Service Dogs Help Veterans Cope with PTSD
Dogs are being drafted to serve some of the many veterans who have returned home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan during the past decade suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is an anxiety disorder that some people develop after experiencing a traumatic event. Veterans with PTSD may experience frequent flashbacks or nightmares that force them to relive trauma experienced on the battlefield, have difficulty experiencing emotions after returning home, and are hyperaware of their surroundings. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, 408,167 veterans were treated for PTSD in 2010.
Now, an increasing number of veterans with PTSD are discovering that having a dog at their side can help control their symptoms, allowing them to function in everyday life. Service dogs may be trained in a number of ways to help ease the symptoms of people with PTSD. For example, dogs may be trained to walk directly behind a person to help that person feel secure that someone has their back, or a dog may be trained to lick a person’s hand when that person shows symptoms of PTSD like anxiety, depression, or trouble sleeping.
Why do dogs help soothe the symptoms of PTSD? Psychologist Tracy Stacker writes on her blog that some of the reasons dogs help veterans control their PTSD include dogs’ natural vigilance and protectiveness, as well as dogs’ positive response to the type of authoritative relationship military personnel develop on active duty, where giving and getting orders is a way of life. Dogs can also help returning servicemembers re-learn how to build trusting relationships and remember what it feels like to experience unconditional love.
Several organizations are working to train and connect service dogs with veterans suffering from PTSD. One program, Puppies Behind Bars, provides service dogs to veterans after prison inmates train the dogs. Another group, California-based Dog Bless You, provides trained service dogs to veterans based on the number of “likes” the group receives on Facebook.
With 40,000 more troops expected to return home from Iraq by the end of the year, the number of veterans being treated for PTSD is likely to continue to increase. Fortunately, for a growing number of those vets, there are dogs waiting to help navigate the transition from the front lines to the home front.
Tags: dog relationship, Military, PTSD, service dogs, trauma, veterans, War
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