organization dedicated to educating those who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder those at risk for PTSD, and those who care for traumatized individuals, as well as bringing together society at large to form an ocean of compassion, awareness, knowledge and tools necessary for recovery.

Ptsd Vs A Normal Response To Traumatic Events

Following a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, traffic accident, terrorist attack, or assault, almost everyone experiences at least some of the symptoms of PTSD. When your sense of safety and trust are shattered, its normal to feel unbalanced, disconnected, or numb. Its very common to have bad dreams, feel fearful, and find it difficult to stop thinking about what happened. These are normal reactions to abnormal events.

For most people, however, these symptoms are short-lived. They may last for several days or even weeks, but they gradually lift. But if you have post-traumatic stress disorder, the symptoms dont decrease and you dont feel a little better each day. In fact, you may start to feel worse.

Rape Or Sexual Trauma

The trauma of being raped or sexually assaulted can be shattering, leaving you feeling scared, ashamed, and alone, or plagued by nightmares, flashbacks, and other unpleasant memories. But no matter how bad you feel right now, it’s important to remember that you weren’t to blame for what happened, and you can regain your sense of safety, trust, and self-worth.

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Where Do I Go From Here

Your doctor or a mental health professional can help you decide which, if any, of the above treatments would be best for you. A doctor, including a doctor at a walk-in clinic, can refer you to more specialized mental health services. In addition, check out the resources below for more information on PTSD.

Anxiety Canada

Visit www.anxietycanada.com or call 604-620-0744 for information, tools, and self-management guides like My Anxiety Plan for PTSD and the MindShift CBT app .

HealthLinkBC

Call 811 or visit www.healthlinkbc.ca to access information, find local resources and services, speak to a registered nurse, or talk with a pharmacist if you have questions about medication.

VictimLinkBC

Call 1-800-563-0808 at any time to speak to a trained victim support worker who can connect you with local resources and help you find support. For more information, visit www.victimlinkbc.ca.

BC First Responders’ Mental Health

Visit bcfirstrespondersmentalhealth.com for resources and supports for first responders in BC. You can learn more about mental health, take an assessment, learn about making a mental health-related claim, find local resources, and learn how you can reach out to support others.

BC Occupational Stress Injury Clinic

Visit www.bcosi.ca for information about the Vancouver-based BC Occupational Stress Injury Clinic. It’s available to any BC resident by referral to Regular and Reserve members of the Canadian Forces, veterans, members of the RCMP, and their family members.

Common Internal Ptsd Triggers

• Physical discomfort, such as hunger, thirst, fatigue, sickness, and sexual frustration.
• Any bodily sensation that recalls the trauma, including pain, old wounds and scars, or a similar injury.
• Strong emotions, especially feeling helpless, out of control, or trapped.
• Feelings toward family members, including mixed feelings of love, vulnerability, and resentment.

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Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Alliance

The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Alliance is a group of professional and advocacy organizations that have joined forces to provide educational resources to individuals diagnosed with PTSD and their loved ones those at risk for developing PTSD and medical, healthcare and other frontline professionals. The PTSD Alliance includes four national organizations that represent healthcare issues related to PTSD including trauma-related stress, womens healthcare and anxiety disorders. These organizations are the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Anxiety Disorders Association of America, The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, and the Sidran Traumatic Stress Institute.

Va Office Of Mental Health Resources

The Veterans Administration itself offers a variety of information on mental health issues veterans commonly face when returning from combat including depression, substance abuse, and PTSD. The VA works to improve Veterans health and well-being through advocacy in health care, social services, education and research. For more information, please visit mentalhealth.va.gov or maketheconnection.net

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Tip : Deal With Volatility And Anger

PTSD can lead to difficulties managing emotions and impulses. In your loved one, this may manifest as extreme irritability, moodiness, or explosions of rage.

People suffering from PTSD live in a constant state of physical and emotional stress. Since they usually have trouble sleeping, it means they’re constantly exhausted, on edge, and physically strung outincreasing the likelihood that they’ll overreact to day-to-day stressors.

For many people with PTSD, anger can also be a cover for other feelings such as grief, helplessness, or guilt. Anger makes them feel powerful, instead of weak and vulnerable. Others try to suppress their anger until it erupts when you least expect it.

Watch for signs that your loved one is angry, such as clenching jaw or fists, talking louder, or getting agitated. Take steps to defuse the situation as soon as you see the initial warning signs.

Try to remain calm. During an emotional outburst, try your best to stay calm. This will communicate to your loved one that you are safe, and prevent the situation from escalating.

Give the person space. Avoid crowding or grabbing the person. This can make a traumatized person feel threatened.

Ask how you can help. For example: What can I do to help you right now? You can also suggest a time out or change of scenery.

