Veterans
We appreciate you and your service as a veteran. We appreciate your families and loved ones as well because we know that you did not go to war alone. Your sacrifice involves not just you but everyone in your life.
All soldiers go through an adjustment period from being a combat Soldier to being a father, son, brother, husband, or friend. Adjustment is normal and it takes time.
For many, returning to family and community life is a difficult, if not impossible task. Changing gears is hard and many are trying to make the transition while dealing with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), anxiety, and/or depression. Injuries to the mind take help to heal. What you are feeling is not a mental illness; it is the body’s natural reaction to a traumatic stress. You cannot tough it out, cowboy up, get it done, or suck it up to feel better or to get over the nightmares, flashbacks, and uncontrollable fear. If you had a broken leg, you would go to a doctor. You cannot heal your mind without help. Getting help is not a sign of weakness; it is a tool to help you and your family so that you can get on with your life.
PTSD is a reaction to the extreme stress people encounter during threats of danger to themselves or others and/or the fear of death. We know that PTSD symptoms can be successfully managed with positive intervention and treatment. Educating you and your loved ones about PTSD and helping you practice self-care are two very important steps to healing. Helping your family understand the signs and symptoms of PTSD will help ease the transition that you are all going through.
Your family has lived out your deployment with you by watching images of the war on TV and hearing about it on the radio and talking about it in school and at work. Just as deployment changed you, families and friends have changed as well. Time does not stand still. Children have grown and spouses have necessarily become more independent. Friends and family members have had to adjust to getting along without you while you were gone. Fitting it all back together will take time and patience. Knowing what to say is often difficult; knowing what to do can even be more difficult.
At The Center for Mental Health, our goal is to help you successfully transition back into your civilian life. Our therapists are trained to help you deal with PTSD, depression, and anxiety.
If you are not taking care of yourself properly, it is unlikely that your family will get the best care from you either. Only when you first help yourself can you effectively help others. We are here to lend you a hand.
The Center for Mental Health is a private non-profit organization providing outstanding wellness treatment for people with mental health and substance abuse issues in the six counties of Delta, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Montrose, Ouray, and San Miguel. We are not associated with the Veteran’s Administration or any other governmental agency.
For more information about our Veterans services please call 252-3200.
Do you experience:
- Anger, irritability and rage
- Feeling nervous
- Depression
- Difficulty trusting others
- Feeling guilt over acts committed or witnessed, the failure to prevent certain events, or merely having survived while others did not
- Hyper-alertness and startle reactions
- Feeling grief or sadness
- Having thoughts and memories that will not go away
- Isolation and alienation from others
- Loss of interest in pleasurable activities
- Low tolerance to stress
- Problems feeling good about one’s self
- Nightmares
- Substance abuse
- Trouble sleeping
- Anxiety
- Paranoia
If you are experiencing hopelessness – that your situation or the way you feel will never improve – please call (970) 252-6220. We want to talk to you. We are available 24-hours a day, seven days a week at this emergency number.
