Friday, October 5, 2007
Pentagon turns veterans into the enemy they love to screw
10/5/07, 1:28 am EST
PFSD: Pentagon F*cks-over Soldiers Disorder
Two items today should make all of us call our congressmen.
First is this news from the St. Louis Dispatch, that the Pentagon has been discharging tens of thousands of combat troops on the pretense that the mental health problems they’ve developed after serving in Iraq aren’t PTSD — but rather pre-existing “personality disorders.”
The pre-existing part is the kicker — because it means that the Pentagon, acting like your least favorite HMO, won’t pick up the cost of the medical care of these troops after it discharges them.
“They’ve kicked out about 22,000 troops who they say have pre-existing personality disorders. I don’t believe that,” Missouri Sen. Kit Bond told the newspaper. “And when you kick them out, they don’t get the assistance they need, they aren’t entitled to DOD or Veterans Administration care for those problems.”
Bond and Obama have introduced a bill to attempt to remedy this outrage.
Number two is almost as aggravating:
Turns out the Army is nickel and diming National Guardsmen returning from 22 months in Iraq. More than 1,100 of these troops should be eligible for full educational benefits under the G.I. bill. But the clever bean counters at the Pentagon deployed them for only 729 days… exactly one day short of the 730 days needed to guarantee thousands of dollars a year for college.
click post title for the rest,,,,,,,yes it's true.
Medicine Man and ancient magic
‘Magic Medicine’Vets gather at VA’s National Veterans Creative Arts Festival
By STEVE BROOKS At 57, Michael Cruse looks somewhat like a mountain man. Seated in a wheelchair thanks to a broken ankle he suffered the previous summer, his broad frame hints that if he were to stand up, he’d be well over 6 feet tall. The top of his grayish mane is cropped tight, but his beard, maybe a week short of bushy, extends from ear to ear and down his neck.
Exchange his tie-dyed shirt and blue jeans for buffalo skins and longer hair, and he would be Grizzly Adams. Eight years ago, he was living such a life. Holed up in the mountains of Alma, Ark., Cruse rarely ventured out of his home. Appointments at the Fayetteville VA Medical Center were the only times he braved the outside world. He entered the Navy in 1965 and came out two years later with post-traumatic stress disorder, a seizure disorder, nerve deterioration related to Agent Orange exposure, and major leg, back and neck impairments that put him on the operating table. Day-to-day activities like talking to strangers became a battle for Cruse, who broke out in cold sweats, trembled and heard ringing in his ears at times of external stress. Avoiding the outside world seemed easier.
click post title for the rest
Police, PTSD and Survivor's Guilt
Why did I walk away? Coping with survivor's guilt
You and your partner respond to a domestic. When you enter the house, you’re flooded with a wave of high-volume complaints from an agitated wife and belligerent husband. You try to quiet them down so you can initially make sense of the situation but it’s not working.
The wife seems to be responding to you a little, so you decide to separate the couple, giving your partner responsibility for the husband. As you and the wife make your way to another room, you suddenly hear sounds of a struggle and your partner’s panicked voice saying, “No! Don’t do it!”
You react immediately and charge to the other room, but before you can get there, you hear rounds fired. Seconds later you’ve shot and killed the armed husband, but it’s too late. Your partner is lying on the floor with wounds to his chest and head. You radio for help and frantically try to stop the bleeding, but you can’t. It’s too much. The wounds are too big.
“Why did I leave the room? If I had been there, I would have seen him reaching for the gun. Why didn’t I pat the guy down? I knew he didn’t seem right. Why didn’t I react quicker when I heard the scuffle? How come I can’t stop this bleeding? Why was it him who got killed? He has young kids. This is MY fault. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!”
click post title for the rest
When people put knowing put their lives on the line, they are called heroes. Emergency responders, law enforcement, Coast Guard, National Guard, Army, Marines, Navy, AirForce. When it comes to trauma, we seem to have more sympathy for "normal" people but have a harder time understanding when it is one of them. Even they have a harder time coming to terms with it.
Is it because we think they are supposed to be able to deal with anything without being touched by it? Is it because we know we need them and they should not be able to be wounded by trauma? Is it because they think they should be stronger, braver, than the rest of us? Someday they will all understand it has nothing to do with courage because they already had it in them when they wanted to do what they decided to do, and that is to take care of the rest of us.
