Veteran’s Day was yesterday. It is a holiday that started out as Armistice Day, and celebrated the “war to end all wars.” We now know that World War I did not end all wars: it was just a precursor of what was to come in the 20th century. After World War II, Armistice Day became Veteran’s Day—a day to honor all who served.
You may not recognize someone who served. The guy delivering your pizza? He was a Marine and served two tours in Afghanistan. That old man you were bitching about for driving slow? He was in the Korean War. The woman at Home Depot who helped you put that drywall in your cart? she served in Germany during the Cold War.
None of us are the Hollywood stereotype of a crazed veteran with nostalgia, soldier’s heart, Da Costa's Syndrome, shell shock, war neuroses, combat stress reaction, battle fatigue, or what is now known as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Most veterans come home and live normal lives, just like yours. This is not to take away from those who suffer from it, but a diagnosis of PTSD does not mean you are a crazed veteran (Hollywood, are you listening?). But it is a serious condition that deserves more attention than it receives.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, it is estimated that PTSD afflicts:
- Almost 31 percent of Vietnam veterans
- As many as 10 percent of Gulf War (Desert Storm) veterans
- 11 percent of veterans of the war in Afghanistan
- 20 percent of Iraq War veterans
When you consider that veterans only make up 7.3 percent of the U.S. population, it is likely that the average American does not know any veterans, let alone one with PTSD. So how do we make sure that those who suffer from PTSD get the attention they deserve?
The first step, and this is possibly the most difficult: remove the stigma of seeking help for mental illness.
In the military you are taught that you must go on, you must continue the mission. At one point in my military service I was on a 20-mile road march, carrying a rucksack that was likely only 40 pounds lighter than I was at the time. At one break I knew I could not take my boots off to change socks, as I would never get my boots back on. My feet were horribly swollen, and I could tell something was amiss. I could barely walk those last eight miles, but knew I could not stop and hop into the Humvee. If I did, I would be letting my squad down. When we got back to the barracks I went to the medic and then to the base hospital, where I was chewed out by a captain for not stopping. That is the same mentality that prevents troops from seeking help for PTSD. It can be viewed as a sign of weakness.
Dr. Harold Kudler, Chief Consultant for Mental Health Services, Department of Veterans Affairs:
The most important thing to remove the stigma from PTSD is for people to talk about it, but, in talking about it, not fall into the stereotypes.
For people who have PTSD, they’re at risk for depression, for substance abuse. They’re at high risk for suicide, largely because of the nature of PTSD, to think about the world and yourself in negative terms, and this idea that nothing could ever go right.
The stigma of PTSD does not only come from this sense of machismo.
Part of PTSD is avoiding thinking about the trauma. So, it makes sense that people with PTSD may want to avoid getting treatment. But there are other reasons people might not seek care right away. Research points out some examples:
- Believing you will get better on your own
- Problems getting care, like finding a therapist, transportation, or cost
- Not knowing that PTSD treatments work
- Thinking that services are for other people, not you
First and foremost, we as a nation need to start treating all mental illnesses as illness in a medical sense. Going to the doctor for PTSD, depression, or any other mental illness should have no more of a stigma than going to the doctor for a sinus infection. There should never be a stigma to seeking help.
Second, the Hollywood portrayals of PTSD do a great disservice to all veterans. Most of us are not impacted by it and those that are have PTSD to varying levels. Some have minor cases while others are considerably more serious. To portray every case of PTSD exactly the same way is dishonest, and does no one any good.
Third, we must fight to make sure the VA medical system is fully funded, has the resources to perform outreach, and has enough staff and facilities to provide care for any veteran who needs it, regardless of where they live.
Lastly—and this is the big one: stop fighting pointless wars that go on forever, creating more and more veterans who suffer from PTSD.