"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"

"Shell shock", "soldier's heart", "nostalgia", "post traumatic stress disorder", and today, "traumatic brain injury." Going as far back as ancient Greece, history has documented the psychological pressures and consequences of war on soldiers. So why do we still let soldiers suffering from such pressures fall through the cracks upon their return from war, or while still on active duty? And even worse, why does the military refuse to give the same honors to all those who have given their lives for their country?

We give "Purple Hearts" to those soldiers who have been wounded or given their lives "conventionally" in combat, and President Obama writes the families a letter of condolence. However, for soldiers suffering psychological injuries (leading to suicide in 1/8 returning soldiers), there is no Purple Heart OR letter of condolence from the President, which I find ridiculous- almost as ridiculous as the fact that the military is not doing enough to help those suffering psychological traumas in the first place. When the numbers of soldiers dying from suicide exceeds those who die in active combat, something needs to dramatically change.

http://npr.vo.llnwd.net/kip0/_pxn=0+_pxK=17273/anon.npr-mp3/npr/atc/2010/09/20100904_atc_01.mp3?dl=1

This NPR investigation shows how the US Military is letting soldiers suffering from TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) return from Iraq and Afghanistan without receiving medical help or recognition they deserve. A report issued by the U.S. Army (http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2010-07-29-army-suicides_N.htm) made light of the fact that these psychological casualties are a result of combat and the everyday realities of war, and came to the conclusion that "simply stated, we are often more dangerous to ourselves than the enemy."

By not doing enough to give the medical help necessary for these soldiers, whose wounds, while sometimes less visible, are just as perilous as those who undergo injury or death in combat, the US Military is perpetuating the notion that psychiatric disorders are something that affect weak people, and those suffering should just try harder to "snap out of it". Perhaps I'm laying too much responsibility on the military for not trying hard enough to help; for it also takes a patient to go in for the help that they need. However, in this case, it's still on the military to be proactive and take action for their wounded soldiers, whether that means reducing stigmas and making it more socially acceptable for soldiers to seek the psychiatric help they need, by educating soldiers and their families about ALL risks of fighting for your country, or creating post-combat support groups and networks.

Symptoms of major depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder were reported by 16 percent to 17 percent of those who served in Iraq and 11 percent of those who were in Afghanistan. Compare these numbers to studies done years after the Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars that showed the rate of post-traumatic stress disorder at the time was 15 percent for Vietnam veterans and 2 percent to 10 percent for Gulf War veterans.

The whole issue made me think of this Peanuts cartoon:




Related links:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-hayden/1000-us-soldier-suicides_b_475917.html

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2009/12/16/quijano.soldier.condolences.cnn?iref=allsearch">


Study Shows 80% of Post-Traumatic Stress Sufferers Lost Symptoms After Taking Ecstasy
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/147624/80%25_of_post-traumatic_stress_sufferers_lost_symptoms_after_taking_ecstasy_--_study%27s_results/