Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month
June is PTSD Awareness Month. Together, we can make this PTSD Awareness Month a turning point – a time when we come together as a collective force to raise awareness of PTSD and Complex-PTSD. By promoting awareness, sparking conversations, and extending unwavering support, we can create a world where the effects of trauma are met with empathy, understanding, and healing. Find out more about how to join in below, or here.
When is PTSD Awareness month?
PTSD Awareness month is recognised as June each year – with a focus on 27th June being PTSD Awareness Day. You can use the resources on our website to take part and support PTSD Awareness Month with our resources and information here.
The history of PTSD Awareness Month
PTSD Awareness Day originated in the USA. In 2010, Senator Kent Conrad pushed for official recognition of PTSD by designating a “day of awareness” in memory of Staff Sergeant Joe Biel, a member of the North Dakota National Guard who tragically took his own life after suffering from PTSD.
In tribute to his memory, June 27, his birthday, was chosen as the official PTSD Awareness Day, which is now observed annually. The USA Senate further officially designated the entire month of June for National PTSD Awareness in 2014, and PTSD UK understands how vital it is to bring this focused awareness month to the UK.
Why is raising awareness of PTSD important?
Research shows that 10% of people will experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at some point in their lifetime – but it’s estimated that up to 70% of people with PTSD & C-PTSD in the UK do not receive any professional help at all:
- Some people may realise they are struggling to cope after trauma, but are unaware they have PTSD or C-PTSD. They may feel that their symptoms are just part of their life now – even if they’re debilitating and affecting every part of their life.
- For others who have a diagnosis, they may not know that treatments to help them recover are available. Just over a decade ago, people still thought that PTSD and C-PTSD were incurable conditions, but more recent evidence and research proves it is possible to be successfully treated many years after the trauma occurred – but the treatment options for PTSD & C-PTSD are not as well-known as they need to be.
- Additionally, people with PTSD & C-PTSD are often misdiagnosed as they can develop additional disorders such as depression, substance abuse, problems of memory and cognition, and other problems of physical and mental health. These ‘co-morbid’ conditions are what gets diagnosed, and the PTSD & C-PTSD is left to get worse in many cases.
- For many people however, they’re simply unable to articulate how they feel, or feel able to reach out for help.
Our charity aims to raise awareness of PTSD & C-PTSD in three main areas – the causes, symptoms and the treatments available. PTSD UK is the only charity in the UK dedicated to raising awareness of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – no matter the trauma that caused it, so if you’re able to help support us and PTSD Awareness Month, you’ll be able to make a big impact on the lives of those affected. You can use the resources on our website to take part and support PTSD Awareness Month with our resources and information here.
What is PTSD UK’s aim with raising awareness of PTSD & CPTSD?
As the only charity in the UK dedicated to raising awareness and supporting those with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, we are the home of PTSD Awareness Month in the UK.
PTSD UK was founded in 2015 by Jacqui after her own experiences suffering with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The lack of understanding, provisions and information made Jacqui realise that help and education is needed for those struggling with PTSD – along with their friends and family.
PTSD UK is the only charity in the UK dedicated to raising awareness of post-traumatic stress disorder – no matter the trauma that caused it. We believe that supportive and reliable knowledge really is power when it comes to PTSD and C-PTSD.
PTSD UK’s mission is to provide supportive, reliable, high-quality and easy-to-understand resources to educate, help empower and inspire resilience in everyone affected by PTSD or C-PTSD, to help them work towards successful, sustained recovery. We campaign to raise awareness of the condition, reach out to high-risk communities, help shape UK healthcare policies, and give everyone the belief that ‘Tomorrow CAN be a new day’.
You can find out more about what we do to achieve our mission here.
You can use the resources on our website to take part and support PTSD Awareness Month with our resources and information here.
Download our Resources
Explore our range of resources available for you to download to share more about PTSD and the awareness month
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Make a donation
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Take on a challenge or event
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Treatments for PTSD
It is possible for PTSD to be successfully treated many years after the traumatic event occurred, which means it is never too late to seek help. For some, the first step may be watchful waiting, then exploring therapeutic options such as individual or group therapy – but the main treatment options in the UK are psychological treatments such as Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprogramming (EMDR) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
Traumatic events can be very difficult to come to terms with, but confronting and understanding your feelings and seeking professional help is often the only way of effectively treating PTSD. You can find out more in the links below, or here.