Evidenced-based treatments can reduce the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in about half of the veterans who suffer them. While peer support and some brief interventions are helpful, Vietnam Veterans of America advocates for or continuing-care models with trained clinicians to help more veterans cope long-term. Your generous #donations of used clothing and household items to ClothingDonations.org can help fund such advocacy efforts and improvements in care.
Tag: PTSD
PTSD Is Common Among U.S. Military Veterans
PTSD is endemic among U.S. military veterans, since their missions often include exposure to horrific, desperate and life-threatening experiences. The VA estimates that 11%–20% of Operations Iraqi Freedom veterans have PTSD in a given year, and about 12% of Gulf War veterans. An estimated 30% of Vietnam veterans have experienced PTSD in their lifetimes. The Vietnam Veterans of America advocates for all veterans with PTSD, regardless of conflict, with help from #donations to ClothingDonations.org.
PTSD Can Affect Anyone With Trauma
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental condition that results from experiencing a dangerous, frightening, or uncontrollable event such as combat, violent crime, or a life-threatening accident. Veterans suffer from PTSD — also known as soldier’s heart, shell shock, and battle fatigue — at high rates. Vietnam Veterans of America is dedicated to getting PTSD sufferers from all U.S. conflicts the help they need to manage symptoms and related problems such as substance abuse.
June Is PTSD Awareness Month
June is PTSD Awareness Month, and the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs wants everyone to spread the word that effective PTSD treatments are available and anyone suffering the symptoms should get help. If you or someone you know has experienced upsetting memories, is on edge, or is have trouble sleeping following a traumatic event — even one that happened long ago, such as active-duty combat — it could be PTSD. Visit the National Center for PTSD for more information.
How Your Clothing Donations Support Veterans
The Organizing Blog regularly informs readers about the benefits of #decluttering. But did you know that your #donations of lightly used clothing, kitchen items, small appliances and other household goods help fund thousands of veterans programs and initiatives nationwide?
When you contact ClothingDonations.org and make a donation, affiliates of the Vietnam Veterans Association (VVA) pick up that extra junk and resell it in bulk to qualified thrift and secondhand retailers throughout the country. It then takes the money and invests it in programs benefiting veterans and their communities at the local, state and national level.
VVA’s first priority is to help veterans access the healthcare and other benefits to which they are entitled after serving. Some two-thirds of all veterans never interact with the Veterans Administration, missing out on benefits they have earned, and VVA service officers help them navigate the often-confusing benefits claims process.
Funds from contributions also help VVA representatives lobby for and against legislation that would help or harm veterans. Last year, for example, the organization pushed for passage of the Blue Water Navy Act, which would extend healthcare benefits to Navy service members affected by toxic chemical exposures.
VVA offers numerous outreach programs to ensure that veterans are supported long after their service. These sections are targeted to groups such as POW/MIAs, homeless and incarcerated veterans, minority and women veterans, and veterans suffering from PTSD, substance abuse and Agent Orange exposure.
Your donations help VVA’s national membership of more than 70,000 at the local level, too. More than 650 chapters in the United States and its overseas territories use money earned through charitable donations to support college scholarships, help individual veterans facing sudden hardships, and participate in memorial observances.
When you #donate your extra stuff to ClothingDonations.org, it goes toward countless programs that help millions of veterans thrive and give back. We appreciate every bag and box, and thank you for your support!