Psychological struggles among veterans after they return from war are nothing new. In World War I, doctors first used the term “shell shock” to describe the anxiety and debilitating panic that struck troops who fought among heavy artillery fire in Europe. Some soldiers got to leave the fighting to recover, but others were sent back to the front, seen as “cowards who were trying to get out of fighting.”
Today, post-traumatic stress disorder is a household term. It can affect anyone who’s suffered a traumatic event, such as child abuse, sexual assault or a natural disaster. But it’s probably most commonly thought of in relation to veterans.
ScienceDaily reports “a threefold increase in new cases of self-reported post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among combat-exposed military personnel since 2001,” including veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Some groups were more likely to report PTSD: “participants who were female, divorced, enlisted, and in those who reported being a current smoker or problem drinker at baseline [the start of the survey].”
And the symptoms can persist for decades.
With help and support, many younger veterans are able to readjust to civilian life. I met some of them at a Student Veterans of America conference earlier this month: men and women who have gone to college after seeing combat, bonding with each other as they try to fit in on their campuses.
But others haven’t been so fortunate. The Associated Press reports that more young Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are becoming homeless and are showing the signs of PTSD even earlier than those who fought in previous wars.
Pete Dougherty, the Veterans Administration’s director of homeless programs, promises to make sure they don’t fall through the cracks:
We’re out there trying to get everybody we can to get those kinds of services today so we avoid this kind of problem in the future.
But perhaps it would be wise for us to think how we can better understand PTSD and help as well.
January 30, 2008 at 4:41 pm
[...] Tammy Duckworth, director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, said, “Too often mild traumatic brain injury is misdiagnosed as post-traumatic stress disorder.” [...]
February 3, 2008 at 10:13 pm
[...] Tammy Duckworth, director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, said, “Too often mild traumatic brain injury is misdiagnosed as post-traumatic stress disorder.” [...]