GREAT FALLS, Mont. - As the situation in Afghanistan unfolds, the Taliban gaining power, and the American troops withdrawing, there is a wide range of opinions and emotions amongst service
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Before lighting up the sky, think of our veterans with PTSD
Renae Skinner/KOAA
and last updated 2021-07-04 15:45:27-04
COLORADO SPRINGS â While fireworks can be something fun for families, they re not enjoyed by all. For some veterans, the 4Th of July cause agony and stress.
Military veterans with PTSD, can struggle with the loud booms and lights of a firework show. These noises can even bring them back to the battlefield. In severe case they ll hit the deck like they re back in Vietnam or the Gulf, explained Dr. Carl Folkner, a Veteran and Research Psychologist. Dr. Folkner explained to our news partner in Montana, what can often happen when a veteran is triggered by sights and sounds.
Montana VA encourages residents to think about veterans with PTSD before lighting fireworks
Alexie Aguayo
and last updated 2021-07-03 00:15:34-04
MONTANA â Montana VA Health Care System (MTVAHCS) encourages all Montanans and non-Veterans to consider Veterans and the impacts of fireworks on people with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) before they light a firework. The VA says many people are not aware that a Fourth of July celebration could affect others, and a conversation is the simplest way to start that awareness and support people with PTSD.
âThe Fourth of July can be a difficult time for our nationâs heroes because fireworks create sights, sounds and smells that can activate flashbacks, nightmares, and anxietyâ explained MTVAHCSâs Acting Associate Chief of Staff for Mental Health Services, Dr. Robert Connell. âThe sudden, sharp explosions of unexpected fireworks can create a state of hyperawareness and hypervigilance for Veterans with PTSD.
But many people may not be aware that those celebrations could affect others in a negative way.Â
Whether it s the booming sounds, bright sights, or even the burning smell fireworks can cause nightmares, flashbacks and anxiety in those with PTSD who fought for those freedoms we re celebrating. Smells in particular, that old factory system, our sense of smell and our connections to the brain, that s very powerful. And then when a person smells those smells again - which may be many years later - that can often activate those traumatic memories to rush back and cause a powerful anxiety response in the individual, said Dr. Robert Connell, acting associate chief of staff for mental health services with the Montana VA Health Care System (MTVAHCS).