Prosser Soldier Speaks of His Personal Experience with PTSD
Seminar to Be Held to Help Veterans with PTSD
Friday, 10-26-07
Prosser -- The numbers of soldiers and Marines with post traumatic stress are rising. It is now believed that one in five returning from the mideast will be forever changed by PTSD.
Billy Petersen of Prosser is a former Army Medic who has been diagnosed with severe post traumatic stress disorder. This morning, Petersen detailed his experience since returning from his second tour in Iraq.
Petersen finds himself reacting strongly to sounds. When a car backfires, his first response is to duck, and hit the ground. He doesn't like to drive. And he also avoids traffic circles. Petersen says Iraq has hundreds of them, and that is where insurgents hide the bombs (IED, or improvised explosive devices). He said he shakes when he is traveling in a traffic circle.
click post title for the rest
Friday, October 26, 2007
Pro-bono lawyers battle for wounded veterans with PTSD
Advocates for Vets
New York Lawyer
October 26, 2007
By Thomas Adcock
New York Law Journal
The City Bar Justice Center, the pro bono affiliate of the New York City Bar Association, launched the Veterans Legal Clinic this week in concert with attorneys from 10 Manhattan firms.
The new program will provide free counsel to low-income men and women returned home to the metropolitan area from wars in Afghanistan and Iraq - some of whom are homeless, and many suffering from severe physical and mental health problems.
One of a handful of such clinics around the country, the New York initiative was established in response to the anticipated needs of returnees from the "most sustained combat operations since the Vietnam era," as conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan were characterized in a joint statement by two New York state Assembly committees that held fact-finding public hearings in May.
The committees on mental health and veterans affairs said further in their statement that today's military personnel have especially high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder due to "lengthy and multiple tours of duty, decreased mortality rates and traumatic brain injuries."
Left untreated, post-traumatic stress disorder could lead to "devastating ramifications, including unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness or involvement with the criminal justice system," according to the statement.
On Wednesday afternoon, nearly 100 private firm volunteer lawyers gathered at city bar headquarters on West 44th Street for a three-hour training session in the fundamentals of Veterans Benefits Administration law and practical tips on filing for disability benefits.
go here for the rest
http://www.nylawyer.com/display.php/file=/probono/news/07/102607a
New York Lawyer
October 26, 2007
By Thomas Adcock
New York Law Journal
The City Bar Justice Center, the pro bono affiliate of the New York City Bar Association, launched the Veterans Legal Clinic this week in concert with attorneys from 10 Manhattan firms.
The new program will provide free counsel to low-income men and women returned home to the metropolitan area from wars in Afghanistan and Iraq - some of whom are homeless, and many suffering from severe physical and mental health problems.
One of a handful of such clinics around the country, the New York initiative was established in response to the anticipated needs of returnees from the "most sustained combat operations since the Vietnam era," as conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan were characterized in a joint statement by two New York state Assembly committees that held fact-finding public hearings in May.
The committees on mental health and veterans affairs said further in their statement that today's military personnel have especially high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder due to "lengthy and multiple tours of duty, decreased mortality rates and traumatic brain injuries."
Left untreated, post-traumatic stress disorder could lead to "devastating ramifications, including unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness or involvement with the criminal justice system," according to the statement.
On Wednesday afternoon, nearly 100 private firm volunteer lawyers gathered at city bar headquarters on West 44th Street for a three-hour training session in the fundamentals of Veterans Benefits Administration law and practical tips on filing for disability benefits.
go here for the rest
http://www.nylawyer.com/display.php/file=/probono/news/07/102607a
“Don't label yourself as crazy" after trauma
Emotional reactions normal, experts say
By R.J. Ignelzi
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
October 26, 2007
You can't sleep. You scream at your kids. Your heart is racing. And you have no idea what day it is.
You're not losing your mind. You're stressed. And mental health professionals say these reactions are typical.
“Don't label yourself as crazy. You're going through a normal reaction to an abnormal event,” said Arpi Minassian, a psychologist at the University of California San Diego Burn Center.
Even as things calm down, people are bound to experience an array of emotions after the firestorms. And don't be surprised if your reactions are different from your neighbor's or your best friend's.
