Monday, May 30, 2005

Guest Opinion: Stress disorder in our veterans not cowardice, but treatable

QUYNN ELIZABETH

Tucson Citizen

My father died alone last year, one of many veterans who did come home, but not unscathed.

Many try to forget and move on. His trauma lasted the rest of his life, leading to alcoholism, divorce, estrangement from his children and, ultimately, regret that he hadn't made different choices much earlier in life.

At "Eyes Wide Open," a war memorial that came to Tucson in March, I met people touched by war.

A crying woman was preparing for her son's deployment. Several people were trying to understand a returned veteran's mental anguish. An elderly woman had divorced the man she loved because of his distress after the Korean War.

Most memorable was a Vietnam veteran whose friend bought him my book, "Accepting the Ashes - A Daughter's Look at Post Traumatic Stress Disorder." He showed up the next morning and said that by reading the book, he realized his father, a WWII veteran, had suffered extensive, undiagnosed PTSD.

Then quietly he told me he had been contemplating suicide. "Now, I'm not sure."

People do not want to be in pain. They want to heal. So this Memorial Day, I want to share some things I have learned.

Before Vietnam, a soldier with an emotional reaction to war trauma was considered a sissy, coward or mental case. Now PTSD is known as a common response to trauma.

It occurs when someone is exposed to a traumatic or life-threatening event: war, assault, sexual assault, natural or other disasters.

Symptoms include panic attacks, nightmares, insomnia, hyper-vigilance, flashbacks, outbursts of anger and irritability, problems with concentration and attention, and an inability to relax.

In combat, stress is created by many experiences: the fear of death, the stress of not being able to trust the civilians around you, watching and hearing violent death, seeing friends and allies wounded or killed, the guilt of survival and feelings associated with being ordered to kill - even the "enemy."

Many assume the symptoms are temporary, insignificant or a sign of weakness. Not so.

Anyone close to a combat veteran must be prepared for PTSD. In addition to the symptoms above, look for signs of depression, anger, reclusiveness and withdrawal.

The Veterans Administration or other mental-health experts should be contacted immediately.

Sufferers often cannot express their pain and won't seek help. American men are not encouraged to express feelings, especially sadness, confusion, frustration and pain. They fear that showing such emotions will make them vulnerable.

Our culture teaches boys this, and the military intensifies it. We need to acknowledge this cultural problem to understand why our men, especially, might not want to seek help when it is needed. NEXT PAGE» 1, 2