For one of Ian Stanley’s former patients, an unexpected firework blast sent him hurling across the room, pouncing on his children and shielding their bodies from the fallout of the “bomb attack” that left him trembling in fear.
The celebratory boom on the Fourth of July holiday came out of nowhere, sending the war veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) back in his mind to the warzone in Afghanistan.
Such extreme reactions do plague some military veterans, who suffer from PTSD at about twice the rate of civilians, said Ian Stanley, PhD, psychological health lead for the Center for Combat Medicine and Battlefield (COMBAT) Research at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
See related article on how to experience growth after a PTSD diagnosis.
As the national holiday nears – with an unusually wet spring potentially fueling more fireworks-centered celebrations than usual – some people with the disorder face increased anxiety, said Stanley, a PTSD expert and assistant research professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the CU School of Medicine.
“Not all patients with PTSD are triggered by fireworks, but it’s not uncommon for therapists who are working with patients with PTSD to see upticks in anxiety around this time of year,” he said.
In the following Q&A, Stanley shares more about PTSD triggers and coping mechanisms.