The Soldier’s Private War and Invisible Wounds
The Soldier’s Private War and Invisible Wounds
There has been a recent push by Army Secretary John McHugh to improve soldier’s “resilience” by strengthening the military’s mental health programs.1,2 In particular, there is significant concern over the rate of suicide among soldiers, as well as psychiatric illnesses such as PTSD.
PTSD is a psychiatric illness resulting from a physical or psychological trauma that is sometimes related to warfare, but of course occurs in the case of civilian trauma as well. However, wars have been a propitious time for studying PTSD. In an article by Robert Wilbur and me, the Soldier’s Private War with PTSD is briefly discussed, along with current treatment approaches.3
In a related video (below), a veteran and counselor in Upstate New York gives a short, poignant outreach message to veterans with invisible wounds.4The Invisible Wound movement is gaining momentum and is an organization created by warriors for warriors with PTSD. It is a grassroots organization that focuses on PTSD advocacy, community, and support for warriors and their families. The secondary mission of the organization is educating the public about the issues surrounding PTSD.5
References
References
1. Army Secretary Urges Soldier Mental Health Resilience Training. Kaiser Health News. February 5,2 013. http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/daily-reports/2013/february/05/behavioral-health-evaluations.aspx. Accessed February 22, 2013.
2. US Army: Ready and Resilient. http://www.army.mil/readyandresilient. Accessed February 22, 2012.
3. Wilbur R, Knoll JL. PTSD: the soldier’s private war. January 9, 2013. http://truth-out.org/news/item/13788-ptsd-the-soldiers-private-war. Accessed February 22, 2013.
4. Van Deusen R. To veterans with invisible wounds. A message regarding Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome: Words to motivate a veteran to get help. YouTube. November 19, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNV-hEsidXY&feature=em-share_video_user. Accessed February 22, 2013.
5. Invisible Wound: Warriors Helping Warriors Battle PTSD®. http://www.invisiblewound.us/. Accessed February 22, 2013.
I am a retired Army psych RN, and combat Veteran of Desert Storm, and now care for Veterans with the VA. PTSD is a HUGE problem which is still lacking needed attention and support. Our society is still stuck in the mindset that a "real" illness has to have something to do with some medical problem. Mental Illness, in particular PTSD, will manifest in somatic symptoms; however, it is usually dismissed as something else, and even sometimes as malingering to get benefits. When the mind and soul are wounded and broken, the body soon follows suit and there is a total breakdown and cease of functioning. Like the Invisible Wound Movement, I am part of a nonprofit called Operation IV, and we support veterans/active duty who are experiencing these and other difficulties with care and moving forward. Our organization formed after our founder's son committed suicide after his third deployment when he felt he had no outlet or options. All of us who are part of organizations and systems need to unit our efforts and get our troops some help. David Wood at the Huffington Post also did an excellent video series titled Beyond the Battlefield that addresses this problem as well.
I One issue that is not readily discussed is the fact that most of those suffering PTSD have not first hand witnessed combat. Might there be a prophylaxis in CISD close to the time of the vicarious traumatic exposure? I also think that mental health first aid may need to gain wider distribution much like BLS.
thanks for sharing Roland's video!