Grandpa Hank: My Grandpa With PTSD

Growing up around a person diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, easier known as PTSD, is not a joking matter. PTSD is a mental condition that is triggered by a traumatic event that happened in a persons lifetime, either experiencing it or witnessing it. Grandpa Hank was a victim to PTSD after serving two tours in Vietnam. It was hard growing up around him because at any moment it could all turn upside down just like that. Grandpa Hank always described PTSD as having flashbacks or nightmares from the horrific events that were caused by the war. He would not be able to get the visual thoughts out of his head; they were uncontrollable it seemed like. It was very hard for him to be in the working environment after coming back from …show more content…
Three key factors that helped my grandpa with his PTSD were psychological therapy, medication, and support from a loving family. When he combined the three forms of treatment, it seemed to make a great impact on him. Looking happier and calmer as a person. The therapist that he was referred to by his doctor really focused on two key tactics with the psychological part of his life. One tactic was called Cognitive therapy, this was a form of talking that helps patients see the ways of thinking that are keeping the patients trapped. Second tactic the therapist used was Exposure therapy, which helps you cautiously face that traumatic event so that you can learn how to cope/recover from it. Furthermore, medication was helpful for him, one form of medication he used were antidepressants focused on his depression and anxiety. He even took Prazosin, a medication that reduces or calms nightmares. The last step for him was our family. He may have seemed like a different person but we stuck by his side through the difficult times and also the somewhat easy times. Love is a form of healing, the comfort that it brings makes him keep fighting. These three treatments worked wonders not only for my grandpa but for our