PTSD and Mental Health Treatment for US Soldiers
Say what you want about the politics of war in the Middle East, about the governments’ policies and practice with maintaining US troops in that region. The fact of the matter is, US soldiers are experiencing service-related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms and are being insufficiently treated both in the field and upon returning state-side.
PTSD symptoms can be transient or enduring; they can be mild to severe; they can be minor or significant in the impairment of day-to-day functioning. It is interesting that the terminology and diagnostic classification of PTSD emerged, in large part, from combat experiences of Vietnam veterans, so who should know more about identifying and treating combat mental health than our defense department. Recent military-initiated mental health referrals for soldiers who were stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan related to combat PTSD were only 22% for returning soldiers. There have been statements inferring that too much attention by military command to mental health symptoms serves only to further disable soldiers from performing duties assigned; the old “suck it up” mindset.
For a more detailed description of this phenomenon, logon to PTSD.
PTSD symptoms can be transient or enduring; they can be mild to severe; they can be minor or significant in the impairment of day-to-day functioning. It is interesting that the terminology and diagnostic classification of PTSD emerged, in large part, from combat experiences of Vietnam veterans, so who should know more about identifying and treating combat mental health than our defense department. Recent military-initiated mental health referrals for soldiers who were stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan related to combat PTSD were only 22% for returning soldiers. There have been statements inferring that too much attention by military command to mental health symptoms serves only to further disable soldiers from performing duties assigned; the old “suck it up” mindset.
For a more detailed description of this phenomenon, logon to PTSD.
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