Kathie Costos
You and your partner respond to a domestic. When you enter the house, you’re flooded with a wave of high-volume complaints from an agitated wife and belligerent husband. You try to quiet them down so you can initially make sense of the situation but it’s not working.
The wife seems to be responding to you a little, so you decide to separate the couple, giving your partner responsibility for the husband. As you and the wife make your way to another room, you suddenly hear sounds of a struggle and your partner’s panicked voice saying, “No! Don’t do it!”
You react immediately and charge to the other room, but before you can get there, you hear rounds fired. Seconds later you’ve shot and killed the armed husband, but it’s too late. Your partner is lying on the floor with wounds to his chest and head. You radio for help and frantically try to stop the bleeding, but you can’t. It’s too much. The wounds are too big.
“Why did I leave the room? If I had been there, I would have seen him reaching for the gun. Why didn’t I pat the guy down? I knew he didn’t seem right. Why didn’t I react quicker when I heard the scuffle? How come I can’t stop this bleeding? Why was it him who got killed? He has young kids. This is MY fault. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!”
click post title for the rest
When people put knowing put their lives on the line, they are called heroes. Emergency responders, law enforcement, Coast Guard, National Guard, Army, Marines, Navy, AirForce. When it comes to trauma, we seem to have more sympathy for "normal" people but have a harder time understanding when it is one of them. Even they have a harder time coming to terms with it.
Is it because we think they are supposed to be able to deal with anything without being touched by it? Is it because we know we need them and they should not be able to be wounded by trauma? Is it because they think they should be stronger, braver, than the rest of us? Someday they will all understand it has nothing to do with courage because they already had it in them when they wanted to do what they decided to do, and that is to take care of the rest of us.
Kathie Costos
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Scotland Military 26 percent increase in PTSD stirs 50 percent increase in grants
Scarred by battle
They don't have to kill you to take your life away. The words of an ex-serviceman, reported in The Herald last year, eloquently describe how engagement in combat zones can have psychological as well as physical consequences for the armed forces. The psychological impact can be devastating. The ex- serviceman was one of some 1000 post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) cases helped by Combat Stress, the charity that provides residential care for eligible veterans suffering from severe psychological problems. According to the charity, there has been a 26% increase in such cases in the past four years. It warns that it could be swamped by the number of cases unless there are the necessary resources to keep pace with growing demand.
There was recognition, of sorts, of this yesterday when Derek Twigg, the Armed Forces Minister, announced a phased, near-50% increase in residential grants to Combat Stress. The announcement, while welcome, confirms what the charity and other organisations involved in caring for the pyschological casualties of combat have been saying for some time: that they were underfunded by government. Ministers have been accused of breaking the military covenant by not caring for those it puts in harm's way by its policies.
The willingness of Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister, to intervene with force abroad, most notably and misguidedly in Iraq, brought with it its own responsibilities: to care for those whose bodies were broken and minds damaged by front-line duties. Mr Blair failed to live up to these responsibilities as they applied to PTSD, and it is only now that Gordon Brown's government is beginning to accept the scale of these duties. The dismantling of Britain's military medical network began under the Tories in government and continued under Mr Blair, despite the paradox of an aggressive foreign policy being pursued at the same time.
click post title for the rest
Six month tours while our troops are expected to do 15!
They don't have to kill you to take your life away. The words of an ex-serviceman, reported in The Herald last year, eloquently describe how engagement in combat zones can have psychological as well as physical consequences for the armed forces. The psychological impact can be devastating. The ex- serviceman was one of some 1000 post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) cases helped by Combat Stress, the charity that provides residential care for eligible veterans suffering from severe psychological problems. According to the charity, there has been a 26% increase in such cases in the past four years. It warns that it could be swamped by the number of cases unless there are the necessary resources to keep pace with growing demand.
There was recognition, of sorts, of this yesterday when Derek Twigg, the Armed Forces Minister, announced a phased, near-50% increase in residential grants to Combat Stress. The announcement, while welcome, confirms what the charity and other organisations involved in caring for the pyschological casualties of combat have been saying for some time: that they were underfunded by government. Ministers have been accused of breaking the military covenant by not caring for those it puts in harm's way by its policies.
