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Library hosts seminar on PTSD

Weatherford Democrat - 6/2/2017

May 31--There's a perception that PTSD only affects the military population significantly, but it also affects other career fields as well, said Robin Greer, Pecan Valley Centers veteran services coordinator.

"You don't hear about the other occupations," she said.

The Weatherford Public Library hosted a Pecan Valley Centers seminar Tuesday to help provide information regarding stigmas surrounding post-traumatic stress disorder.

Pecan Valley Centers provides behavioral healthcare services to Parker, Erath, Hood, Johnson, Palo Pinto and Somervell counties.

Associating PTSD strictly with the military is inaccurate, Greer said.

"Anybody can have exposure to a traumatic event and then struggle with the symptoms as post-traumatic stress," she said."

Traumatic events happen with national prevalence.

Nearly 60 percent of men and 50 percent of women experience at least one trauma in their lives, according to Department of Veteran Affairs statistics.

Women are more likely to experience sexual assault and child sexual abuse. Men are more likely to experience accidents, physical assault, combat, disaster, or to witness death or injury.

About seven or eight percent of the population will have PTSD at some point in their lives and about eight million adults have PTSD during a given year.

Symptoms include hyper-vigilance, reliving events, avoiding situations that reminds the victim of the event and having more negative beliefs and feelings.

"While I talked a lot about veterans, I also pointed out many, many occupations -- law enforcement, nursing, firefighters, social workers -- those are occupations where they can be exposed to a traumatic event," Greer said. "That exposure from their job can cause PTSD."

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