What Is Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury is an injury to the brain caused by an external force. The symptoms of the injury can vary. Mild or moderate TBI symptoms can include mood changes, trouble with concentration, headaches, difficulty with sleep, and reduced motor coordination. Severe TBI can cause greatly reduced or lack of motor control, greatly reduced ability or inability to speak, and restlessness or agitation.

There are three main types of TBI that doctors consider:

• Mild TBI that occurs when a person loses consciousness for 30 minutes or less
• Moderate TBI a person loses consciousness for more than 30 minutes but wakes up within 24 hours
• Severe if they remain unconscious for 24 hours or longer.
• TBI does not always cause loss of consciousness. Someone with a mild TBI may not lose consciousness but they can experience confusion while awake.
• TBI symptoms and post-traumatic stress disorder can overlap. The effects of TBI may impact the way a person reacts to PTSD symptoms, therefore, treating the person with a comprehensive approach is best.
• Even in the military, TBI is not always caused by explosions or blasts. Military training, physical exercise, or engaging in off-duty sports can expose servicemen and women to potential TBI.
• All injuries are not the same and every TBI diagnosis must be treated differently. Two people can be involved in the same event but have different symptoms.

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Ptsd Treatment And Therapy

Treatment for PTSD can relieve symptoms by helping you deal with the trauma you’ve experienced. A doctor or therapist will encourage you to recall and process the emotions you felt during the original event in order to reduce the powerful hold the memory has on your life.

During treatment, you’ll also explore your thoughts and feelings about the trauma, work through feelings of guilt and mistrust, learn how to cope with intrusive memories, and address the problems PTSD has caused in your life and relationships.

The types of treatment available for PTSD include:

Trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy involves gradually exposing yourself to feelings and situations that remind you of the trauma, and replacing distorted and irrational thoughts about the experience with a more balanced picture.

Family therapy can help your loved ones understand what you’re going through and help you work through relationship problems together as a family.

Medication is sometimes prescribed to people with PTSD to relieve secondary symptoms of depression or anxiety, although they do not treat the causes of PTSD.

EMDR incorporates elements of cognitive-behavioral therapy with eye movements or other forms of rhythmic, left-right stimulation, such as hand taps or sounds. EMDR therapy techniques work by unfreezing the brain’s information processing system, which is interrupted in times of extreme stress.

Learn What Service Animals Do

Common tasks include:

• Guiding a person who is blind
• Alerting someone who is deaf
• Aiding and protecting a person who is having a seizure
• Alerting a person with diabetes or high or low blood sugar
• Assisting someone in a wheelchair
• Calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder during an anxiety attack

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Common External Ptsd Triggers

• Sights, sounds, or smells associated with the trauma.
• People, locations, or things that recall the trauma.
• Significant dates or times, such as anniversaries or a specific time of day.
• Conversations or media coverage about trauma or negative news events.
• Situations that feel confining .
• Relationship, family, school, work, or money pressures or arguments.
• Funerals, hospitals, or medical treatment.

Dogs And Veterans: 4 Great Organizations Making A Difference

Posted in Uncategorized on March 22, 2016 Tags: charity, military, ptsd, tips for caregivers, veterans

Mans best friend is loyal, protective, and fun. And in recent years, dogs are doing even more for a very specific group of Americans: veterans returning from active duty, many with invisible yet often deadly scars from Traumatic Brain Injury or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder .

Whether it is with a loveable pet or a specially trained service dog, many organizations have taken up the mission of matching the right dogs with as many veterans as possible. Researchers are beginning to amass research that shows these types of pairings can help veterans sleep more soundly, have fewer startle reactions, reduce hyper-vigilant tendencies and depression, and even allow them to interact more easily with their family and friends.

Below are four great organizations that are helping veterans, helping dogs in shelters, and even helping retired military dogs. The work their volunteers, donors, and trainers are putting in to this movement is an urgent answer to the 22 veterans our country loses to suicide every day. Their hope is that by making these connections, veterans will find an easier road transitioning back into civilian life, with the help of a four-legged friend.

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Contribute Funds Toward An Able Account

Find out who can contribute to or benefit from an ABLE account. Or, learn about how recently enacted tax laws and regulations apply to ABLE Savings accounts.

• The maximum annual contribution limit for your account is $16,000.
• You can exclude taxes on earnings and distributions from the account. These deductions can help you pay for qualified disability expenses.

Tip : Support Treatment

Despite the importance of your love and support, it isnt always enough. Many people who have been traumatized need professional PTSD therapy. But bringing it up can be touchy. Think about how youd feel if someone suggested that you needed therapy.