The willingness of Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister, to intervene with force abroad, most notably and misguidedly in Iraq, brought with it its own responsibilities: to care for those whose bodies were broken and minds damaged by front-line duties. Mr Blair failed to live up to these responsibilities as they applied to PTSD, and it is only now that Gordon Brown's government is beginning to accept the scale of these duties. The dismantling of Britain's military medical network began under the Tories in government and continued under Mr Blair, despite the paradox of an aggressive foreign policy being pursued at the same time.
click post title for the rest
Deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan involve almost 25% of the British Army each year in rolling, six-month tours of duty, each involving 12,000 soldiers. In both theatres, the enemy are insurgents who can strike at any time and are virtually indistinguishable from local civilians.
Six month tours while our troops are expected to do 15!
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Stigma of PTSD number one road block to healing
An Assessment of Beliefs About Mental Health Care Among Veterans ...
Psychiatr Serv 58:1358-1361, October 2007
doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.58.10.1358
© 2007 American Psychiatric Association
Brief Report
An Assessment of Beliefs About Mental Health Care Among Veterans Who Served in Iraq
Tracy Stecker, Ph.D., John C. Fortney, Ph.D., Francis Hamilton, M.P.H. and Icek Ajzen, Ph.D.
OBJECTIVE: This study assessed beliefs about mental health treatment in a group of soldiers newly returning from the war in Iraq. METHODS: Participants were 20 National Guard soldiers who had served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Soldiers who in phone interviews screened positive for a mental disorder were asked about advantages and disadvantages of seeking treatment, who would or would not support treatment seeking, and facilitators and barriers to treatment seeking. RESULTS: Stigma was portrayed as a major disadvantage to treatment seeking. Yet most participants indicated that people would be supportive of treatment seeking. Reducing symptoms was a major advantage of care. Barriers, especially those viewed as "self-induced," such as pride, not being able to ask for help, and not being able to admit to having a problem, were considered major impediments. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that interventions developed to engage veterans in care must be directed toward cognitive factors that motivate treatment seeking.
go there to read the full report if you can.
You know a rant is coming from me on this.
When the hell will they get it? When will they understand there is nothing wrong with them other than they are normal humans exposed to abnormal conditions? If it has more to do with idiots standing in their way of healing then they should just walk right over the mud dwellers!
I've heard enough of their kind over the years to know there is no basis for what they believe other than Neanderthals must have had more sympathy than these people do. The effects of combat on a human have been documented all the way back in ancient history and if they have failed to learn anything from history, it is their problem.
Over 300 million people live in this country. We have about 25 million veterans and only 17 million combat veterans. Think of how rare they are. Then think about another fact. People exposed to natural disasters get PTSD. People who are victims of crimes get PTSD. People who work in law enforcement and the emergency departments get PTSD. It takes humans exposed to trauma and that is it. It also requires people who can feel. Maybe those who deny PTSD is real and love to belittle those with PTSD, lack the ability to feel? Maybe they are so selfish, so self-centered, they cannot see past themselves, see other people suffering or even care.
There is no reason to retain the tag of stigma when it comes to PTSD. The ancient Greek and Roman warriors suffered the same symptoms but the VA did not exist. There was no support system for them or psychologists but what they did have was the support of the people around them or no one would have talked about what they were going through and we would have never know how old PTSD is. It's been called by different titles but the results have been the same for generations.
Kathie Costos
Psychiatr Serv 58:1358-1361, October 2007
doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.58.10.1358
© 2007 American Psychiatric Association
Brief Report
An Assessment of Beliefs About Mental Health Care Among Veterans Who Served in Iraq
Tracy Stecker, Ph.D., John C. Fortney, Ph.D., Francis Hamilton, M.P.H. and Icek Ajzen, Ph.D.
OBJECTIVE: This study assessed beliefs about mental health treatment in a group of soldiers newly returning from the war in Iraq. METHODS: Participants were 20 National Guard soldiers who had served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Soldiers who in phone interviews screened positive for a mental disorder were asked about advantages and disadvantages of seeking treatment, who would or would not support treatment seeking, and facilitators and barriers to treatment seeking. RESULTS: Stigma was portrayed as a major disadvantage to treatment seeking. Yet most participants indicated that people would be supportive of treatment seeking. Reducing symptoms was a major advantage of care. Barriers, especially those viewed as "self-induced," such as pride, not being able to ask for help, and not being able to admit to having a problem, were considered major impediments. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that interventions developed to engage veterans in care must be directed toward cognitive factors that motivate treatment seeking.
go there to read the full report if you can.
