Other traumatic events such as a road accident or sexual abuse can also trigger the condition. NO two people experience PTSD in the same way and while in some cases symptoms can occur weeks after the event, in others it doesn?t happen for months or years. ?It?s not inevitable,? says Lincoln University psychologist Roderick Orner. ?Major incidents happen in the lives of around three-quarters of people in their lifetime and very few actually develop PTSD.? However for those who do, it can be overwhelming. ?I felt a real need to defend my home and family in an obsessive way,? says 31-year-old Ram, who carried out security checks on his house three times every night. ?I even took it to the extent of cutting the grass outside the front door very low to the ground to enable me to identify footprints of anyone attempting to get near the house.? often underestimated is the impact of PTSD on loved ones says Nigel Hunt, associate professor in health psychology at Nottingham University. ?You can imagine how it affects families,? he says. ?One man leaves the house to go to war, a different man comes back. sometimes he is unrecognisable. In some cases there is aggression, violence and drinking.? Candice recalls the struggle of having to remain calm throughout. ?I knew it wasn?t his fault but his extreme stress affected every aspect of our lives,? she admits. Patricia Campbell-Hughes is a psychologist who has worked with many ex-servicemen suffering from PTSD and says: ?One of the most difficult things for families is that sufferers often have extremely frightening flashbacks as if they are actually reliving the situation.? Treatment has historically been hard to come by particularly within a military context. It is difficult enough for anyone to recognise they have a mental health problem, let alone in an environment where resilience is key. ?Prior to 15 years ago it was difficult to get the military to even recognise PTSD as that might lead to soldiers claiming compensation in terms of their duty of care as an employer,? says Professor Hunt. Today it?s a different story Largely thanks to the MoD and NHS working closely with the Royal British Legion and other armed forces charities, treatment is becoming increasingly available and innovative. Treatments range from cognitive behavioural therapy which works on identifying and challenging thoughts and behaviour that may be maintaining symptoms and eye-movement desensitisation and reprocessing where the patient tracks and follows a moving object while recalling a stressful memory or event. Newer narrative techniques focus on people telling their stories. ?As soon as it became apparent that I needed help, it happened really quickly,? says Ram who reports that in his nine months of therapy he was able to work through the causes of the problem, not least his difficulty in coming to terms with the lives Afghan children had to endure. ?Having a young daughter exacerbated this especially because my daughter was fortunate enough to have both parents who loved her and had the means to provide for her. there was a mental and emotional turmoil within me which often left me guilty, frustrated, angry and helpless.? ROYAL British Legion head of welfare Sue Freeth says: ?People with PTSD can feel very isolated and they may be a risk to themselves and others. People who have served their country should not have to feel lost.? keen to give something back to those who helped him Ram has organised the March for Honour (marchforhonour.com). Four teams consisting of former and serving members of the armed forces left from separate points in the UK last Thursday on a 250-mile march, culminating in them delivering the Book of Remembrance to the Royal Albert Hall on November 11 for Saturday?s Festival of Remembrance there. The march will also raise money for the Poppy Appeal and symbolises the struggle faced by everyone at some point in life, says Ram. we all hit a wall at some time, he adds, and the support of those around us and the realisation others have overcome obstacles help us through. Candice has also managed to salvage something positive from their ordeal. ?I actually think it?s made our family closer,? she says. ?I knew when I met Ram that he was a strong person but seeing him overcome what he has still amazes me. I never take anything for granted now. ?I often stop and thank my lucky stars for the normality of daily life that I longed for during that time.”