“Some people will be emotionally numb. Others will be angry or sad or irritable. It's important to know that all of these emotions are OK. It's normal,” said Jerry Gold, a psychologist who is director of Scripps Behavioral Health Services.
Other stress symptoms include anxiety and fear that the disaster will happen again, difficulty focusing and making decisions, hopelessness, spontaneous crying, increased or decreased eating, sleeplessness and nightmares.
Mental health tips
Mental health care professionals offer some coping strategies for the stress we're all feeling.
Talk about the event and your feelings with friends, relatives and colleagues.
Exercise to help relieve stress. Although a strenuous workout isn't recommended while the air quality is poor, try a passive indoor exercise such as meditation, yoga or stretching.
Turn off the television and the radio for a while.
Try to return to a normal schedule. Have meals and sleep at regular times.
Write it down.
Serve others.
Reach out to community groups, religious organizations or neighborhood gatherings for moral support.
Avoid overuse of alcohol or drugs.
click post title for the rest
By R.J. Ignelzi
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
October 26, 2007
You can't sleep. You scream at your kids. Your heart is racing. And you have no idea what day it is.
You're not losing your mind. You're stressed. And mental health professionals say these reactions are typical.
“Don't label yourself as crazy. You're going through a normal reaction to an abnormal event,” said Arpi Minassian, a psychologist at the University of California San Diego Burn Center.
Even as things calm down, people are bound to experience an array of emotions after the firestorms. And don't be surprised if your reactions are different from your neighbor's or your best friend's.
“Some people will be emotionally numb. Others will be angry or sad or irritable. It's important to know that all of these emotions are OK. It's normal,” said Jerry Gold, a psychologist who is director of Scripps Behavioral Health Services.
Other stress symptoms include anxiety and fear that the disaster will happen again, difficulty focusing and making decisions, hopelessness, spontaneous crying, increased or decreased eating, sleeplessness and nightmares.
Mental health tips
Mental health care professionals offer some coping strategies for the stress we're all feeling.
Talk about the event and your feelings with friends, relatives and colleagues.
Exercise to help relieve stress. Although a strenuous workout isn't recommended while the air quality is poor, try a passive indoor exercise such as meditation, yoga or stretching.
Turn off the television and the radio for a while.
Try to return to a normal schedule. Have meals and sleep at regular times.
Write it down.
Serve others.
Reach out to community groups, religious organizations or neighborhood gatherings for moral support.
Avoid overuse of alcohol or drugs.
click post title for the rest
Hugs For Life raises suicide awareness
Event raises suicide awareness
Hugs for Life aims to get word out about an issue that 'affects everyone'
By Pomera M. Fronce
Close-Up Correspondent
Article Last Updated: 10/25/2007 11:29:53 AM MDT
Sheri Thomas will always remember the phone call.
The news she received was devastating - the kind of news no one should ever have to hear. Her 19-year-old nephew, Jonathan Hickam, had committed suicide.
"It was the worst feeling I have ever felt," Thomas recalls.
She remembers being in shock and adrenaline overdrive at the same time because she was trying to be strong for her sister.
Thomas wanted to turn back the hands of time, but realized she couldn't. Instead, she turned her grief into action and established a suicide prevention and awareness organization called Hugs for Life.
Members of the organization work tirelessly to get the word out that suicide is not an option. They believe that education and communication are key in reducing the number of suicides in Utah each year.
"First, we try to help people understand that suicide knows no boundaries," Thomas says. "It affects everyone regardless of race, religion, gender or economic status. Second, we encourage people to talk about suicide openly and honestly."
In the past, Thomas adds, it was almost deemed unacceptable for anyone to talk about feeling suicidal and to seek help. And when it was too late to intervene, family members may have talked in hushed tones about the suicide, but rarely outside of the home.
go here for the rest
http://www.sltrib.com/southvalley/ci_7278755
Hugs for Life aims to get word out about an issue that 'affects everyone'
By Pomera M. Fronce
Close-Up Correspondent
Article Last Updated: 10/25/2007 11:29:53 AM MDT
Sheri Thomas will always remember the phone call.
