PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) affects up to 8 million Americans in any given year according to the National Center for PTSD. Nearly all PTSD sufferers have contemplated suicide and entirely too many do. Looking at the devastating numbers of veterans alone is enough to convince anyone that this is a serious and preventable problem. Veterans only make up 7 percent of the American population, but they account for 20 percent of it's suicides. Approximately 22 veterans a day (that is one every 65 minutes!) see no other way out from the debilitating and infinitely complex symptoms of PTSD than to take their own lives.
Unfortunately this is not a unilateral problem, anyone can develop PTSD symptoms after experiencing something that is traumatic to them. The most heartbreaking thing about this is that many people are never diagnosed because they are too afraid and ashamed to reach out for help. They feel like (and many times have been told) they have no right to these feelings because they have never been to war. This is a ridiculous misconception. I myself have dealt with symptoms of PTSD in the past due to enduring an abusive relationship. The stigma needs to be lifted from this disease. In the veteran & first responder community, you hear stories of men and women being told (or made to feel) by colleagues to "get over it like the rest of us", in the civilian community you hear stories of men and women being told (of made to feel) by others "you have never been to war or seen death, how do you have PTSD?"... It simply has to stop.
This disease does not care who you are, what your profession is, what your religion is, what your political affiliation is, etc. It's only job is to confuse, debilitate, and destroy and it does it very very well, the stigma just pours fuel on the fire.
If you have ever been through something traumatic to you ( note that I say to YOU, not something that others feel is traumatic ) and you are experiencing any of the below symptoms, I want you to do 2 things for me:

1. please please please reach out to someone and talk about it... do not wait... do not try to deal with it on your own... do not be ashamed, you are not alone.
   
2. Begin a CBD regimen. It may very well be that you will need other therapies that include short term medication, but CBD should be a 1st effort and not a last resort.

PTSD Symptoms
- recurring memories about the event or events
- nightmares
- recklessness
- flashbacks
- self destructive
- prolonged & intense distress
- avoidance
- trouble concentrating
- irritability
- sudden out of character behavior

If you are experiencing these symptoms, please please reach out for help.... You are not alone and there is absolutely zero shame in needing some support for a while. It will not last forever, this is not your new normal... there is absolutely hope and help out there for you. Please don't give up hope.

Thankfully there is hope and CBD (as well as cannabis) is coming out on top in study after study on PTSD. There are many many reasons for choosing this natural plant medicine, but quite possibly the biggest one is that it carries no adverse side effects. Reading the warnings on many of the medications used to treat PTSD is horrifying. The laundry list of adverse side effects is enough to say that they should not be the 1st line of defense, but the words "...which could be fatal" is enough to make a person want to cry. Adding CBD to your daily regimen could even decrease the tendency to develop debilitating PTSD symptoms and lessen the severity. Below are additional reference links to studies regarding CBD & PTSD

- C annabidiol as a Therapeutic Alternative for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Cannabinoids and CBD Research Overview
- Additional Studies on PTSD

If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255