Post traumatic stress disorder?
Question:
Answers:
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a type of anxiety problem. It can develop after your life is threatened, or after you experience or see a traumatic event. Usually, the event makes you feel very afraid or helpless. Some examples of traumatic events are a natural disaster, rape, severe car crash or fighting in a war.
What are the symptoms of PTSD?
You can have symptoms right after the trauma or they can develop months, or even years, later. Symptoms of PTSD fall into 3 groups: reliving the trauma, trying to stop thinking about the trauma and anything related to it, and feeling "on edge." Your symptoms may include:
Having flashbacks, nightmares, bad memories or hallucinations
Trying not to think about the trauma or staying away from people who remind you of it
Not being able to recall parts of the event
Feeling emotionally numb or detached from others
Having trouble sleeping
Being irritable, angry or jumpy
People with PTSD are often depressed. Sometimes they try to feel better by using alcohol or drugs. This can cause abuse or addiction problems.
How is PTSD treated?
There are many treatments available. Medicines for depression or anxiety may be helpful. Talking to a mental health professional and your friends and family about the event and your feelings can also help. PTSD can cause depression and substance abuse. These problems should be treated before or during PTSD treatment.
What can I do to help myself recover?
Check your local phone directory for support groups in your area.
Contact the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Alliance.
Learn more about PTSD, and work with your doctor or therapist to get better.
Other Answers:
he must learn how to relax and it may be good if he finds a counsellor to find the source(s) of his stress and rectify it in the right way.
admirer
This answer will probably be a bit different from the others, because I think PTSD may be eased by changing one's diet.
According to the reading I have done regarding hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), the brain, when it senses that blood sugar is low, will do sometimes strange things to get the blood sugar (glucose) out of storage and into the blood stream. Adrenaline is one sure way to do this. His body probably got used to relying on the adrenaline in the Navy, and now that he is out, he doesn't have the same triggers, and low blood sugar is probably the result.
I think he should ask/demand a fasting insulin blood test and ask for a copy of the results. 10 or higher is abnormal for an adult.
Suggestion for you? Feed him a diet that stresses protein (poultry and fish are best, unless you are vegetarians and then soy is very good), low glycemic carbohydrates (look up a glycemic index on the web) and good fat (olive oil for cooking, almonds or peanuts for snacking). Be sure to give him in-between meal snacks, especially a pre-bedtime snack, that includes these items.
Chronic low blood sugar may be the cause of sleep walking, nasty nightmares, night sweats, increased anxiety and startle, and also self-esteem problems, anger management problems and a whole bunch of other physical and mental nasties. You may want to check out the symptoms link on www.hufa.org, and see how he checks out.
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