Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from military deployment is a fact of life, which is a common, often adaptive response to experiencing a traumatic or stressful event.
After experiencing or witnessing a stressful event, you could re-experience symptoms of the event that include nightmares and/or flashbacks, you may make efforts to avoid situations, places, and people that are reminders of the traumatic event; and hyperarousal symptoms, such as irritability, concentration problems, and sleep disturbances. PTSD affects approximately 3.5 percent of U.S. adults every year. Women are twice as likely as men to have PTSD.
Going through a divorce or custody battle could cause these symptoms to resurface. If the spouse does, in fact, suffer from PTSD, it would help to ensure you are well-represented and that you are taking measures to treat PTSD. There are several modalities, including medication, with varying degrees of success.
Unfortunately, a co-parent could expose the existence of PTSD in the other spouse and use this to suggest you are an unfit parent. This can also cause some potential hardship concerning the children if they witness any type of violent or abusive behavior. It’s also important to help the child(ren) learn about and understand the condition.
Some resources include 1-877-927-8387 or https://www.va.gov/health-care/health-needs-conditions/mental-health/ptsd
