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.