You know a rant is coming from me on this.
When the hell will they get it? When will they understand there is nothing wrong with them other than they are normal humans exposed to abnormal conditions? If it has more to do with idiots standing in their way of healing then they should just walk right over the mud dwellers!
I've heard enough of their kind over the years to know there is no basis for what they believe other than Neanderthals must have had more sympathy than these people do. The effects of combat on a human have been documented all the way back in ancient history and if they have failed to learn anything from history, it is their problem.
Over 300 million people live in this country. We have about 25 million veterans and only 17 million combat veterans. Think of how rare they are. Then think about another fact. People exposed to natural disasters get PTSD. People who are victims of crimes get PTSD. People who work in law enforcement and the emergency departments get PTSD. It takes humans exposed to trauma and that is it. It also requires people who can feel. Maybe those who deny PTSD is real and love to belittle those with PTSD, lack the ability to feel? Maybe they are so selfish, so self-centered, they cannot see past themselves, see other people suffering or even care.
There is no reason to retain the tag of stigma when it comes to PTSD. The ancient Greek and Roman warriors suffered the same symptoms but the VA did not exist. There was no support system for them or psychologists but what they did have was the support of the people around them or no one would have talked about what they were going through and we would have never know how old PTSD is. It's been called by different titles but the results have been the same for generations.
Kathie Costos
Military Suicides: A Treatment Issue
Suicides: A Treatment Issue
By LISA CHEDEKEL Courant Staff Writer
October 3, 2007
In recent months, the military has scrambled to hire additional mental health workers to treat troubled troops, hoping to allay concerns raised by a Pentagon task force and soldiers' advocates about inadequate access to care.But a new Army report suggests that the quality of care, as much as the quantity of providers, may be a factor in the rising incidence of suicides among active-duty service members.A recently released, first-ever analysis of Army suicides shows that more than half the 948 soldiers who attempted suicide in 2006 had been seen by mental health providers before the attempt - 36 percent within just 30 days of the event. Of those who committed suicide in 2006, a third had an outpatient mental health visit within three months of killing themselves, and 42 percent had been seen at a military medical facility within three months.
Among soldiers who were deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan when they attempted suicide in 2005 and 2006, a full 60 percent had been seen by outpatient mental health workers before the attempts. Forty-three percent of the deployed troops who attempted suicide had been prescribed psychotropic medications, the report shows.
The report offers no details on the type or duration of mental health care that troops received before they tried to kill themselves. But it is prompting calls from some soldiers' advocates for better training of medical and behavioral health specialists in recognizing and treating service members in distress."It's the patient care, the quality of care, that's the issue," said Andrew Pogany, an investigator for the advocacy group Veterans for America. "A lot of the soldiers I talk to, they say [the military] doesn't provide anything except for group therapy and meds. Some places, you can't even get near a psychiatrist.
click post title for the rest
Group threapy does not work for all. In some cases, it makes PTSD worse. It's a bad practice to force them into group before they are ready. Are they still using badaid?
By LISA CHEDEKEL Courant Staff Writer
October 3, 2007
In recent months, the military has scrambled to hire additional mental health workers to treat troubled troops, hoping to allay concerns raised by a Pentagon task force and soldiers' advocates about inadequate access to care.But a new Army report suggests that the quality of care, as much as the quantity of providers, may be a factor in the rising incidence of suicides among active-duty service members.A recently released, first-ever analysis of Army suicides shows that more than half the 948 soldiers who attempted suicide in 2006 had been seen by mental health providers before the attempt - 36 percent within just 30 days of the event. Of those who committed suicide in 2006, a third had an outpatient mental health visit within three months of killing themselves, and 42 percent had been seen at a military medical facility within three months.
Among soldiers who were deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan when they attempted suicide in 2005 and 2006, a full 60 percent had been seen by outpatient mental health workers before the attempts. Forty-three percent of the deployed troops who attempted suicide had been prescribed psychotropic medications, the report shows.
