
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, otherwise known as PTSD, is a known mental health condition common among soldiers who experienced trauma during their time in war.  PTSD relates to The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien because it is about soldiers’ experience of fighting in the Vietnam war in the 1960s.  O’Brien is a Vietnam war veteran so it is possible he is writing from personal traumatic experiences he faced.  The text tells traumatic events that happened to the men throughout the war such as watching people die and/or get sick which could cause PTSD.  The soldiers from the novel have nightmares from their experiences in fighting battles.  It is very common that one of the characters dies or is injured in the novel so it is expected that one of them would get PTSD.  The men thought of the terror and trauma their friends’ experienced and it affected them greatly.  This shows that they could’ve gotten PTSD from imagining or watching what all their friends went through.  The Things They Carried relates to PTSD because the characters from the novel had symptoms of the disorder and experienced extremely traumatic events due to the Vietnam war.

Symptoms of PTSD for veterans include a wide range of psychological distress and psychiatric comorbidity, poor quality of life, and severe social maladjustment.  PTSD could be triggered by thoughts about the traumatic event, in this case war, or by reminders in the immediate environment.  If one is thinking a lot about the certain event, it may bring up unwanted thoughts and reminders of it.  It is common that one would have nightmares and/or flashbacks to the traumatic experience.  The flashbacks could be one having intrusive thoughts, feeling the event is recurring, having distress at reminders of the event, or distressing dreams.  It is very common for soldiers that have gone to war to suffer from PTSD due to all of the traumatic scenes they witness.  Because the characters in The Things They Carried are soldiers in the Vietnam war they witness traumatic events often.  One with PTSD would experience increased irritability, trouble concentrating or sleeping, exaggerated startle response, and hypervigilance.  They also would be expecting danger to arise in most scenarios.  One might feel like they are in a daze or spacey with PTSD.  Another symptom could be bellyaches and headaches from the amount of stress your body is under.  (PTSD Affects Many People beyond the Military)

They best way to avoid PTSD is to avoid talking or thinking about the traumatic experience altogether.  Also, avoid going to places or activities that are similar or remind one of the bad experience.  Dealing with past events is a difficult thing when suffering from PTSD but talking with a therapist can really help.  Cognitive behavioral therapy is the most effective form of counseling for PTSD.  Cognitive therapy helps one to understand and change how you think about your trauma by talking to a therapist.  Cognitive behavioral therapy can last for three to six months.  One will identify the thoughts and images that trigger your PTSD.  One will also learn ways to cope with harsh feelings like anger, fear, and guilt.  This method helps one understand that the traumatic event was not their fault.  The characters might blame themselves for certain things that happened to their friends and it is important that they know it’s not their fault.  Also, there is exposure therapy which is talking about one’s traumatic event repeatedly with your therapist.  This should teach them that they don’t have to be afraid of their memories.  Breathing exercises are supposed to help one relax when having a stressful memory.  There is also eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) which is when one focuses on eye movements, hands motions, and sounds while thinking of your memories.  Also one can use antidepressant medication such as:  citalopram, fluoxetine, paroxetine, and sertraline.  Group therapy seems to be helpful because some people like to talk about their trauma with others who can relate to the experience.  This helps one cope with their symptoms and memories while also gaining self-confidence and trust in others.  Family therapy can also help one recover from PTSD because one’s family is most likely affected by the traumatic experience in multiple ways.  For this type of treatment your entire family speaks with a therapist and strives to have good communication and cope with tough feelings.  In all therapy one will work on reducing their symptoms, learning how to cope with their symptoms, and learning to cope with other PTSD related problems.  Treatment can last longer than six months for some people.  If one has other health problems besides PTSD then they may have to stay in treatment for about one to two years.  Depending on the other health problems they may have to withstand treatment for longer than two years. (Treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Military and Veteran Populations: Final Assessment)

PTSD affects 5%-10% of all men and 7%-14% of all women in the US (PTSD Affects Many People beyond the Military).  More than half of the people in the US are exposed to the kind of traumatic event that can give one PTSD.  More than a quarter of the people in the US have been exposed to traumatic events more than once.  Because of the amount of people that experience trauma, PTSD is one of the most common disorders in the US.  Symptoms of PTSD sometimes last weeks, months, and even years.  Traumatic events throw the body into a fight-or-flight mode.  PTSD usually occurs one to three months after a traumatic event takes place.  PTSD usually consists of nightmares and intrusive thoughts about the traumatic event they experienced.  The person with PTSD relives the fear response in their brain and body over and over again.  PTSD is treatable and often curable, however it may take a while to treat since the patients need to learn to trust their therapist fully.  If they do not trust their therapist things might not get better.  PTSD not only affects the mind, it also affects the body greatly.  This makes it a mind-body disorder and it should be treated that way.  Sometimes those with PTSD can recover from it spontaneously, meaning without treatment.  You may be considered at risk of getting PTSD if you have family history of PTSD or other mood and anxiety disorders.  You could also be at risk if you’ve had disturbing childhood experiences or panic attacks.  

Overall, this relates to the novel The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien because it is extremely common for soldiers to suffer from PTSD.  Fighting in the war can really affect the soldiers.  They watch their friends die and catch sicknesses which is a very traumatic event.  Soldiers spend so much time together they are like brothers which is seen in the novel.  They all care so much about each other that it hurts them to see their friends die.  They might blame themselves or others for things that their friends went through.  PTSD treatment strives to make one know that there was nothing else they could do to stop the event.  Even though soldiers are usually seen to have PTSD others can suffer from it as well.  Any traumatic event that affects someone greatly can cause symptoms of PTSD.  The reader can see that the characters all truly care for one another and hope them the best.  The characters experienced extremely scary and traumatizing things from the Vietnam war so it is expected that one would get PTSD.  The Things They Carried is a text that shows the affects that PTSD has on soldiers during and after their time in war.  The reader of this text can see how much it affects the soldiers to see their friends die.  