The news she received was devastating - the kind of news no one should ever have to hear. Her 19-year-old nephew, Jonathan Hickam, had committed suicide.
"It was the worst feeling I have ever felt," Thomas recalls.
She remembers being in shock and adrenaline overdrive at the same time because she was trying to be strong for her sister.
Thomas wanted to turn back the hands of time, but realized she couldn't. Instead, she turned her grief into action and established a suicide prevention and awareness organization called Hugs for Life.
Members of the organization work tirelessly to get the word out that suicide is not an option. They believe that education and communication are key in reducing the number of suicides in Utah each year.
"First, we try to help people understand that suicide knows no boundaries," Thomas says. "It affects everyone regardless of race, religion, gender or economic status. Second, we encourage people to talk about suicide openly and honestly."
In the past, Thomas adds, it was almost deemed unacceptable for anyone to talk about feeling suicidal and to seek help. And when it was too late to intervene, family members may have talked in hushed tones about the suicide, but rarely outside of the home.
go here for the rest
http://www.sltrib.com/southvalley/ci_7278755
Claims of PTSD being "over-used" avoid reality
"Trauma survivors have a different outlook. There is a new sense of danger and vulnerability," he said. "But it doesn't mean you're not resilient."
Forum looks at storm victims, war veterans
Groups have much in common
By MEGHA SATYANARAYANA
megha@sunherald.com
War and a hurricane - when it comes to mental trauma, the two aren't so different.
This was one conclusion of a forum Thursday night featuring two mental-health professionals and a Sun Herald staff writer. The seminar was about post-traumatic stress syndrome, the recognized precursor of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Mental trauma after the storm fell into two categories, said Steve Barrilleaux, director of Outpatient Services at Gulf Coast Mental Health Center in Gulfport. There were those with no mental-health problems before Katrina, who afterward began feeling anxiety and depression for the first time. Then there were those with pre-existing issues, which the hurricane exacerbated.
go here for the rest
http://www.sunherald.com/201/story/172947.html
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and the CNN Medical Unit
Anyone can claim whatever they want if they have a title after their name but if they have no, or little, background dealing with PTSD, they will make claims that are not educated ones. I've read what they've had to say for 25 years. The professionals who write what is lived with and through are the ones I trust. If they come out with claims that PTSD is over used, I don't trust them.
There have been too many cases of someone having PTSD and not being diagnosed with it. Over 22,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan were given "personality disorder" markers instead of PTSD. Max Cleland, triple amputee, ex-senator, ex-head of the VA, was diagnosed with depression and treated for that since Vietnam, but it turned out, he too had PTSD.
Forum looks at storm victims, war veterans
Groups have much in common
By MEGHA SATYANARAYANA
megha@sunherald.com
War and a hurricane - when it comes to mental trauma, the two aren't so different.
This was one conclusion of a forum Thursday night featuring two mental-health professionals and a Sun Herald staff writer. The seminar was about post-traumatic stress syndrome, the recognized precursor of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Mental trauma after the storm fell into two categories, said Steve Barrilleaux, director of Outpatient Services at Gulf Coast Mental Health Center in Gulfport. There were those with no mental-health problems before Katrina, who afterward began feeling anxiety and depression for the first time. Then there were those with pre-existing issues, which the hurricane exacerbated.
go here for the rest
http://www.sunherald.com/201/story/172947.html
"But these symptoms alone are not enough for a PTSD diagnosis, which he said is overused." Barrilleaux went on to claim.
If anything, it is under diagnosed.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Navy Psychologist Warns of Mental Health Provider, PTSD Training Shortfalls
From USA Today:
From his distant vantage point treating Marines at a base in Iwakuni, Japan, [Navy Cmdr. Mark] Russell, 46, has been speaking out for three years that the U.S. military faces a mental health crisis in the treatment of its combat veterans.
