Veterans and PTSD: Don't sweep it under the rug

As I sat eating hotdogs and corn yesterday, Memorial Day, I felt just a little guilty.  Sure, we threw up an American Flag out of respect for the honorees of the day, but basically we just stuffed our faces and sat around socializing.  The veterans, who we were supposed to be honoring, weren’t really a part of the celebration.  They were invisible.

It got me thinking about the invisible outcomes of war.

It is obvious that war is dangerous and no one is terribly surprised when a soldier gets hurt.  Bullet wounds are blatant and glaring – they can’t be missed.  The soldiers who come home without a hand or unable to walk are terribly damaged, but at least their injuries are visible.  Their friends and family have empathy and they are more likely to get the medical help that they so desperately need.

But there is a group of veterans who may not be so well served.  These veterans can walk and talk – their wounds are not visible.  Their body is intact, but still they suffer.  They suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

PTSD is an anxiety disorder that develops after exposure to a terrifying event.  It can result in nightmares, flashbacks, guilt, panic attacks, depression, substance abuse and other troubling symptoms.

In one recent study, approximately 44% of surveyed soldiers had symptoms of PTSD, depression or both.  Forty-four percent!  This is a huge problem and it is being under appreciated and under addressed.

click here to view a report by Helen O’Conor outlining some of the issues.

PTSD is not just a little anxiety or a few nightmares.  It causes tremendous suffering and it can hamper relationships, social and professional functioning, and the ability to experience joy.  It can be profoundly disabling and can change the course of a soldier’s entire life. 

The war in Iraq seems to be producing more soldiers with PTSD than previous wars have done.  The increased use of reserve personnel and the acceptance of recruits with chronic depression or anxiety may be contributing to this trend.

The good news is that it can be treated.  The combination of medications, desensitization strategies, and counseling can be quite helpful to people with PTSD, regardless of the cause.  If you know a soldier who has nightmares, anxiety, irritability or personality changes that last more than a month, encourage him or her to seek help.

War is hell.  But the rest of a soldier’s life doesn’t need to be.
Topics: mental health