Thank you Bec, Vera and Veiled for your comments in here as well. It is always good to read the perspectives of sufferers. Honestly the issue of break-up PTSD notwithstanding had not occurred to me, however it is a very valid point. A sufferer is of course capable of ending a relationship independently of their illness, people with PTSD are still people after all, and are not mentally incompetent. Many individuals do not know the "correct" way to break up in any event, whether they have PTSD or not. Many are unskilled, selfish, choose the path of least resistance and so on. In any event, I do still believe the heart of the matter to be that this man requires space, whether he is suffering from an illness or not. He has directly asked for it, by saying he needs a break. Myaleah, you have been advised by both carers and sufferers to give him space, yet you have not truly done so, as far as I can see. I see you grasping at straws, and looking for the answer you want to hear, rather than accepting the advice already given. Things will not change nor improve if you do not at least try the advice that has been given to you here.

I have been meaning to write an article on deployment for family members, as I see so many here struggle with deployment and do not seem to know how to relate to a loved one who is on operations. I am living in a crazy house at present, so I have not yet had time to write one personally. However, I did find a decent article to include in the information section:

Coping When a Family Member Has Been Called to War