The report offers no details on the type or duration of mental health care that troops received before they tried to kill themselves. But it is prompting calls from some soldiers' advocates for better training of medical and behavioral health specialists in recognizing and treating service members in distress."It's the patient care, the quality of care, that's the issue," said Andrew Pogany, an investigator for the advocacy group Veterans for America. "A lot of the soldiers I talk to, they say [the military] doesn't provide anything except for group therapy and meds. Some places, you can't even get near a psychiatrist.
click post title for the rest
Group threapy does not work for all. In some cases, it makes PTSD worse. It's a bad practice to force them into group before they are ready. Are they still using badaid?
Monday, October 1, 2007
When communities rely on each other Post Traumatic Stress is not as strong
During the years of trying to eliminate the stigma of PTSD, one of the suggestions I've been making, especially in the videos, was that veterans reach out to help each other heal. Most experts thought if anyone could understand, lend support, compassion and a listening non-judgmental ear, it would be a combat veteran. Isolation is a big problem with PTSD. They are afraid to talk about what's going on in their minds. They think it is all too "crazy" while they are dealing with it on their own terms in silence. This is one example of how a community can alleviate part of the problem.
It does not matter if the trauma came from combat, which is the number one cause of PTSD, from public service, from natural disasters or from crime, when it comes to the aftermath of trauma. All humans with PTSD will suffer the same, endure flashbacks and nightmares as their characters are attacked. The greatest strength comes from leaning on each other.
Vietnamese community relies on each other
Groups monitor mental health
By JOSHUA NORMAN
jdnorman@sunherald.com
BILOXI --Bien Bo lost track of his love, Tuat Nguyen, about 40 years ago when he joined the South Vietnamese army and war tore his country apart before expelling him from his homeland altogether.
Bo, 71, lost everything again in 2005 to Hurricane Katrina; his Biloxi home, two cars, his shrimp boat that was his livelihood, all of which were uninsured. He wandered in a daze around town following the storm after barely surviving the surge, depressed and mentally adrift, until he decided to visit an old friend.
He walked into the living room and there she was, Nguyen, his love lost so long ago.
Bo's friend was Nguyen's sister, and Nguyen, 63, was visiting from California after Katrina to help.
They cried, hugged, laughed and have been merrily side by side ever since, she a widow and he with a wife severely disabled by stroke.
Bo and Nguyen's story illustrates how South Mississippi's Vietnamese community has survived the sometimes debilitating mental strain of post-Katrina life. The Vietnamese community came together for support and healing. Despite the destruction in the center of their community, Point Cadet, they have shown remarkably few outer signs of strain or mental decay.
The Vietnamese community, already slightly separated from their neighbors by language and cultural barriers, sought refuge within themselves. The post-Vietnam war Vietnamese community service organization, Boat People SOS, set up offices in Biloxi for the first time ever post-Katrina, and many in the Vietnamese community received help and support from it.
go here for the rest
http://www.sunherald.com/living/health/story/154205.html
It does not matter if the trauma came from combat, which is the number one cause of PTSD, from public service, from natural disasters or from crime, when it comes to the aftermath of trauma. All humans with PTSD will suffer the same, endure flashbacks and nightmares as their characters are attacked. The greatest strength comes from leaning on each other.
Vietnamese community relies on each other
Groups monitor mental health
By JOSHUA NORMAN
jdnorman@sunherald.com
BILOXI --Bien Bo lost track of his love, Tuat Nguyen, about 40 years ago when he joined the South Vietnamese army and war tore his country apart before expelling him from his homeland altogether.
Bo, 71, lost everything again in 2005 to Hurricane Katrina; his Biloxi home, two cars, his shrimp boat that was his livelihood, all of which were uninsured. He wandered in a daze around town following the storm after barely surviving the surge, depressed and mentally adrift, until he decided to visit an old friend.
He walked into the living room and there she was, Nguyen, his love lost so long ago.
Bo's friend was Nguyen's sister, and Nguyen, 63, was visiting from California after Katrina to help.
They cried, hugged, laughed and have been merrily side by side ever since, she a widow and he with a wife severely disabled by stroke.
Bo and Nguyen's story illustrates how South Mississippi's Vietnamese community has survived the sometimes debilitating mental strain of post-Katrina life. The Vietnamese community came together for support and healing. Despite the destruction in the center of their community, Point Cadet, they have shown remarkably few outer signs of strain or mental decay.
