PTSD

I have some questions that have been bothering me since I got back from Iraq. Many people seem to feel that PTSD is not a "real" illness, and that somehow soldiers of my generation are "weak". I have heard the most vocal detractors of PTSD from former veterans. However, there has also been a spike in WWII, Korean War, Vietnam, and Gulf War vets filing claims for PTSD.

I had a doctor tell me that since I was not a "combat" soldier, that my symptoms were probably not PTSD. We have doctors in the VA as well that have been told in internal memos to diagnose people with other things besides PTSD because it will cost them too much money.

I am not saying I have severe PTSD. However, I had to deal with body parts, death, and some heavy things during my year in Iraq. Yeah, combat soldiers see their buddies shot, and deal with IEDs. Those of us in the medical field saw injuries and death almost every day. We saw not only combat injuries, but stupid accidents, and suicides.

Which brings me to another point: The suicide rate in the military is through the roof. We had several in Iraq. I statistic I heard today is that Fort Hood is experiencing ten suicides A MONTH. Something like 30% of currently deployed soldiers are on some sort of medication, to include Ambien, and other drugs for depression and anxiety.

So, those of you who do not "believe" in PTSD, why? Why do you feel that the soldiers of my generation are somehow less worthy of those who went before us? I just do not understand, and it has been really bothering me lately.

It relates to the publics negative feelings about this war, just as happened
during and after Vietnam.

I have some questions that have been bothering me since I got back from Iraq. Many people seem to feel that PTSD is not a "real" illness, and that somehow soldiers of my generation are "weak". I have heard the most vocal detractors of PTSD from former veterans. However, there has also been a spike in WWII, Korean War, Vietnam, and Gulf War vets filing claims for PTSD.

I had a doctor tell me that since I was not a "combat" soldier, that my symptoms were probably not PTSD. We have doctors in the VA as well that have been told in internal memos to diagnose people with other things besides PTSD because it will cost them too much money.

I am not saying I have severe PTSD. However, I had to deal with body parts, death, and some heavy things during my year in Iraq. Yeah, combat soldiers see their buddies shot, and deal with IEDs. Those of us in the medical field saw injuries and death almost every day. We saw not only combat injuries, but stupid accidents, and suicides.

Which brings me to another point: The suicide rate in the military is through the roof. We had several in Iraq. I statistic I heard today is that Fort Hood is experiencing ten suicides A MONTH. Something like 30% of currently deployed soldiers are on some sort of medication, to include Ambien, and other drugs for depression and anxiety.

So, those of you who do not "believe" in PTSD, why? Why do you feel that the soldiers of my generation are somehow less worthy of those who went before us? I just do not understand, and it has been really bothering me lately.

You certainly are not "less worthy"!

It's why people were shot for cowardice in WW1, but they didn't know it

I do not want to make this into a "Thanks for your service" fest. I got paid, and well for my time in Iraq, and managed to finish almost 18 hours of college free of charge while there. I do have nightmares, because I had to handle and package dismembered body parts, and we had an issue with the amputated hands of an insurgent that ended up in legal limbo and stayed in my fridge in bags of formalin for three months. I finally just took a chance, and put them in with the other medical waste to be incinerated. I just could not stand to look at them anymore.

I saw far worse things over there, but that of all things gives me nightmares still.

I have some questions that have been bothering me since I got back from Iraq. Many people seem to feel that PTSD is not a "real" illness, and that somehow soldiers of my generation are "weak". I have heard the most vocal detractors of PTSD from former veterans. However, there has also been a spike in WWII, Korean War, Vietnam, and Gulf War vets filing claims for PTSD.

I had a doctor tell me that since I was not a "combat" soldier, that my symptoms were probably not PTSD. We have doctors in the VA as well that have been told in internal memos to diagnose people with other things besides PTSD because it will cost them too much money.

I am not saying I have severe PTSD. However, I had to deal with body parts, death, and some heavy things during my year in Iraq. Yeah, combat soldiers see their buddies shot, and deal with IEDs. Those of us in the medical field saw injuries and death almost every day. We saw not only combat injuries, but stupid accidents, and suicides.

Which brings me to another point: The suicide rate in the military is through the roof. We had several in Iraq. I statistic I heard today is that Fort Hood is experiencing ten suicides A MONTH. Something like 30% of currently deployed soldiers are on some sort of medication, to include Ambien, and other drugs for depression and anxiety.

So, those of you who do not "believe" in PTSD, why? Why do you feel that the soldiers of my generation are somehow less worthy of those who went before us? I just do not understand, and it has been really bothering me lately.

People could claim PTSD for many occupations, ER doctors, cops, fireman, rescue workers... 

And they do. How does that make it any less relevant as a psychological disorder? Human beings are empathetic creatures, and seeing carnage done to our fellow man on a daily basis does things to you. As does having to kill or injure people. I got out of combat arms because mentally I could not handle the strain. I was artillery when I first joined, and the thought of killing people I would never see really got to me. So I switched to the medical field. There are some who can kill and sleep just fine. There are others that never forget. All of those fields you mentioned also have very high rates of suicide and alcoholism.

I noticed a story about how the VFW is having a hard time getting younger members. A member noted that he did not want any of those "young crazies" joining up.

If our troops get this treatment from old vets how can they expect the normal population to accept them?

PTSD or no PTSD they're soldiers and citizens and they deserve treatment if they can't handle what our government put them through.

I have gone to the local VFW one time. I had a few beers, and most of the old guys were really cool....until I told them that I helped save some lives in Iraq, and a few of them were Iraqis. Never mind that one of them was an Iraqi police officer who was getting death threats daily, yet still went in every day to help make his country a bit safer, and was almost killed when a bomb under his truck exploded.

I have not been back since.