PTSD: New War on An Old Foe

Big changes underway at the VA could mean better treatment for thousands of vets. A bureaucracy in transition.

They are the invisible wounds of war, the battered minds and bruised spirits we have come to recognize as posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. By one estimate, more than 300,000 of the nearly 2 million U.S. servicemen and -women deployed since 9/11 suffer from the often-debilitating condition, with symptoms that include flashbacks and nightmares, emotional numbness, relationship problems, trouble sleeping, sudden anger, and drug and alcohol abuse. The number of cases is expected to climb as the war in Afghanistan continues, and could ultimately exceed 500,000, according to a new study by researchers at Stanford University. Mental-health experts say PTSD is the primary reason suicides in the military are at an all-time high; 256 soldiers took their own lives in 2008, the highest number since that data was first tracked, in 1980.

As NEWSWEEK and others have reported, the Department of Veterans Affairs has struggled to address this mental-health crisis, and thousands of veterans have suffered as a result. Now, thanks to new leadership and a new openness to collaboration, things appear to be changing at the VA, if slowly. Veterans still often face insufferably long waits for treatment and steep bureaucratic hurdles when filing disability claims. But there is a new sense of urgency under Eric Shinseki, the retired four-star Army general appointed to head the agency by President Obama, to change the culture within the 77-year-old VA. Shinseki has made PTSD a priority, with efforts underway to address concerns from the way claims are processed to the development of new, more effective treatments. "Brain injuries and the psychological consequences of battle are not new to combat," Shinseki tells NEWSWEEK. "We know from past wars that with early diagnosis and treatment, people can get better."...>>>>Rest Found Here

Military,VA and PTSD Around the Country: Vets Urged To Seek Treatment

A number of reports have sprung up in the last few days following the very tragic shooting by one soldier in killing five of his fellow soldiers at an in country military stress clinic, of which he himself was receiving care.

Military training alone starts the process of the change needed from how most are brought up and what they are taught and told to be able to serve and defend, if needed, this country.

Place these now trained soldiers in a War Zone creating the Occupation of same lasting many years and now in these times many tours being served and not only in one but two and for many the stress of war, what they experience, their individual incidents, what they see, feel, and just know, is overwelming!

They aren't the only ones, think of those who live in these occupied countries! It also isn't only a war that creates the traumatic nightmares, individuals that experience trauma in theirs lives also can suffer, most silently, from those traumas!

Below is a number of recent reports, this subject should have been takin seriously many years ago after finally realizing what War and Trauma can do to a Human Being!

Local Veterans Affairs Boosts Treatment for PTSD Patients - Video

After a shooting killed five U.S. Soldiers at a Military Clinic in Iraq, U.S. officials are saying the incident is an isolated situation.
The local Veterans Affairs clinic is taking all the steps they can to make sure our local veterans are getting the treatment they need.
They say they've seen close to 300 people for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The V.A. also says they've seen a high success rate for those soldiers who come in for help for PTSD.
If you would like to find out more about the programs the Veterans Affairs office offers, visit their website at: VA.gov

Amarillo VA Hospital treating combat stress disorders

Coworkers say he was doing exactly what he wanted to be doing.

Amarillo psychiatrist Matthew Houseal was killed while treating soldiers at the combat stress control clinic in Camp Liberty, Baghdad.

Houseal volunteered for Operation Iraqi Freedom and was activated about four months ago, according to coworkers.......

Soldiers' Don't Receive Proper Mental Health Care, Local Army Wife Says - Video

Days after a U.S. soldier shot and killed five other American servicemen, some local families said they too have concerns about mental health care for their loved ones overseas.

Officials said Sgt. John Russell was in the process of being debriefed at a stress clinic when he opened fire.

The shooting is not a confirmed case of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but officials said Russell was on his third tour of duty in Iraq at the time.

A Wheeling woman said her husband suffers from PTSD, but continues to serve overseas. In an e-mail from the U.S. Army, officials assured her that mental health professionals are giving her husband support, but when she talks to him on the phone, her husband said that is not the case..........