The Vietnamese community, already slightly separated from their neighbors by language and cultural barriers, sought refuge within themselves. The post-Vietnam war Vietnamese community service organization, Boat People SOS, set up offices in Biloxi for the first time ever post-Katrina, and many in the Vietnamese community received help and support from it.
go here for the rest
http://www.sunherald.com/living/health/story/154205.html
Saturday, September 29, 2007
10 discharges a day for "personality disorder"
Many soldiers get boot for 'pre-existing' mental illness
St. Louis Post-Dispatch September 29, 2007
By Philip Dine
WASHINGTON -- Thousands of U.S. soldiers in Iraq - as many as 10 a day - are being discharged by the military for mental health reasons. But the Pentagon isn't blaming the war. It says the soldiers had "pre-existing" conditions that disqualify them for treatment by the government.
Many soldiers and Marines being discharged on this basis actually suffer from combat-related problems, experts say. But by classifying them as having a condition unrelated to the war, the Defense Department is able to quickly get rid of troops having trouble doing their work while also saving the expense of caring for them.
The result appears to be that many actually suffering from combat-relatedproblems such as post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries don't get the help they need.
Working behind the scenes, Sens. Christopher "Kit" Bond, R-Mo., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., have written and inserted into the defense authorization bill a provision that would make it harder for the Pentagon to discharge thousands of troops. The Post-Dispatch has learned that the measure has been accepted into the Senate defense bill and will probably become part of the Senate-House bill to be voted on this week.
read more here
St. Louis Post-Dispatch September 29, 2007
By Philip Dine
WASHINGTON -- Thousands of U.S. soldiers in Iraq - as many as 10 a day - are being discharged by the military for mental health reasons. But the Pentagon isn't blaming the war. It says the soldiers had "pre-existing" conditions that disqualify them for treatment by the government.
Many soldiers and Marines being discharged on this basis actually suffer from combat-related problems, experts say. But by classifying them as having a condition unrelated to the war, the Defense Department is able to quickly get rid of troops having trouble doing their work while also saving the expense of caring for them.
The result appears to be that many actually suffering from combat-relatedproblems such as post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries don't get the help they need.
Working behind the scenes, Sens. Christopher "Kit" Bond, R-Mo., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., have written and inserted into the defense authorization bill a provision that would make it harder for the Pentagon to discharge thousands of troops. The Post-Dispatch has learned that the measure has been accepted into the Senate defense bill and will probably become part of the Senate-House bill to be voted on this week.
read more here
Friday, September 28, 2007
PTSD and veterans on NOW
About the Show
Video: Veterans of PTSD
Bouts of fierce anger, depression, and anxiety that previous generations of soldiers described as "shell shock" or "combat/battle fatigue" now earn a clinical diagnosis: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. But the relatively new medical label doesn't guarantee soldiers will get the care they need. NOW looks at how America's newest crop of returning soldiers is coping with the emotional scars of war, and some new and innovative treatments for them.In the show, we spent time with Iraq War veteran Michael Zacchea, a Marine lieutenant colonel who trained Iraqi troops and fought in the battle of Fallujah. Haunted by the violence he saw there, Zacchea and other soldiers diagnosed with PTSD now face what could be a lifelong struggle to leave the horrors of war behind and reclaim their once-peaceful lives.
PTSD Facts and Figures
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can occur after one experiences a traumatic event. The disorder is characterized by flashbacks of the event, nightmares, anxiety, avoidance, and social withdrawal. PTSD may take months or years to manifest.
Facts and Figures
The following factors increase the likelihood of PTSD: Youth, a history of depression or trauma, multiple deployments, and relentless exposure to violence.
30.9% of Vietnam veterans in one study had developed PTSD during their lifetimes.
Between 1999 and 2004, the number of veterans seeking benefits for PTSD increased 79%.
In Iraq, roughly one in six combatants has experienced PTSD.
35 percent of Iraq veterans sought psychological counseling within a year of coming home, according to the Department of Defense.
http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/339/index.html
I think this is a great program, but I can't say for sure. The video was cutting out after six minutes. I'll check back later on this.
