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Apr
15
What Others Say About PTSD
Filed Under PTSD treatment
In the last few months I have written about characteristics and effects of PTSD. Some of the information came from years of living with someone with PTSD. Some of it came from over a decade of research. And, some of the information was the result of interviews carried out over the last eight years with families, vets, and civilian populations. A recent blog focused on “What I know for Sure” about this illusive, emotional oppressor and I ended with a comment from a newspaper article where an Iraq veteran stated that admitting he had served in Iraq or Afghanistan was like the plague because employers were apprehensive about hiring vets with PTSD. Reading this put me into a very philosophical guilt trip. We are trying to educate communities, veterans, families and friends about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. However, by no means is the information meant to make the vet look incompetent or out of control. PTSD is like any other challenge. Most of the conflict occurs within the person, and behind closed doors. For the most part, few people outside the immediate family have little if any idea of the torment and struggle going on within the individual.
While driving to Wyoming last week, I read an article in Scientific American by David Dobbs (April 2009) titled, “The Post-Traumatic Stress Trap”. The main idea of this piece centered on “a growing number of experts insist that the concept of post-traumatic stress disorder is itself disordered and that soldiers are suffering as a result” (p. 64). As I read the piece I both agreed and disagreed with what Mr. Dobbs wrote. There is no doubt that many people showing symptoms of any type of illness or disorder may be misdiagnosed, and when this occurs treatments are not only ineffective, but may even be harmful to the patient. PTSD is no exception. Just diagnosing, it can be tricky because its symptoms can mask other ailments such as depression, memory problems, and traumatic brain injuries. A helpful statement by Mr. Dobbs reminded the reader that for many vets returning from combat, normal readjustment may take months and even a few years to get back to regular existence. “Seeing most post-combat distress not as a disorder but as part of normal, if not painful, healing” (p. 68), may take some of the stigma away from the trauma of combat.
All of that is fine. Yet, as a researcher, I also know that for those who are misdiagnosed, many may never be identified due to lack of nearby medical facilities or lack of awareness. The last point Mr. Dobbs made, and I believe it is legitimate, refers to revising the rubric for more accurately diagnosing of PTSD. At any rate, the real challenge continues to be accurate identification of PTSD, effective treatment options, and correct information to increase awareness. PTSD is far more than a mere “adjustment” problem. The sufferer and the family need immediate and appropriate interventions if restorative health is to be obtained. As a nation, we have our work cut out for us, because a nation that forgets it warriors, fails its moral and humanitarian obligations to restore to physical and emotional health those it sends into battle. We must always take action; we must always remember that “If we send them, we must mend them”.
Comments
3 Responses to “What Others Say About PTSD”
tearsofawarrior.com – da best. Keep it going!
Tania
I love your last line! And I’m so glad you took the time to break down and analyze the Dobbs article, which I thought made an interesting point but didn’t consider the other side of the coin. I like his theory in that it allows vets the room for a perspective of self-forgiveness; it allows them the idea they should expect difficulties but that doesn’t mean they’re broken. But you’re right, too, that PTSD is more than a mere adjustment problem.
For those of us who wish to help, this post so correctly highlights the yin/yang of the problem – for everyone. Leaves me with the question: How do we mend them in a way that does not innappropriately bend them?
For years and years I would constantly be told to “let go” or “forget about it” when it came to Vietnam. No one understood that I had relentlessly tried that but it wouldn’t let go of me. For many years, I managed to drink away many of the symptoms; unfortunately that worked too well and I became addicted to my ‘medication’. I learned why that worked and was told by Dr Palmer that if he could prescribe any one medication that we both knew worked, it was alcohol, “but the side affects are a bitch” he said.
So, since 1996 I have been soberly searching for ways to handle the distress and disjointed aberrations of PTSD. As a result I have found that immediate change of venue, (physical location) and distraction helps me to regain some steadiness. My second reliance is my dog, Babe, an Airedale that notices everything. She has awaken me during nightmares and licks me in the middle of the night if she detects something not right with me. In exchange, I rely on her to know the safety of my surroundings. When she is calm there is no need for me to be alarmed. Finally, I rely heavily on the parting words of Dr Palmer when I left the PTSD clinic: “Because of what you’ve been through you must believe that you don’t have answer to anyone, at any time, for any thing, forever”. I do believe this. He also told me that I can not allow myself to feel intimadated by anything or anyone and that if I do, I am in trouble. That has been a very useful guide. Bottom line to what I started out saying is that I don’t give a shit what anyone thinks of me or what I should or should not do. This is the most liberating thought I possess.
Mike MacDonald
PS: I continue to sing the praises of your book to anyone who will listen. You two have made a tremendous contribution to veterans and their families.