He has fired off memos to higher command and has gone public with his views, an unusual step for many in the military. Russell discussed his concerns in phone and Internet interviews. "We cannot provide the standard of care to treat PTSD via psychotherapy when we can barely keep up with new referrals and have to manage crises while filling in for the staffing gaps and vacancies due to deployment, attrition or no billeting," Russell says. "This is why I have been so outspoken."
http://ptsdcombat.blogspot.com/2007/01/navy-psychologist-warns-of-mental.html
From NAMI
How common is PTSD?
Studies suggest that anywhere between 2 percent and 9 percent of the population has had some degree of PTSD. However, the likelihood of developing the disorder is greater when someone is exposed to multiple traumas or traumatic events early in life (or both), especially if the trauma is long term or repeated. More cases of this disorder are found among inner-city youths and people who have recently emigrated from troubled countries. And women seem to develop PTSD more often than men.
Veterans are perhaps the people most often associated with PTSD, or what was once referred to as "shell shock" or "battle fatigue." The Anxiety Disorders Association of America notes that an estimated 15 percent to 30 percent of the 3.5 million men and women who served in Vietnam have suffered from PTSD.
What are the symptoms of PTSD?Although the symptoms for individuals with PTSD can vary considerably, they generally fall into three categories:
Re-experience - Individuals with PTSD often experience recurrent and intrusive recollections of and/or nightmares about the stressful event. Some may experience flashbacks, hallucinations, or other vivid feelings of the event happening again. Others experience great psychological or physiological distress when certain things (objects, situations, etc.) remind them of the event.
Avoidance - Many with PTSD will persistently avoid things that remind them of the traumatic event. This can result in avoiding everything from thoughts, feelings, or conversations associated with the incident to activities, places, or people that cause them to recall the event. In others there may be a general lack of responsiveness signaled by an inability to recall aspects of the trauma, a decreased interest in formerly important activities, a feeling of detachment from others, a limited range of emotion, and/or feelings of hopelessness about the future.
Increased arousal - Symptoms in this area may include difficulty falling or staying asleep, irritability or outbursts of anger, difficulty concentrating, becoming very alert or watchful, and/or jumpiness or being easily startled.
It is important to note that those with PTSD often use alcohol or other drugs in an attempt to self-medicate. Individuals with this disorder may also be at an increased risk for suicide.
go here for the rest
http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=
By_Illness&template=/ContentManagement/
ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=10095
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and the CNN Medical Unit
It's no surprise that most people who endure a traumatic event suffer from some symptoms of PTSD, but the effects will often subside. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, about 8 percent of men and 20 percent of women go on to develop PTSD and roughly 20 percent of those people develop a chronic lifelong form of it. The condition is associated with other ailments such as increased risk of heart disease in men.
In terms of children, Stanford researchers found that severe stress can damage a child's brain. They looked at children suffering from PTSD as result of severe abuse and found that they often suffered a decrease in the size of the hippocampus - a part of the brain involved in memory processing and emotion. What's even more startling is that this effect on the brain may make it even harder for them to process normal stress for the rest of their lives. These days, more and more money and attention is being directed towards PTSD research, due in great part to the war. As troops come home from Iraq and Afghanistan, as many as 13 percent are found to have PTSD. There can be thousands more whose conditions go undiagnosed.
http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/blogs/paging.dr.gupta
/2007/08/back-to-va-tech-ptsd-concerns.html
Anyone can claim whatever they want if they have a title after their name but if they have no, or little, background dealing with PTSD, they will make claims that are not educated ones. I've read what they've had to say for 25 years. The professionals who write what is lived with and through are the ones I trust. If they come out with claims that PTSD is over used, I don't trust them.
There have been too many cases of someone having PTSD and not being diagnosed with it. Over 22,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan were given "personality disorder" markers instead of PTSD. Max Cleland, triple amputee, ex-senator, ex-head of the VA, was diagnosed with depression and treated for that since Vietnam, but it turned out, he too had PTSD.
Bill Richardson Proposes Expansion of PTSD Treatment for Veterans
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson Proposes Expansion of PTSD Treatment for Veterans
Fri, 10/26/2007 - 10:08 — newsdesk
October 25, 2007 -- Santa Fe – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today announced his proposal to expand treatment for veterans and their families suffering from post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.
