BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — National PTSD Awareness Day is underway.
The nation is slowly seeing walls being broken down around the stigma of mental health.
Bret Mandell is an Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, yet he has been fighting his whole life.
"I joined the army infantry right after high school that was in 2001," he shared. "In boot camp 9/11 happened and that was the beginning of my journey."
He made his way back home to Buffalo in 2005. Mandell soon saw in himself the symptoms of PTSD.
Mental Health Resources in Western New York:
- Child and Family Services
- Behavioral Healthcare Network
- 211 WNY
- National Alliance on Mental Illness
- Best Self Behavioral Health
- Buffalo Psychiatric Center Office of Mental Health
- Community Health Center Buffalo
- Compeer
- Core Mental Health Counseling
- Crisis Services
- Endeavor Health Services
- Evergreen Health Services
"During that time I had a lot of transition issues," he said.
But for a while, he pushed away the inevitable.
"For the longest time I fought it. My father was a combat veteran too he was drafted for Vietnam and when I got home he ended up seeing me and said ‘You need to go talk to someone you need to get help,'" he shared.
Mandell had trouble managing stress, sleeping, driving, and more. According to the US Department of Veteran Affairs, six in every 100 people will experience PTSD in their lives.