'John Wayne' attitude cited in military mental health issues

Hundreds of local veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq are receiving treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. But many more remain untreated and undiagnosed, because they don't want to appear weak or unfit for military service, say local military health officials and veterans.

The stigma attached to mental health treatment may have played a role in Monday's deadly shooting at a U.S. military base in Baghdad. Army Sgt. John M. Russell, accused of killing five fellow troops, may have become nervous that the Army was setting him up for discharge after he was ordered to undergo counseling, his father said.........

Veteran Talks About PTSD in Hopes of Helping Others

Iraq War veteran Luke Nielsen says there are things he’d rather not remember about fighting in the war. Nielsen served in Iraq in 2004 and 2005. He says, “There’s always s pressure in a war zone. That’s just a fact.”

Nielsen’s wife Melanie said she was just grateful when her husband came home. “They are home. We’re just so happy to have them home and in our arms.”

When Nielsen returned from war, his family was together, but he had changed. Noises and crowds upset him. He easily became angry and was withdrawn and depressed. His children had to be careful. “The kids can’t run and jump in the house. You had to be careful not to have loud noises, or you would get him in defensive mode,” Melanie said..............

Lab helps veteran cope. Hill says Frankie aids in his battle with PTSD

An Iraq war veteran and the Muskingum County dog who is helping him with his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are going to appear on the Oprah Winfrey Show on Friday.

Sgt. Allen Hill, of Kansas, is crediting Frankie, a dog who came from Shannon Valley Labs in Frazeysburg, with giving him the treatment he needs to deal with his PTSD.

Frankie, a beautiful golden lab, helps Hill through his nightmares, in crowds and with his claustrophobia on a daily basis.........

The war off the battlefield

BENEATH THE shadow of Antenna Hill, which sits at the center of the camp and is used as a radio tower for military communications, Camp Liberty is a sprawling forward operating base that houses thousands of soldiers conducting combat operations in Baghdad and the surrounding suburbs. It is part of a larger base called the Camp Victory Complex, which includes the military section of Baghdad International Airport.

As an infantryman with the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division, I was stationed at Camp Liberty from August 2005 to July 2006. When I heard the Army's version of the incident, I was reminded of the living conditions I experienced there, which the military conveniently left out of its reports to the media...................

Disabled vets find relief through yoga

Suzette Byrd served as a registered nurse in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam era, and then again in the Navy during the 1980s.

Forty-four-year-old Mitch Morales is a Gulf War veteran who survived a helicopter crash but now has degenerative disc disease and experiences pain in his lower back and shoulder.

Jenna Sena was a linguist with the Army Security Agency at the Defense Language Institute during the Vietnam era.

David Cornes, 37, said he’s planning to re-enlist soon after 10 years in the service because he’s been offered a $10,000 signing bonus.

They all have service-related disabilities....................

PBS News Hour - Walter Reed

PBS NewsHour 2-21-07
Army Works to Repair Medical Center, Reputation
Army officials toured Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Wednesday to inspect and monitor repairs at the facility, which has been criticized for poor conditions and patient care. The Army's surgeon general and a veterans advocate debate the medical center's future.
Real Audio
Streaming Video


PBS NewsHour 2-22-07
Congress Responds to Walter Reed Reports
Officials opened Building 18 of the Walter Reed medical center to the media after reports described mold-covered walls and mice at the outpatient facility. Two former patients discuss their treatment, then Reps. Bob Filner and Christopher Shays react to the situation.
Real Audio
Streaming Video

This one, above, is actually Two reports aired together.

For both of these two day reports the transcript can be found at title urls.

Experts: Iraq vets wrongly diagnosed

'Personality disorder' assessment allows for quick honorable discharge but tags veterans with a label that is hard to remove.

Former Army Pvt. Jason Harvey, shown here in Iraq, was diagnosed with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Harvey said he later was forced to agree to a diagnosis of a personality disorder. 'They played me like a fiddle,' he said.



Vet plagued by combat stress, not the label he was discharged under

William Wooldridge 'Our lives are destroyed, and the military blames it on us.'