There are soldiers who come out of a battle situation and will end up with post traumatic stress disorder. When this occurs, a combat stress treatment plan must be put in place so that other issues do not come up that harm the patient or others. When the stress that people have is from job stress or family stress, the symptoms are usually not as severe as those who require combat stress treatment. Often, those that have the need of combat stress treatment have nightmares and flashbacks to the events that have traumatized them. These nightmares and flashbacks interrupt their everyday lives and make it difficult for the veterans to function in society without receiving help. Fortunately, more is known today than ever before about the different methods that work in combat stress treatment.
Medications and Counseling Are Combat Stress Treatment
Usually in combat stress treatment the combination of medication and counseling are effective in relieving the symptoms that the patients are experiencing and allowing them to function in every day life. However, there are cases where the trauma and symptoms are more severe, requiring that the patients go through a combat stress treatment program at a hospital or residential environment. Usually a hospital or residential environment is required only when the person is a danger to himself or others, thus allowing him to get some counseling and medication in place in an environment that is safe for him to be in.
There are some anti depressant and anti anxiety medications that can help people to calm their nerves and focus more effectively so that they can go about their every day lives. There are also some medications that can be used in combat stress treatment that are effective in blocking the recurring nightmares that some patients have nightly, thus disrupting their sleep. Often the medication options have to be switched until the right one is found in the combat stress treatment program for a particular patient.
Another method of combat stress treatment is to use varying methods of psychotherapy and support groups. There are cognitive therapies that are used to replace the negative thoughts that the patient might have with healthy thoughts so that they are not a danger to themselves or others. There are also some eye movement therapies that are used in combat stress treatment plans to help the patient to better deal and work through the memories that appear in the form of flashbacks in the daytime.