PTSD: A Guide to Recovery
Your task is to read this to the end and understand. Your future life depends on it.
1. Medical Fact.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The code in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) is 6B40.
This is not a "hang-up," not a "weakness of character," and not an "invention." It is a diagnosis. It is an injury that is not visible on an X-ray, but one that destroys you from the inside.
The essence: after what you have been through, your nervous system is stuck in "COMBAT" mode. It continues to work to the point of exhaustion, even when it is quiet all around. The brain and body are constantly expecting a threat, releasing stress hormones that poison the body. This is a system failure that requires professional "tuning." It will not go away on its own.
2. The Consequences of Inaction: What You Need to Know.
If you ignore this "failure," it will lead to a predictable result. This is not a horror story; this is statistics and medical facts. The price of inaction is your civilian life.
The Body: Constant "combat readiness" wears out the heart and blood vessels. The result is hypertension, heart attacks, and strokes at 30-40 years of age. Headaches, digestive problems, insomnia.
Relationships: Outbursts of anger, detachment, inability to trust—these are symptoms, not your character. They destroy families. Your loved ones see not you, but your pain, and they don't know how to help. They also become "victims."
Addiction: Alcohol or drugs are an attempt to "switch off," to drown out memories and anxiety. It doesn't work. It is only a temporary painkiller that worsens the system failure and drives you into a dead end from which it is much harder to get out.
Isolation: In the end—loss of job, friends, family. A feeling that you are a stranger in this world. This is a direct path to complete social death.
3. Who Handles This: The "Repair" Specialists.
Forget the word "asylum." There are specialists who solve this problem systematically and professionally. These are not doctors for the "weak." These are engineers and mechanics for those who have gone through extreme stress.
Clinical Psychologist / Psychotherapist: This is the "engineer." Their task is to use proven methods to find the "breakdown" in your perception and help your brain "reprogram" its reaction to triggers. They will not pity you. They will give you the tools to put your own head in order.
Psychiatrist: This is the medic. If the "engine" is so worn out that it can no longer cope, they can temporarily prescribe medication. This is not "getting hooked on pills." It's like giving crutches to an injured person so they can get to the operating room. These drugs will relieve extreme anxiety and normalize sleep so that you have the strength for the main work with a psychologist.
Their joint work is to get you back in line. This work can and should be confidential.
Conclusion
You have returned. Now the task is to return completely.
Restoring mental health after what you have been through is not a whim, but a necessity. Ignoring this problem leads to predictable consequences: the destruction of health, family, and career. Professional rehabilitation is a tool that allows you to avoid these consequences.
This tool is available. There are specialists.
Your future is in your hands. Decide.
