So after some extensive research talking with other veterans, some I knew, some I didn't (I met them and talked with them at the local VFW post), I have come up with some information that I personally don't find all that surprising.
I also gathered information from websites, veteran newsletters, forums, and the Department of Defense itself.
Some of my numbers are estimates but are as accurate as I could possibly make them given the facts that I found.
The percentage of Veterans that do not seek any help and have the symptoms of PTSD or PTSD itself: Approximately 73% The reason that I found to be most common with these particular Veterans that they have not sought out any sort of help even though they understand that it is available to them without charge is the because of the Military mentality that is thrust into all troops from basic training on.
That mentality is, if you're hurt, drink water, shake it off and get back to work.
A perfect example that comes from myself would be a time that I had a torn ligament in my ankle.
The Physical Fitness Test (PT Test) was coming up in 3 days.
The doctors had told me that surgery was not required but to just stay off of it and rest it.
I had not yet received a "profile" which is given by the doctors that you turn into you're chain of command.
This "profile" is nothing more than the doctor's recommendation and the chain of command is under no obligation to actually follow it.
The day of the PT Test, I was to go that morning back to the doctor to get my checkup, get a more permanent pain pill prescription and to get my profile.
My chain of command told me that I could go to the clinic after I had taken the PT Test.
The PT Test consists of pushups, sit-ups, and a 2 mile run.
I did as I was told under extreme pain.
After failing to reach the passing time on the 2 mile run (no big surprise) I was told that I could then go to the clinic.
So you see, the military has this suck it up, cover it up, attitude and it's my personal belief that that very attitude carries over to these veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that they are: A) Afraid to ask for help B) Asking for help would make them show weakness C) It all boils down to the initial mentality that is installed into our minds from basic training on.
The question is, how, do we break this hold on veterans that need help but are not seeking it or are refusing it when possibly, deep down they want it? The next big issue that faces Veterans is the actual help they get when they actually do seek it.
Many Veterans are not able to get appointments to get the counseling that they require or need on a regular basis.
Post-Traumatic Stress is not something that should be taken lightly on any scale.
With suicide rates sky rocketing from active duty service members and Veterans alike, we have to take action.
These heroes need the treatment that they are entitled to and deserve.
It is the least that we can do as Americans to ensure that our service men and women as well as our Veterans have up-to-date and state of the art treatment.
Each suicide is a casualty of war no matter how you look at it.
To give an example for myself, I can only get in to see my Psychologist for therapy once a month because the staff is so booked with appointments.
Each appointment is a 60 minute session.
When you haven't seen you're therapist in a month, the typical session begins with things like: How have you been doing? What have you been up to? What has changed since I last saw you? Basically, the everyday questions.
By the time that you go through this information and the therapist is able to record and process it all, you're 60 minutes is up.
For someone with PTSD, you haven't even addressed the actually cause of the PTSD or worked towards a form of therapy to help the person cope with and "get over the hump".
I actually had an experience once I returned from Iraq to Germany and was going through treatment for my PTSD that my chain of command did not even understand my actions.
I would miss a morning formation and a Staff Sergeant would come knocking on my door.
I would be in tears having not slept all night and struggling with thoughts of suicide and mentally beating myself up over things that had happened.
The Sergeant would simply ask, "Why aren't you at formation?" He had never experienced anything that I had experienced even though he himself had been deployed to Iraq, so he had no sympathy or simply didn't understand how I felt or what I was going through.
I think that ALL active duty service men and women should be educated on PTSD.
They should not receive a 20 minute crash course on it or handed a pamphlet that simply gets tossed in the trash.
They should be sat down and explained what it is, how it affects a person, how to pick up on the signals, and most importantly take it seriously.
Many experts talk about cigarette smoking and what it does to you and you see commercials, internet ads, pamphlets, flyers, you name it.
In my personal opinion, we should poster PTSD just as we do smoking or drinking and driving.
It is just as serious if not more serious.
Education is key but not only are we lacking in the education, we are lacking in the "caring department" as well.
I am no expert and am not exactly sure how to remedy this major and growing issue within the military (as well as civilians that are experiencing it outside of the military from things such as car crashes, fires, murders, etc.
) all that I know is that we need to tackle this issue before it consumes our military.
A squad in the military is only as strong as the weakest link and who wants that one service member, son, daughter, father, mother, etc.
Out there fighting while going through and experiencing PTSD symptoms or even has PTSD? I believe that tedious investigations if you will, should be conducted on service members after experiencing a potential traumatic event and that soldier(s) should be monitored and brought in for therapy regardless of how he or she feels while on active duty to ensure that they aren't developing PTSD symptoms.
While these steps I believe are necessary, the question still lies in the wake of what do we do with Veterans that are no longer active duty and aren't receiving the help they need or not receiving it on the basis that they need it? We hear a cry for more nurses for hospitals but why not a cry for more mental health doctors that are qualified to work with veterans? Why hasn't the VA addressed or made an attempt to reach out and bring in more doctors to meet the need? If you have 6 doctors for one VA hospital and they are all booked at least a month out, well, Houston we have a problem.
One other thing that I have found through my investigation on Veterans with PTSD is that nearly 91% of Veterans that are receiving help or are not, would rather talk to another Veteran rather than a doctor that has read about the things they have gone through but has never seen it with his or her own eyes.
This poses yet another large roadblock to getting Veterans the help they need but also having the personnel to meet those needs.
Perhaps the military should throw up a few posters offering to pay for mental health training for free (aside from their G.
I.
Bill) to perhaps bring more experienced Doctors to the front of what I call the "War on PTSD".
-- Justin Bailey