June is PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder) Awareness Month. This is a month dedicated to raising awareness, recognizing the effects PTSD has on those who are struggling, and providing an opportunity to explore how we can be supportive of them.

PTSD is a mental health disorder brought on by either witnessing in person or directly experiencing a traumatic event and learning that a traumatic event has happened to someone close to you or experiencing repeated or extreme exposure to adverse details of a traumatic event. These events usually involve actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexually violated. In the past, we have associated PTSD with those who have combat experience, and now we understand that there is a wide variety of traumatic events that bring symptomology and struggles to daily life.

A traumatic event can cause us to question everything we thought we knew. We question our safety, other people’s intentions, and the world around us. After an event, our nervous system may be in a state of constant alert which can make us feel vulnerable and unsafe. We might feel like we constantly need to fight or run away. This may cause us to be more hypervigilant, react differently to noises or words, irritable and angry, and fearful, depressed, or anxious. Other symptoms can include flashbacks of the event, intrusive distressing thoughts about the event, recurring distressing dreams related to the event, avoiding places or objects that may trigger a memory of the event, an inability to remember parts of the event we might blame ourselves for the event or for not being able to stop the event.

Although most people can experience an event and struggle with adjusting to life afterward, they can heal and feel better by giving it time, utilizing self-care and healthy coping strategies. However, when time, self-care, and our current coping strategies are not working, symptoms are prolonged and cause interference with day-to-day life; it may be PTSD.

If there is someone you know who is struggling with PTSD, how can we be helpful? We can provide support. This can mean being patient with them, not forcing them to talk if they do not want to, and letting them take the lead in how they want to move forward. We can be a good listeners for them, provide space to process the event, and support them in finding professional help. During this month and the ones to follow, let us take the time to understand that everyone is different and that their experiences are essential. Let’s be kind to others always.