At the request of Governor Richardson last fall, a team led by the Governor’s Behavioral Health Czar, Linda Roebuck, has been meeting to improve coordination of behavioral health services for military personnel in New Mexico.
click post title for the rest
Fri, 10/26/2007 - 10:08 — newsdesk
October 25, 2007 -- Santa Fe – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today announced his proposal to expand treatment for veterans and their families suffering from post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.
At the request of Governor Richardson last fall, a team led by the Governor’s Behavioral Health Czar, Linda Roebuck, has been meeting to improve coordination of behavioral health services for military personnel in New Mexico.
click post title for the rest
Fresh off two, back-to-back tours in Iraq, a troubled Marine reservist faced a judge
McKinney later told police that Roberts has issues with civilian society and experiences flashbacks from Iraq. He recently told her he doesn't trust himself. She said he needs professional help for mental health issues but refuses to see anyone.
Iraq Veteran Faces Charges
Threatened Girlfriend, According To Police
By CHRISTINE DEMPSEY Courant Staff Writer
October 25, 2007
MANCHESTER - Fresh off two, back-to-back tours in Iraq, a troubled Marine reservist faced a judge Wednesday on charges of pointing a loaded shotgun at his girlfriend and throwing a knife at her.
With "USMC" tattooed on his neck, Riaan Roberts, 25, of Chestnut Street, stood expressionless before the judge during his arraignment in Superior Court in Manchester.
The charges against him, which include first-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree unlawful restraint and third-degree assault, stem from a bizarre incident with his girlfriend early Tuesday. According to police, Roberts insulted the woman, threw a knife at her and pointed a loaded shotgun at her in their Manchester apartment where officers found three guns - two shotguns and a rifle - four knives and boxes of ammunition.
click post title for the rest
November 13, Obama and Bond Expect Answers On PTSD
Obama, Bond Demand Pentagon Report on PTSD Cases
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and Christopher Bond (R-MO) sent the following letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, requesting a full accounting of service members’ psychological injuries, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), since October 2001. The senators also requested a detailed report on how the military monitors other psychological injuries. Recent media accounts indicate that the number of service members seeking care for PTSD from the Veterans Administration (VA) increased 70% over a 12-month period, or an increase of some 20,000 cases. In addition, reports of the total number of cases of PTSD treatment at the VA since 2001 – 50,000 cases – far exceed the number of wounded documented by the Pentagon.
In the letter, Obama and Bond request information including the total number of PTSD among active duty service members; the total number of other reported psychological injuries; the procedures and referral mechanisms for service members to seek counseling while in combat; the number of mental health staff deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan; the number of mental health staff for each major mobilization and demobilization site; the incentives in place to attract additional behavioral health specialists; and the total annual expenditure on mental health care for active duty service members.
go here for the rest
http://www.vawatchdog.org/07/nf07/nfOCT07/nf102607-2.htm
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and Christopher Bond (R-MO) sent the following letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, requesting a full accounting of service members’ psychological injuries, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), since October 2001. The senators also requested a detailed report on how the military monitors other psychological injuries. Recent media accounts indicate that the number of service members seeking care for PTSD from the Veterans Administration (VA) increased 70% over a 12-month period, or an increase of some 20,000 cases. In addition, reports of the total number of cases of PTSD treatment at the VA since 2001 – 50,000 cases – far exceed the number of wounded documented by the Pentagon.
In the letter, Obama and Bond request information including the total number of PTSD among active duty service members; the total number of other reported psychological injuries; the procedures and referral mechanisms for service members to seek counseling while in combat; the number of mental health staff deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan; the number of mental health staff for each major mobilization and demobilization site; the incentives in place to attract additional behavioral health specialists; and the total annual expenditure on mental health care for active duty service members.
go here for the rest
http://www.vawatchdog.org/07/nf07/nfOCT07/nf102607-2.htm
VA To Host PTSD Research Conference
VA To Host PTSD Research Conference
By U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Oct 25, 2007 - 4:41:28 PM
Blackanthem Military News
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Gordon H. Mansfield announced today the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will convene a "consensus conference" with the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health to improve the designs and methodologies all three agencies will use in future research studies regarding Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
On October 18, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report which concluded exposure-based therapies such as prolonged exposure therapy and cognitive processing therapy have proven to be effective treatments for PTSD, while more research is needed on pharmacotherapy to determine its effectiveness.
