Trauma Awareness and Resilience (TAR) Initiative, an NGO has called on the National Assembly to pass a bill to mark Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)  among soldiers and veterans.

The National Coordinator, Mr Francis Onyekwue, in Abuja to commemorate the 2021 PTSD Day.

He described PTSD as a condition that many veterans and non-veterans alike suffer, adding that PTSD could occur when someone experienced or witnessed a traumatic event.

“The trauma and anxiety associated with PTSD is a constant burden, inseparable from the sufferer.

“It was once a condition that was attributed only to returning combat veterans, but more and more the condition is diagnosed in those who have experienced violent crime or lived through catastrophic events.

” The observance not only strives to bring awareness to the public but to also educate and eliminate the stigma associated with PTSD,” Onyekwue said.

He said many of those with PTSD did not seek treatment, saying that they simply feared the labels attached to PTSD.

Onyekwue said some of the symptoms were trouble sleeping, reliving memories of the past, anxiety or being on edge, and avoidance of things or people reminding one of past negative event.

“Over time, these signs may fade; if they don’t, seeking treatment is not only suggested but helpful to many who suffer from PTSD,” he said.

The National Coordinator said PTSD was not restricted to any one gender or age, adding that anyone whether male or female, child or adult could develop it.

“Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in children can manifest itself through bed wetting, regressing behaviour such as forgetting how to speak and being unusually clingy.

“Others includes being prone to tears and crying without cause; acting out or drawing dark, sad things – usually, this is their way of expressing the trauma they endured,” he said.

Onyekwue said that PTSD could leave one feeling crippled and life in total shambles, adding that it could ruin a professional life, deeply impact relationships, and making one feeling very isolated and alone.

” It’s also a condition that can turn dangerous as symptoms begin to worsen; it cannot be managed without external help.

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” PTSD is not an illness you have to live with forever; with the right treatment plan and a commitment on your end to see it through; the disorder can be treated and managed successfully,” he said.

Onyekwue said early treatment would better outcome and the quicker recovery, saying it was never too late to get help for PTSD.

He however called for the recognition of PSTD day as some of soldiers and veterans were dying in silence.