They've numbed themselves to the extent where they have difficulty experiencing emotion at all, even forming opinions.
Having PTSD, just like any stigmatized mental health issue, can be difficult and isolating. Yet dating someone with PTSD can sometimes feel just as challenging.
Past studies have shown that female partners of people with PTSD, in particular, report high levels of anxiety and stress by proxy. She knows exactly how lonely and exhausting dating someone with PTSD can be.
She thinks of her last boyfriend as two different people: Katie dated her soldier ex before his deployment overseas, then off and on when he returned. When he came back, she found that he experienced full-scale night terrors, which culminated in him trying to strangle her in his sleep. He closed off," Katie said. Yet the primary challenge of dating someone with PTSD isn't dealing with flashbacks and panic attacks every day.
It's routine stuff, like asking "How did work go? Today, there are millions of Americans juggling their love lives with the challenges of mental illness. But there is all kinds of stigma keeping people from seeking help, even though dating with untreated PTSD can be dangerous for both partners. That's a firm line in the sand," Ajjan warned. Because many people with PTSD are scared to seek professional help, she recommends both partners start with peer support groups. It's not your job to fix your partner's problem, but you can still be supportive.
Dating someone with PTSD is different for every couple, and it's not always easy to interact with friends and family members who don't understand your partner's condition. I've been tempted many times to yell at friends and acquaintances for being thoughtless and putting Omri in painful situations. They insisted on driving through Qalandiya, a Palestinian neighborhood where Omri once fought, even though he begged them multiple times to take a different route home.
When I arrived back at home, he was jumpy and chain-smoking. His voice shook, words tumbling out between labored breaths.
His eyes roamed wildly in their sockets, never focusing on anything in particular. Even hours later, he still couldn't stand still or speak normally. I asked Omri if he wanted to talk about Qalandiya. So I sat with him while he smoked, neither of us saying a word. Although he lives with PTSD and other health problems from deployment, he still wants to go back. I will never understand this statement. This seems to be common with a lot veterans.
My husband explained he felt alive there. He went from being a warrior to just an everyday civilian when he came home. He misses that part of his life. The guilt is unbearable. He feels guilty he came home.
He feels guilty for things he may have done. This can send his emotions spiraling.
I told him my plans for the evening and then did not hear back from him for 4 days. I want to offer a listerning ear, or reading eyes, as the case may be, to anyone else who just wants to talk about how it is. I have been dating a Iraq combat vet for a little over a year. I do everything I can to help them. Beyond that, I researched and tried a few other treatment options as well. He's a wonderful man. Thank you for your post, today I am reaching out and looking for ways to date a vet
Anger and sadness are the two most common emotions I see when the guilt takes over. He has thought about suicide. He stressed to me he never intended to attempt suicide, but that thoughts of it have popped into his mind. To him, it is just easier to let go of life and be free from the clutch of PTSD. His answer to that was our children and me. He knew it would harm us if he took his own life. There has been a silver lining to having PTSD.
He is enrolled in college. He is a sophomore in college. He never wants to leave another vet helpless or feeling lost. PTSD has made him more understanding to those going through the same symptoms.
Being open about this illness is hard to do. Find this story helpful?
Share it with someone you care about. Please click here if you are not redirected within a few seconds. You can also browse from over health conditions. Join Us Log In. Samantha was diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome at the age of two. She writes about her daily struggles with physical and emotional pain from living with a chronic illness.
She is new to the blogging world, but hopes to bring awareness to her rare disorder while helping others face the obstacles she has also faced You can follow her on her own blog: Want the best Mighty stories emailed to you? There was a problem with the address entered. Please enter a valid email address.