Anyone with PTSD is at a high risk for suicide because negative thoughts about oneself can coincide with depression…you can feel as if you are drowning in a world of worthlessness, hopelessness and helplessness…and you don’t know how to cope with your hauntings.

When you find yourself in that world of disarray, take baby steps.

Take the time to recognize your daily accomplishments with a positive self-statement log, as Cindy did.

(At the end of your day, grab a piece of paper and list both the small and big goals you accomplished…and keep those logs so that when you are feeling low you can look over them and see what you were able to accomplish when you had similar feelings; You could start with, “I feel proud that I…”)

And if you are living with someone with PTSD, try to be patient…those who are ambushed by recollections need time to jettison their fear as they search for what normal is…as they find themselves and who they really are, while they try to understand the past.

As one survivor said, “I do not know what it is like to be a normal person. But I do know what it is like to spend each day acting normal all the while watching my back so I do not get killed.”

Gently help them walk through their pain. Don’t judge! Don’t blame!

They aren’t “crazy”…they need support and help!

Melanie Hack
Author of Who Killed My Sister, My friend
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TV Shows and Clips about the Death of Cindy James