Returning from deployment — Military members, their families cope with stressful difficulties

  • Published
  • By Glenn Garcia
  • Family Advocacy Outreach manager
F. E. WARREN AFB, Wyo. --  Military members and their families should understand what to expect when the active-duty member returns from a war zone, to help them readapt to home life and to know where to get vital support from the various helping agencies on base.

The process of reintegration for active-duty members should be as smooth as possible. It's an adjustment for all people involved.

Healthy adjustment in the days and weeks following homecoming includes taking time to become reacquainted with family, friends, co-workers and routines. Talk and listen to family and friends in order to re-establish trust, intimacy and openness.

A common struggle for active-duty members following deployment is being able and willing to pay attention to the early warning signs of stress and conflict, and being able to seek help to prevent the stress from becoming debilitating. When members return from the war zone, they need to understand that they will be changed, but the changes can have a healthy outcome if it is handled appropriately and with resiliency.

Service members respond to traumatic situations in different ways. Some report feeling upset or keyed up, or continue to think about events that occurred in combat. Some even act as if they are back in a combat situation. These combat stress reactions, also called acute stress reactions, can last for days or weeks and are a normal reaction to combat experiences. Most active-duty members who experience combat stress reactions will recover. Others, however, struggle with the memories of their combat experiences and their reactions to it. If someone continues to experience these reactions and if it begins to cause problems, seek help to learn how to cope. Without early treatment the condition could turn into a prolonged combat stress reaction, also known as post-traumatic stress disorder.

Airmen should seek support if they are getting into arguments and fights with family members and other people, often for minor reasons, because of the angry or aggressive feelings that are common after a trauma or deployment. In addition to having more family conflict, those who return home from a war zone often feel disconnected or detached from others. This has to do with feeling unable to tell other family members about what happened, not wanting to intrude on them by speaking about the realities of the war zone or just thinking that no one understands. This is related to difficulties in feeling or expressing positive feelings. Sometimes the feelings of wanting to be alone or needing to avoid family gatherings can make someone become isolated from their family, with a loss of support, understanding and intimacy. Most combat stress reactions go away over time. Only a minority of military people have reactions that continue and develop into PTSD. Taking action and getting early treatment for concerns can help prevent these reactions from growing into problems.

Education on the normal reactions to traumatic events and the facts about PTSD are important. A study of active-duty members returning from Iraq found that only 40 percent of service members experiencing war-related stress reactions said they were interested in receiving help. Seeking assistance for these "invisible injuries of war" is a sign of strength. Veterans who have had counseling report that getting help early was key to feeling good again. Getting help allowed things to get back to normal in their careers and on the home front.

Mental-health professionals understand Airmen's concerns about seeking help, but encourage everyone to find the strength to do so. Career concerns or fear of stigma should not prevent anyone from taking action to seek help. There are support programs and even a post-deployment process in place at Warren to assist members with recovering and finding solutions to problems. For more information call Mental Health Services at 773-2998 or Master Sgt. Regina Campbell at the Airman and Family Readiness Center at 773-5899.

(Editor's note: This is part one of a three part series on coping with deployments.)