what's all this hoopla about PTSD?

What’s all this hoopla about PTSD, anyway? Here's the latest story about it.

Well, we have a lot of soldiers in a hot sandy country where they are not wanted. People are expressing their "feelings" with things like explosive devices and gunfire. Not all of the time. There are also the periods of time when the soldiers are waiting to see if an explosive device or gunfire will be coming their way.

The powers that be are all in favor of this oily war, and don’t mind giving lucrative contracts to their business buddies supplying the troops. But when it comes to treating the casualties of war, both physical and mental, the government (read military, Veterans Administration, and our elected officials), would rather pretend that there isn’t much of a problem, that the problem is curable, and that those who think it isn’t curable (like veterans who have had PTSD for, well, ever since their trauma) are worthless freeloading bums.

I guess I am one of those freeloading bums. As I am able to, I will attempt to provide information to show you how the system works (or doesn’t), as well as provide some information on PTSD and its mental, social, and physical effects.

Here's some information from our good friends at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs:

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of life-threatening events such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or violent personal assaults like rape. Most survivors of trauma return to normal given a little time. However, some people will have stress reactions that do not go away on their own, or may even get worse over time. These individuals may develope PTSD. People who suffer from PTSD often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and feel detached or estranged, and these symptoms can be severe enough and last long enough to significantly impair the person's daily life.

PTSD is marked by clear biological changes as well as psychological symptoms. PTSD is complicated by the fact that it frequently occurs in conjunction with related disorders such as depression, substance abuse, problems of memory and cognition, and other problems of physical and mental health. The disorder is also associated with impairment of the person's ability to function in social or family life, including occupational instability, marital problems and divorces, family discord, and difficulties in parenting.

I can attest that this is but a simple summary and does not give you a real idea of the impact that this disorder has on a person and those around them. It’s disheartening, because it’s forever. And whatever goes wrong in life, at some point the person with PTSD figures out that the problem is within themselves. All because they know the basic truth that the world is an unsafe place and really horrible shit can happen at any time to anybody.

I also believe that some of that horrible shit is avoidable. Sometimes all it takes is an informed public and an election (that’s me trying to be hopeful).