June is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month, wherein veterans, first responders, victims of abuse, and all others suffering from PTSD are acknowledged for their shared struggle.

Mark Meincke, local veteran and creator of the support podcast "Operation Tango Romeo," says there can be no support without understanding.

"If your leg got blown off by a land mine, nobody would say 'well you just had weak shins, I guess you're just a weak boned person!' With PTSD, if people don't understand the event, they say 'well that doesn't sound so bad, why would you get PTSD from that?' It's the same as saying 'well you just have weak bones."

Basic understanding of the day-to-day lives of those living with PTSD is something Meincke says can be difficult to comprehend, but it's the first step to being able to show support.

Meincke says insomnia is very common for these individuals, and often exacerbates existing stress and anxiety.

"When you do have dreams, they're often violent, or extremely disturbing and very very vivid. So you don't get a good night's sleep, you wake up full of anxiety anyway, then it's amplified by the lack of sleep, then you're supposed to go and carry on your day and deal with people. So little things become really really big things."

He also describes a heightened awareness veterans often operate with while living with PTSD, with many vets living in a constant state of "fight or flight" through no fault of their own.

One of the more widespread stigmas facing those suffering PTSD is the reappropration of the word "trigger," which is used to describe the recollection of trauma through any number of external stimulus, but has more recently been used to as a term to mock anyone who becomes upset or distressed.

Meincke recalled a recent event when a trip to a landfill with his son triggered traumatic memories in him.

"Going to a landfill site reminded me of what I saw... but there's no way for anybody to know that. You don't know what someone's triggers can be. For a lot of guys it's the smell of diesel fuel, the fuel that's used for tanks and armoured personell carriers, so the smell of diesel fuel can send somebody into a total talespin."

Meincke says the misuse of the word has made it harder for people living with the condition to talk about their experiences.

"There's all kinds of things that can bring back an experience that most people can't comprehend. Unfortunately, with people making fun of the word 'trigger,' it makes it embarrassing when it actually happens to you, it increases the stigma."

Though PTSD is often associated with veterans, Meincke says it can afflict anyone who has experienced trauma.

"The symptoms that he has are not unlike the symptoms that soldiers, or police. or firefighters have. The modality of trauma isn't that important. The effect that that trauma has on your life, having that fight or flight response stuck on go all the time, is what causes the problems in their lives. Whatever the modality was that got that stuck on go, it doesnt matter. We're all suffering in similar fashion, so the treatment is going to be a similar treatment regardless of the modality of the trauma."

He says some of the biggest obstacles for these individuals is identifying PTSD within themselves (it often goes undiagnosed for years), and taking the first step to seeking help and support, something he hopes to provide through his support podcast.

For more information on Operation Tango Romeo, click here.

For more information on PTSD, click here.

 

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