One thing that really bothers the hell out of me is that they never talk about veterans coming back from Afghanistan. What they do not fully understand is that many serving are doing it in two occpations. They may be in Iraq one year and in Afghanistan the next. It is not just Iraq and it's about time everyone in this country remembered we have two occupations going on while we only fight about one of them.
Non Mortal Casualties,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Army Navy Marines Air Force Total
Wounded - No Medical Air Transport Required 567... 22...... 0 ..........35.......... 624
Wounded - Medical Air Transport Required ,,,,,,,719..... 11..... 81........ 37.......... 848
Non-Hostile Injuries - Medical Air Transport
Required,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 1,095.... 11..... 181...... 37........ 1,538
Diseases - Medical Air Transport Required,,,,,,,, 3,280... 187.... 203.... 654........ 4,324
TOTAL - WOUNDED,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 1,286.... 11...... 103..... 72........ 1,472
TOTAL - MEDICAL AIR TRANSPORTED,,,,,,,, 4,353.. 270..... 339.... 878........ 5,844
TOTAL - MEDICAL AIR TRANSPORTS
(HOSTILE AND NON-HOSTILE),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 5,094.... 281.... 420... 915........ 6,710
Period US Other Total
+ 2007 88 96 184
+ 2006 98 93 191
+ 2005 99 31 130
+ 2004 52 6 58
+ 2003 48 9 57
+ 2002 48 20 68
+ 2001 12 0 12
Total 445 255 700
http://www.icasualties.org/oef/
I am glad there are people speaking out and the seventy percent of the people of this country think what was done to Iraq is wrong. Unlike what Rush has to say about it, the majority of the people are on the side of doing the right thing even though the impulse to label people anti-war is repeated by the media as well as the congress. It's a good tool to use to divide people. What I am not glad about is that Afghanistan keeps getting ignored as if it never happened.
Is Afghanistan ignored because it is no longer being controlled by the US?
Video: Veterans of PTSD
Bouts of fierce anger, depression, and anxiety that previous generations of soldiers described as "shell shock" or "combat/battle fatigue" now earn a clinical diagnosis: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. But the relatively new medical label doesn't guarantee soldiers will get the care they need. NOW looks at how America's newest crop of returning soldiers is coping with the emotional scars of war, and some new and innovative treatments for them.In the show, we spent time with Iraq War veteran Michael Zacchea, a Marine lieutenant colonel who trained Iraqi troops and fought in the battle of Fallujah. Haunted by the violence he saw there, Zacchea and other soldiers diagnosed with PTSD now face what could be a lifelong struggle to leave the horrors of war behind and reclaim their once-peaceful lives.
PTSD Facts and Figures
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can occur after one experiences a traumatic event. The disorder is characterized by flashbacks of the event, nightmares, anxiety, avoidance, and social withdrawal. PTSD may take months or years to manifest.
Facts and Figures
The following factors increase the likelihood of PTSD: Youth, a history of depression or trauma, multiple deployments, and relentless exposure to violence.
30.9% of Vietnam veterans in one study had developed PTSD during their lifetimes.
Between 1999 and 2004, the number of veterans seeking benefits for PTSD increased 79%.
In Iraq, roughly one in six combatants has experienced PTSD.
35 percent of Iraq veterans sought psychological counseling within a year of coming home, according to the Department of Defense.
http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/339/index.html
I think this is a great program, but I can't say for sure. The video was cutting out after six minutes. I'll check back later on this.
One thing that really bothers the hell out of me is that they never talk about veterans coming back from Afghanistan. What they do not fully understand is that many serving are doing it in two occpations. They may be in Iraq one year and in Afghanistan the next. It is not just Iraq and it's about time everyone in this country remembered we have two occupations going on while we only fight about one of them.
