A new Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) support group will be starting up this week in Monroe.
The group will meet at the Monroe Baptist Church from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., on Thursday Oct. 2. Anyone dealing with symptoms related to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or Traumatic Brain Injury is welcome to attend. The group will meet on the first Thursday of every month.
The group is free to attend, and light refreshments will be served.
Monroe Baptist Church Pastor John Stima was motivated to start the group due to his personal experiences with family members who have struggled with different forms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder related to their service in the U.S. Military. His hope is to facilitate healing by allowing like-minded individuals who have shared similar experiences to support each other.
"There are just so many people out there that have stories that need to be heard,GÇ¥ said Stima. "We just want to provide a forum for them to be heard.GÇ¥
The challenges a veteran faces after returning home from a deployment may be difficult for civilians to understand. Stima wants to offer a safe place for veterans, or other PTSD survivors, to gather to share coping skills and other techniques they have utilized to help become accustomed to driving down the highway or shopping at Safeway.
Things that seem extraordinarily simple and uncomplicated can actually be overwhelming to a veteran returning from a deployment.
"I mean, one day they're on the battlefield and the next day they're supposed to come home and just function normally,GÇ¥ said Stima. "How can you function normally when you've seen people killed?GÇ¥
There has been a movement in recent years to change the name from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to Post-Traumatic Stress Injury to offset some of the stigma behind the word "disorder.GÇ¥ Whatever name you prefer to give it, there is urgency when it comes to treating military veterans with post-traumatic stress. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, a direct correlation exists between high levels of Post-Traumatic Stress Injury and veteran suicide.
Suicide among veterans is a grim reality that happens with astonishing frequency. In the United States, approximately 22 veterans a day take their own lives. More veterans have died by suicide than in combat.
Veterans are not the only people who suffer from PTSD. The condition can result from any number of traumatic ordeals including physical abuse, mugging, rape, car accidents and many others. All afflicted individuals are welcome to attend the group, regardless of the root cause of the PTSD.
For more information about the new PTSD support group at Monroe Baptist Church, please call (360) 805-6200, or email pastor@monroebaptist.com. If a need is demonstrated, the church is willing to discuss holding the meetings with more frequency.
Monroe Baptist Church is located at 1405 W. Main St. in Monroe.
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