"IOM's findings have important implications for the future of PTSD treatment for veterans and all Americans," said Mansfield. "We will use their report as a blueprint to guide our future research and treatment efforts."
click post title for the rest
By U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Oct 25, 2007 - 4:41:28 PM
Blackanthem Military News
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Gordon H. Mansfield announced today the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will convene a "consensus conference" with the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health to improve the designs and methodologies all three agencies will use in future research studies regarding Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
On October 18, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report which concluded exposure-based therapies such as prolonged exposure therapy and cognitive processing therapy have proven to be effective treatments for PTSD, while more research is needed on pharmacotherapy to determine its effectiveness.
"IOM's findings have important implications for the future of PTSD treatment for veterans and all Americans," said Mansfield. "We will use their report as a blueprint to guide our future research and treatment efforts."
click post title for the rest
Thursday, October 25, 2007
300,000 veterans may face disorder
300,000 veterans may face disorder
By Tom Corwin
Staff Writer
The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan could produce more than 300,000 cases of post-traumatic stress disorder, a psychiatrist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center told an Augusta VA audience Tuesday.
"I think this will be the biggest public mental health issue for the next 30 years," Maj. Scott Moran told the 2007 Warrior Care Coordination Conference at the Augusta Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers. "The outlook is not good without adequate resources."
Returning service members are also suffering higher numbers of mild traumatic brain injury from blasts, which also might play into post-traumatic stress disorder. That puts them at greater risk of being homeless, said Cheryl Beversdorf, the president and CEO of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. Already, an estimated 1,200 veterans from those conflicts are on the street.
go here for the rest
http://www.vawatchdog.org/07/nf07/nfOCT07/nf102507-4.htm
I do not agree. Just my opinion but from what I've seen, we were looking at numbers like this a couple of years ago. It is based on facts we have already seen. Reader of this blog and Screaming In An Empty Room (Nam Guardian Angel) know the reasons well. For those of you who are not regulars here, this is just part of the reasons I come to this with this opinion.
1978 DAV study placed PTSD diagnosed at 500,000
Another recent report said that in the last 18 months there have been another 148,000 Vietnam veterans seeking help for PTSD. This report came out last month.
We also need to keep in mind most Vietnam veterans had one year and one tour only.
These soldiers and Marines and National Guardsmen are on their 3rd, 4th and 5th tours.
Another factor is the length of deployment increasing the risk along with the re-deployments.
By Tom Corwin
Staff Writer
The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan could produce more than 300,000 cases of post-traumatic stress disorder, a psychiatrist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center told an Augusta VA audience Tuesday.
"I think this will be the biggest public mental health issue for the next 30 years," Maj. Scott Moran told the 2007 Warrior Care Coordination Conference at the Augusta Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers. "The outlook is not good without adequate resources."
Returning service members are also suffering higher numbers of mild traumatic brain injury from blasts, which also might play into post-traumatic stress disorder. That puts them at greater risk of being homeless, said Cheryl Beversdorf, the president and CEO of the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. Already, an estimated 1,200 veterans from those conflicts are on the street.
go here for the rest
http://www.vawatchdog.org/07/nf07/nfOCT07/nf102507-4.htm
I do not agree. Just my opinion but from what I've seen, we were looking at numbers like this a couple of years ago. It is based on facts we have already seen. Reader of this blog and Screaming In An Empty Room (Nam Guardian Angel) know the reasons well. For those of you who are not regulars here, this is just part of the reasons I come to this with this opinion.
1978 DAV study placed PTSD diagnosed at 500,000
Another recent report said that in the last 18 months there have been another 148,000 Vietnam veterans seeking help for PTSD. This report came out last month.
We also need to keep in mind most Vietnam veterans had one year and one tour only.
These soldiers and Marines and National Guardsmen are on their 3rd, 4th and 5th tours.
Another factor is the length of deployment increasing the risk along with the re-deployments.
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