VA Augusta aims to bring awareness to PTSD

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – June is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month, and VA Augusta is working to break the stigma around seeking help.

PTSD is often an invisible wound that can affect veterans and even their loved ones.

Experts at VA Augusta are working to bring awareness to the issue and provide hope to veterans struggling.

According to the National Center for PTSD, the disorder is more common in veterans than civilians.

Dr. J. Richard Monroe, a clinical psychologist at VA Augusta, says the problem isn’t knowing how to treat PTSD, but rather encouraging individuals to seek help.

He also says it requires focused treatment.

“We have resources across the spectrum of care from self-directed, maybe an app that might help someone deal with stress, all the way to intensive weekly appointments for outpatient therapy. There’s exciting research that shows that daily visits even get to the same outcome just a little faster,” said Monroe.

Will Martin is a veteran who served in the Army for 21 years.

Martin says individuals in the military are trained to keep their heads down and complete a mission, focusing on their emotions last.

He knew it was time to take action when PTSD began to seriously affect his personal life.

“It kind of spilled over to my relationships are negatively impacting that I wasn’t very good at communicating what I needed, or, you know, what I was really feeling,” said Martin.

Martin says the PTSD Program was able to help him tap into his trauma and begin to recover.

“It doesn’t eliminate it, but what it does is it gives you the wisdom and knowledge and tools and figure out how to navigate it and not let it negatively impact your life,” said Martin.

Martin’s personal success with the program encouraged him to break the stigma surrounding military members seeking mental help.

“I grew up in a very blue-collar environment and military environment where if you went to go see a shrink, quote, unquote, that was a sign of weakness and a waste of time and money. And I experienced the exact opposite of that,” said Martin.

According to Monroe, combat is one of the main triggers of PTSD, but not the only one. Nearly 80% of individuals experience trauma in their life, and 7%-10% will develop PTSD.

Veterans interested in treatment should ask for a referral from their VA primary care or mental health provider.

If necessary, they can also self-refer for same-day care by visiting the VA Augusta Mental Health Walk-In Clinic located at 1 Freedom Way.

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