Have said this before and will say it again if you have PTSD help is available its up to you to seek it. Military children often feel ‘aftershock’ of parent’s PTSD The pain Kristin and Kaili Stowers have experienced as a result of their fathers military-related post-traumatic stress disorder can be seen in their eyes and heard in their voices. The sisters, who attend Prairie Hills Middle School in Hutchinson, have learned PTSD not only affects veterans, but its aftershocks also can be felt by the children of veterans. Ive gotten more nervous, and like with test grades, Im afraid if I do fail that Dads going to harm me in some way or just say something to me, said Kristin, 12. His PTSD was affecting me, I think, the most out of the family, said Kaili, 14. I just got quiet. I isolated myself like he was doing to himself. I snapped at my mom a few times like he did. They finally noticed, and my mom asked me if I wanted help. I now see a therapist along with my sister. Hopefully, were going to start getting family therapy. Their father, Steve Stowers, 43, is a U.S. Marine veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm in 1990-91 and was diagnosed with PTSD in 2010. After his diagnosis, Steve was medically retired from his duties as a sergeant with the Hutchinson Police Department. He recently completed an intensive PTSD treatment program at Colmery-ONeil VA Medical Center in Topeka. After he returned from his deployment to Iraq, Steve said he had nightmares and would awaken thinking he was in the middle of a nerve gas attack. Other common symptoms of PTSD are depression, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, problems with memory and cognition, flashbacks, and feeling emotionally numb. The disorder has been associated with occupational instability, marital problems, difficulty in parenting and family discord. Adding to Steves stress was his wife, Angie, being diagnosed with a brain tumor and suffering a stroke following surgery and living in a motel for three months after their house was damaged by a fire. It hit me hard, Steve said of the fire and living in the confinement of a motel room. The nightmares started again, and he became irritable and angry. He knew the time had come to get help. Probably the hardest thing for me to do was walking in and getting help, because it changes your life (and) friends, that whole thought process about who I thought I was, he said. I was a police officer and a soldier and a protector. I realized I dont have to be that now.” Its definitely given me a whole new outlook on life and what my futures going to be like, he also said. I have PTSD, but I realize it doesnt have me. Angie said the focus of their family had become Steves diagnosis and treatment. Meanwhile, their daughters coped as well as they could. You know, wed always just focused on him, so we didnt realize the after-effects, the aftershocks, of whats happening to the kids, she said. Its not just our family thats suffering. Its all of the families (of veterans with PTSD) that are out there suffering. Karon Cook, president of the Kansas Department of the American Legion Auxiliary, said 20 percent to 25 percent of children whose veteran-parent has committed suicide or suffers from PTSD think about taking their lives. The veterans get help, Cook said, referring to treatment programs offered at Veterans Administration hospitals, but the VA doesnt have a program for the children. Kristin has found a way to reach out to other children who are suffering the fallout of having a parent with military-related PTSD. She has put her feelings and thoughts into an essay, which she has read at veterans gatherings and mental health association meetings. Last week, Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., entered her essay into the Congressional Record. I think what my sister did was very good. Shes letting everyone know whats happening, Kaili said, adding she is also proud of her father for setting a good example by getting treatment. I think this is a good start for us, a good start for everyone.
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 16:08:39 +0000