Veteran Mental Health: Signs of PTSD, Stress, and When to Get Help

Veterans Day is a chance to thank the people who served. It is also a good moment to talk about something many veterans and their families deal with quietly: the stress, sleep problems, and memories that can follow service home.

Some veterans notice changes right away. Others feel fine for years and then find that a new stressor, a loss, or a life change brings old experiences back to the surface. Either way, these reactions are common, they are understandable, and they are treatable.

This guide covers what post-traumatic stress looks like, how to tell normal stress from something that needs care, which treatments have the strongest evidence, and how families can help.

How common is PTSD among veterans?

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop after any traumatic event, including combat, training accidents, and military sexual trauma (MST). According to the VA’s National Center for PTSD, about 7 out of every 100 veterans will have PTSD at some point in their lives, compared with about 6 out of every 100 adults in the general population.

Those numbers also mean most veterans do not develop PTSD. But many still carry stress, sleep problems, or mood changes after service that are worth paying attention to.

Common challenges after military service

Mental health after service is not only about PTSD. Veterans often describe a mix of concerns, including:

• Post-traumatic stress, including intrusive memories, nightmares, and feeling constantly on guard.
• Sleep problems, such as trouble falling asleep, waking often, or nightmares that make sleep feel unsafe.
• Anxiety that shows up as irritability, restlessness, or physical tension.
• Depression, low mood, or losing interest in things that used to matter.
• Alcohol or substance use that started as a way to sleep or take the edge off.
• The transition home: missing the structure and purpose of service, feeling disconnected from civilian life, or strain in relationships.

Signs of PTSD to watch for

The National Institute of Mental Health groups PTSD symptoms into four areas. To be diagnosed with PTSD, symptoms last more than a month and are strong enough to interfere with relationships or work.

• Re-experiencing: flashbacks, nightmares, or upsetting memories that come back without warning.
• Avoidance: staying away from places, people, events, or conversations that bring up reminders.
• Arousal and reactivity: being easily startled, feeling tense or on edge, trouble sleeping, or angry outbursts.
• Changes in thinking and mood: negative thoughts about yourself or the world, guilt or blame, feeling distant from others, or losing interest in activities.

Normal stress, or time to get help?

It is normal to have strong reactions after a traumatic experience, and for many people they ease with time. It is a good idea to talk with a professional if:

• Symptoms have lasted more than a month or keep coming back.
• Sleep, work, or relationships are starting to suffer.
• You are using alcohol or other substances to cope.
• Family members have said you seem different.
• You are avoiding more and more of your life to keep memories away.

Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Treatments that help

PTSD treatment works, and there are several options. The VA’s National Center for PTSD reports that the talk therapies with the strongest research support are trauma-focused: Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Prolonged Exposure (PE). These usually last about 8 to 16 sessions.

Medication can also help. The medications with the most evidence for PTSD are sertraline, paroxetine, and venlafaxine. A psychiatrist can help you decide whether medication makes sense and adjust the plan over time.

At Georgia Behavioral Health, care for PTSD and trauma can include:

• Trauma-focused therapy, including EMDR and prolonged exposure.
• Psychiatric evaluation and medication management, coordinated with your therapist in the same practice.
• Care for related concerns like sleep, anxiety, and substance use.
• For depression that has not improved with standard treatment, our treatment-resistant depression clinic.

How families can help

Spouses, partners, and adult children are often the first to notice changes. A few things help:

• Learn the signs. Understanding PTSD makes it easier not to take irritability or distance personally.
• Listen without pushing. Let your loved one share what they want to, when they are ready.
• Encourage care, gently. Offer to help find a provider or come to the first appointment.
• Take care of yourself too. Supporting someone with PTSD is hard. Couples and family therapy can help everyone.

The VA’s resources for families and friends are a good place to start.

Getting care in Gwinnett County

Georgia Behavioral Health provides psychiatry and therapy at two offices: our main office in Norcross and our new office in Suwanee. We see adults, teens, and children, offer in-person and virtual visits, and new patients are typically seen within one week. We are in network with most commercial plans, Medicare, and Medicare Advantage.

Request an appointment online or call (678) 861-6463.