Veterans commonly struggle with mental health complications due to undergoing traumatic events or seeing horrific happenings. After living a militaristic life for a long duration of time, it is difficult to come home to civilization and the standards pressed by society. Anxiety in veterans tends to occur, and a person can display physical and emotional symptoms. There are various types of anxieties that veterans face after duty, sparked in their brains for different reasons.
Panic Disorder vs. Generalized Anxiety
Anxiety in veterans ranges from many forms of disorders, and increasingly common ones are panic disorders and generalized anxiety (GAD). The symptoms of a panic disorder are a bit more extreme than the effects that follow GAD. Panic disorders are recurring, and there is an intense fear of going insane, while people with GAD will worry excessively about everyday life events that may not need overthinking.
Panic attacks include fear of unreality or inability to control your emotional, mental, or physical state of being. Both disorders cause problems in functioning correctly and being productive throughout the day. Symptoms like lack of sleep or impaired concentration are more common in veterans, and chest pain from constant stressing over uncontrollable matters.
Symptoms of PTSD in Veterans
Severe anxiety in veterans is a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The condition used to regularly be referred to as “shell shock.” After returning home, veterans battle flashbacks that are haunting and cause unwanted distressing memories of a traumatic event. Other common symptoms include negative thoughts about oneself, difficulty maintaining close relationships due to anxiety, stress, or depression, and feeling emotionally tired or stoic.
PTSD symptoms are typically grouped into four types: intrusive memories, avoidance, negative thinking or changes in mood, and physical and emotional alterations. Therefore, a veteran experiencing this disorder may need to seek help for numerous mental health issues.
Phobias
What are phobias? Phobias are a type of anxiety disorder, but the fear is persistent and dramatic in situations that are not life-threatening or dangerous. This type of anxiety in veterans is brought on by trauma and neglect, and if substance abuse is added to this already damaging mental disorder, symptoms are more severe. Fears like doors being closed or locked, blood or needles, air travel, or animals are phobias regularly battled by veterans.
Learn More at Our Veterans Addiction Treatment Centers
At Banyan Treatment Center, we offer an excellent Military & Veterans in Recovery program to help veterans facing mental disorders. If a veteran is dealing with a co-occurring disorder or is struggling with a mental illness and addiction, then our experienced medical staff knows how to safely get our patients through withdrawals through medically monitored detox and unique therapeutic methods.
We offer the best levels of care for active duty and veterans to feel comfortable and secure while going through the recovery process. Please, do not hesitate to contact us at 888-280-4763 and ask about our residential treatment program to get started today!
Related Readings:
