I have several close family members who served for years in the military and nearly all of them struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder.
It’s heartbreaking because they all had important roles and duties while they were in active service, but yet the VA did little for them once they were out. People respond to and deal with PTSD in different ways. Some people get immediate relief from pharmaceutical medications like antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, and antidepressants. Others have persistent problems and don’t respond well to traditional drug treatment. Therapy also has varying success rates among former military members, and the type of therapy and the skill of the therapist are core to having a chance at success. I have seen this effect in my family, as one of them is doing well, others are struggling, and one is on the brink of inpatient hospitalization. I wish I could do more, but it’s possible I might have sparked a fire when I showed my cousin cannabis when he visited my home last year. No matter how much I love the plant, I didn’t want to pressure him into trying it. When he asked, I showed him different strains that he could choose from for his first time. He let me pick and I gave him granddaddy purple, a popular mellow indica strain. It gave him so much relief that I offered to send him home with a small baggie of flower buds and a simple glass pipe that he could smoke it from. Now he’s a daily user and doing better than ever with his PTSD symptoms. He’s also encouraging our other family members to give it a shot.