Sustainers learn new ways for recognizing and dealing with PTSD

FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii - Over the years, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder has made headlines because of the amount of individuals it affects every day, not just related to those who have served in combat, but those who have been in traumatizing situations.

As a way to help eliminate any negative perceptions and stigmas of this disorder, Congress designated June 27 as National PTSD Awareness Day to reiterate how important it is for those who suffer from this condition to get help.

The 8th Theater Sustainment Command's Soldiers and civilians honored PTSD Awareness with a yoga class focused on relaxation at Fort Shafter Fitness Center, accompanied by multiple training sessions at Richardson Theater, to help familiarize individuals with the signs, symptoms and treatment methods for this disorder, June 26, 2015.

These sessions featured guest speaker Dr. Kenneth Hirsch, the manager for the Traumatic Stress Recovery Program for the Veteran's Affairs Pacific Islands Health Care System.

"We're going to talk about not just PTSD, but things related to it, associated conditions, post-traumatic growth, etc.," Hirsch said.

Hirsch stated that PTSD has been around a long time, even though it wasn't diagnosed until 1980.

"World War II and Korea, it was known as battle fatigue," Hirsch stated. "World War I, it was shell shock. In the Civil War, it was soldier's nostalgia.

"Shakespeare wrote about it in his play 'Henry IV,'" continued Hirsh. "Homer, the most famous of the Greek tragic playwrights, instituted it into his most famous works, 'The Odyssey,' and 'The Iliad.'"

The Soldiers learned about different symptoms of PTSD, including hypervigilance, suspiciousness, light sleeping, attention to detail and even combat driving, all of which can occur when not in a deployed environment.

"You feel more alive, more in control and more powerful," Hirsch added. "That's why combat can feel good, anger can feel good and physical or verbal fighting can feel good."

Hirsch also explained how many victims of PTSD experience fear and aren't always able to deal with it in a positive way.

"Fear activates the sympathetic nervous system which releases adrenaline," Hirsch said. "This gives us more energy, more strength, more endurance, focuses our attention and wipes out physical and emotional pain."

The day concluded with an art gallery to show how some individuals use therapeutic artwork as a coping and healing mechanism, as well as the Soldiers receiving key information on how to identify, handle and get help for this disorder.