'CAUSEWAY' RAISES AWARENESS FOR PTSD IN THE VETERAN COMMUNITY


By lpiette
causeway

Over the years, Jennifer Lawrence has accumulated an impressive arsenal of highly acclaimed films, such as The Hunger Games, Silver Linings Playbook, and the X-Men series. This Academy Award-winning actress has thrived on making a memorable and lasting impression in the world of cinema and on audiences across the world. Now, she’s back with a new film, Causeway, projected to be one of her best yet. The highly anticipated new Jennifer Lawrence movie, Causeway, is set to be released in late 2022. The American psychological drama film follows a U.S. Soldier who suffers a traumatic brain injury while fighting in Afghanistan. Upon coming home, she has trouble adjusting back to civilian life and struggles with PTSD. Serving in the military is one of the most selfless contributions that an individual can make, but it’s not without mental and physical risks. What many civilians often fail to remember is the adverse effect that combat, war, and violence can have on the mental health of service members long after their service is over, resulting in PTSD. Today, we’re going to tell you everything we know about this upcoming film that is opening up the conversation around military service and PTSD. Related read:PTSD Awareness Month Highlights Shocking 75% Veteran PTSD Rate

The Link Between PTSD and Military Service

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Causeway is set to highlight the well-documented connection between PTSD and military service. Let's go into what we know about the connection between the two. PTSD is a mental health condition that can develop following exposure to death, assault, injury, or any other traumatic event. Those who serve in the military, especially individuals who are on active duty, confront these experiences often during their service: traumatic events, seeing others killed, personal injury, or hearing of the death of their peers. Outside of combat, members of the military can face another form of trauma — sexual assault. Military Sexual Assault (MSA) references sexual harassment or sexual assault experienced during military service. MSA can affect all Veterans, regardless of their gender, background, or sexual orientation.

Veteran PTSD Statistics

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reports that PTSD amongst Veterans varies. High rates of PTSD have been linked to Veterans who served in war and combat. Additional factors, such as wartime politics, the location of the war, and the enemy faced can impact the mental health of service members.

  • Studies show that 83% of U.S. Veterans and active-duty service members have experienced PTSD since 9/11 as a result of military service.
  • PTSD is the second most reported mental injury sustained during service.
  • 12% of Gulf War Veterans struggle with PTSD every year.
  • 30% of Vietnam War Veterans have had PTSD in their lifetime.
  • Over half of servicewomen and 33% of servicemen have experienced sexual harassment in the military.
  • According to the Center for Disease Control, between 2000 and 2019, more than 185,000 Veterans were diagnosed with at least one mild traumatic brain injury through the VA.

Improving Quality of Care for Veterans Struggling With PTSD

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According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, women who experience PTSD are 2.5x more likely to abuse alcohol, and men are 2x more likely than those who have never had PTSD. The risk of suicide drastically increases in Veterans who have PTSD, with individuals having a 58% higher risk of attempting or dying by suicide than those who do not have PTSD. Battling PTSD can be hard enough on its own, and these external factors only serve to increase the risk of long-term depression, homelessness, and isolation. Improving the quality of care for Veterans, raising Veteran PTSD awareness, and ensuring that adequate resources, treatment, and support networks are available are all critical for the holistic well-being and safety of our American heroes.

How To Recognize Veteran PTSD Symptoms

A Veteran experiencing PTSD might feel afraid to open up and believe they have little to no control over their circumstances. Those with PTSD will begin to notice these stress-related reactions taking control over their lives. Understanding how to recognize PTSD symptoms in Veterans or loved ones is one way to provide aid on the road to recovery. Some PTSD symptoms are:

  • Trouble sleeping/recurring nightmares.
  • Isolating or showing lack of emotions towards loved ones.
  • Avoiding routine activities.
  • Adverse reactions to crowds, and showing feelings of emotional numbness or detachment.
  • Paranoia, feeling irritable, or being startled easily.
  • Having flashbacks of the traumatic event.

As experienced by Lawrence’s character, the road to recovery after a traumatic brain injury is long, hard, and not without significant challenges. Throughout the traumatic brain injury recovery stages, it’s important to have a support network cheering you on and helping you adjust to a new normal. Recovery from a traumatic brain injury is gradual, and it may take a significant amount of time before one can handle daily life activities on their own. However, with a solid support system and persistence, one can begin their recovery journey.

What We Know About the Upcoming 'Causeway' Movie

Few details about the movie have been released so far, but here’s what we know. Apple Original Films is set to distribute Causeway. This military psychological drama will be produced by Jennifer Lawrence and Justine Polsky in association with IAC Films and A24. The film will be available in theaters and on Apple TV+ later this year. While an official release date has not yet been made available, the film’s projected release is September. Lila Neugebauer, the recent director of The Waverly Gallery, will direct and produce the Jennifer Lawrence new movie. Written by Luke Goebel, Elizabeth Sanders, and Ottessa Moshfegh, the movie was filmed in New Orleans. Causeway has already wrapped filming and is now approaching the final phase of production. The world premiere will occur at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. This highly anticipated film is sure to make a lasting impression and increase the conversation surrounding Veteran PTSD rates. Read next:11 of the Best Military Movies in 2022 to Binge-Watch Now

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