Wait for the right time to raise your concerns. Dont bring it up when youre arguing or in the middle of a crisis. Also, be careful with your language. Avoid anything that implies that your loved one is crazy. Frame it in a positive, practical light: treatment is a way to learn new skills that can be used to handle a wide variety of PTSD-related challenges.

Emphasize the benefits. For example, therapy can help them become more independent and in control. Or it can help reduce the anxiety and avoidance that is keeping them from doing the things they want to do.

Focus on specific problems. If your loved one shuts down when you talk about PTSD or counseling, focus instead on how treatment can help with specific issues like anger management, anxiety, or concentration and memory problems.

Acknowledge the hassles and limitations of therapy. For example, you could say, I know that therapy isnt a quick or magical cure, and it may take a while to find the right therapist. But even if it helps a little, it will be worth it.

Encourage your loved one to join a support group. Getting involved with others who have gone through similar traumatic experiences can help some people with PTSD feel less damaged and alone.

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Living With Someone Who Has Ptsd

When a partner, friend, or family member has post-traumatic stress disorder it affects you, too. PTSD isnt easy to live with and it can take a heavy toll on relationships and family life. You may be hurt by your loved ones distance and moodiness or struggling to understand their behaviorwhy they are less affectionate and more volatile. You may feel like youre walking on eggshells or living with a stranger. You may also have to take on a bigger share of household tasks and deal with the frustration of a loved one who wont open up. The symptoms of PTSD can even lead to job loss, substance abuse, and other problems that affect the whole family.

Its hard not to take the symptoms of PTSD personally, but its important to remember that a person with PTSD may not always have control over their behavior. Your loved ones nervous system is stuck in a state of constant alert, making them continually feel vulnerable and unsafe, or having to relive the traumatic experience over and over. This can lead to anger, irritability, depression, mistrust, and other PTSD symptoms that your loved one cant simply choose to turn off.

With the right support from you and other family and friends, though, your loved ones nervous system can become unstuck. With these tips, you can help them to finally move on from the traumatic event and enable your life together to return to normal.

Tips & Resources For Helping Veterans With Ptsd

Just like there are a wide variety of wounds warriors experience while in the military, during combat, and/ or following combat, there are a wide variety of health professionals to treat those wounds. Finding the right therapist depends on what matters most to you. Determine if you are interested in a specific type of therapy or if your selection will be limited by your health care provider and fees. Regardless of what you decide is right for you, there are a number of ways to find a suitable veterans mental health therapist.

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Service Animals And Emotional Support Animals

Service animals are trained to complete work and tasks for the specific, individual needs of people with disabilities. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act , dogs may qualify as service animals. In some cases, the ADA also recognizes miniature horses as service animals.

Unlike service animals, emotional support animals do not typically perform specific tasks. Instead, they serve as companions to people with disabilities. They are not considered service animals under the ADA, but some state and local governments permit people to take them into public places.

Talking To Your Loved One About Ptsd Triggers

Ask your loved one about things theyve done in the past to respond to a trigger that seemed to help . Then come up with a joint game plan for how you will respond in future.

Decide with your loved one how you should respond when they have a nightmare, flashback, or panic attack. Having a plan in place will make the situation less scary for both of you. You’ll also be in a much better position to help your loved one calm down.

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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a psychiatric disorder that comes from experiencing a traumatic experience, such as events experienced on the battlefield in the military, a natural disaster, assault, abuse, or attacks. For organizations that can provide help and information to individuals with PTSD, and to those around them, please see below.

Communication Pitfalls To Avoid

• Give easy answers or blithely tell your loved one everything is going to be okay.
• Stop your loved one from talking about their feelings or fears.
• Offer unsolicited advice or tell your loved one what they should do.
• Blame all of your relationship or family problems on your loved one’s PTSD.
• Invalidate, minimize, or deny your loved one’s traumatic experience
• Give ultimatums or make threats or demands.
• Make your loved one feel weak because they aren’t coping as well as others.
• Tell your loved one they were lucky it wasn’t worse.
• Take over with your own personal experiences or feelings.

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Tip : Reach Out To Others For Support

PTSD can make you feel disconnected from others. You may be tempted to withdraw from social activities and your loved ones. But it’s important to stay connected to life and the people who care about you. You don’t have to talk about the trauma if you don’t want to, but the caring support and companionship of others is vital to your recovery. Reach out to someone you can connect with for an uninterrupted period of time, someone who will listen when you want to talk without judging, criticizing, or continually getting distracted. That person may be your significant other, a family member, a friend, or a professional therapist. Or you could try:

Volunteering your time or reaching out to a friend in need. This is not only a great way to connect to others, but can also help you reclaim your sense of control.

Joining a PTSD support group. This can help you feel less isolated and alone and also provide invaluable information on how to cope with symptoms and work towards recovery.