Non Mortal Casualties,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Army Navy Marines Air Force Total
Wounded - No Medical Air Transport Required 567... 22...... 0 ..........35.......... 624
Wounded - Medical Air Transport Required ,,,,,,,719..... 11..... 81........ 37.......... 848
Non-Hostile Injuries - Medical Air Transport
Required,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 1,095.... 11..... 181...... 37........ 1,538
Diseases - Medical Air Transport Required,,,,,,,, 3,280... 187.... 203.... 654........ 4,324
TOTAL - WOUNDED,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 1,286.... 11...... 103..... 72........ 1,472
TOTAL - MEDICAL AIR TRANSPORTED,,,,,,,, 4,353.. 270..... 339.... 878........ 5,844
TOTAL - MEDICAL AIR TRANSPORTS
(HOSTILE AND NON-HOSTILE),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 5,094.... 281.... 420... 915........ 6,710
Period US Other Total
+ 2007 88 96 184
+ 2006 98 93 191
+ 2005 99 31 130
+ 2004 52 6 58
+ 2003 48 9 57
+ 2002 48 20 68
+ 2001 12 0 12
Total 445 255 700
http://www.icasualties.org/oef/
I am glad there are people speaking out and the seventy percent of the people of this country think what was done to Iraq is wrong. Unlike what Rush has to say about it, the majority of the people are on the side of doing the right thing even though the impulse to label people anti-war is repeated by the media as well as the congress. It's a good tool to use to divide people. What I am not glad about is that Afghanistan keeps getting ignored as if it never happened.
NATO's Afghanistan gains could be lost: commander
Fri Sep 28, 2007 11:51am EDT
LONDON (Reuters) - Hardfought gains by NATO troops this year could be lost in coming months if Afghan forces fail to hold ground seized from the Taliban, the NATO commander in Afghanistan said in an interview broadcast on Friday.
U.S. General Dan McNeill, who commands the alliance's 35,000-strong force, said NATO had scored successes this year in driving Taliban fighters from mountain valleys in the southern Helmand province, an opium-producing Taliban heartland.
The NATO forces in the area are mostly British troops who arrived in large numbers only last year. They say they have recaptured much of the Helmand River valley from the Taliban over the past six months.
But McNeill said Afghan troops had not yet performed as well as hoped in holding the ground after it was cleared, and there was a chance the Taliban could regroup and return.go here for the rest of this and for links to other reports
Is Afghanistan ignored because it is no longer being controlled by the US?
Nato takes control of operations in Afghanistan
30 Sep 2006, 0039 hrs IST,AP
PORTOROZ (SLOVENIA): Nato decided on Thursday to take control of military operations across all of Afghanistan a move that US defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld hailed as a "bold step forward" for the alliance.
Under the new arrangements, as many as 12,000 additional American troops will be put under foreign battlefield command, a number that US officials said could be the most since World War II. The move is expected to take place in the next few weeks, Nato spokesman James Appathurai said.
go here for the rest of this
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2047643.cms
Alabama Veterans Stands Up for Stand Down
Event helps veterans get services, counseling
Dothan Eagle - Dothan,AL,USA
Thursday, Sep 27, 2007 - 06:59 PM
By Jim Cook
When he left the Navy 10 years ago, Byron Wright couldn’t readjust to civilian life. His marriage ended in divorce and he developed a drug abuse problem. He now lives at the House of Benjamin, a facility designed to help struggling veterans get back on their feet.
“Everybody goes through different things,” Wright said. “It was hard for me. I felt sorry for myself.”
Wright’s story is all too common among veterans, an estimated 200,000 of whom are homeless.
The House of Benjamin, local veterans’ agencies and other civic organizations on Wednesday held a stand down, an event to help veterans like Wright gain access to counseling, health care services and the benefits they’re entitled to for serving their country. About 100 veterans showed up for the event before noon, and received services such as haircuts, flu shots, clothing and counseling.
click above for the rest
Dothan Eagle - Dothan,AL,USA
Thursday, Sep 27, 2007 - 06:59 PM
By Jim Cook
When he left the Navy 10 years ago, Byron Wright couldn’t readjust to civilian life. His marriage ended in divorce and he developed a drug abuse problem. He now lives at the House of Benjamin, a facility designed to help struggling veterans get back on their feet.
“Everybody goes through different things,” Wright said. “It was hard for me. I felt sorry for myself.”
Wright’s story is all too common among veterans, an estimated 200,000 of whom are homeless.
The House of Benjamin, local veterans’ agencies and other civic organizations on Wednesday held a stand down, an event to help veterans like Wright gain access to counseling, health care services and the benefits they’re entitled to for serving their country. About 100 veterans showed up for the event before noon, and received services such as haircuts, flu shots, clothing and counseling.
click above for the rest
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)