Combat veterans, families invited to forum on PTSD
Monday, March 20, 2006 - Bangor Daily News
Source:
http://www.bangornews.com/news/templates/?a=130816&z=200
Maine veterans and their loved ones may want to mark their calendars for a
coming presentation on post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 25, at the
Senator Inn in Augusta.
PTSD is a widely recognized but poorly understood psychological disorder that
affects people who have witnessed or participated in profoundly disturbing
events.
A person who is affected by it may relive the traumatic experience over and over
and may lose touch with reality. Intense feelings - fear, anxiety, horror or
helplessness - typically accompany the episodes, and in a less acute form may
become part of the individual's everyday life.
The person may become deeply withdrawn, depressed, paranoid, argumentative and
prone to violence. Untreated, PTSD can disrupt family life, render the
individual unemployable and lead to incarceration and suicide.
The disorder affects about 1 percent of the general population, but among
high-risk groups - such as combat veterans - the prevalence may be as high as 58
percent, according to the Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy.
That's why Maine Veterans for Peace is hosting the PTSD symposium next weekend,
partnering with Paralyzed Veterans of America, the state Department of Health
and Human Services, the Maine Council of Churches, the Southern Maine Labor
Council and other groups.
Presenters will include Glenn Schiraldi, who serves on the stress management
faculty in the public health department at the University of Maryland. A
graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Schiraldi also served on
the Pentagon's stress management staff and is the author of "The Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder Sourcebook."
Also presenting will be Bruce Letch, a clinical psychologist at the Togus VA
Medical Center near Augusta.
Though it wasn't formally recognized by the American Psychiatric Association
until 1980, combat-related PTSD has been around in one form or another as long
as humans have waged battle against each other, according to Walpole resident
Michael Uhl, an accomplished writer as well as a combat veteran of the Vietnam
War.
Uhl, who will lead next week's event, said the current conflicts in Iraq and
Afghanistan are similar to the war experience in Vietnam in that they are being
conducted largely in the midst of civilian populations.
"It's impossible to know who is the enemy, who supports the enemy or where the
enemy is," Uhl said.
The stress of constant vigilance can have a profound and lasting effect, he
said.
A person's own injuries, the injury or death of a buddy, and the relentless fear
and anxiety of battle can also traumatize a soldier. And then there is the human
"collateral damage" - the civilians who are killed or injured when fighting
erupts.
PTSD can affect any soldier, Uhl said. "But 40 percent of the troops in Iraq and
Afghanistan are there because they joined the National Guard. They're regular
civilians here at home. Fifty percent are married with children," he said.
For these noncareer soldiers, he said, the bloody reality of war can exact a
terrible emotional toll, especially when they come home and try to resume their
former lives as Joe Citizen.
Veterans of earlier wars who were psychologically damaged by their experiences
were often stigmatized, Uhl said, and didn't receive treatment to help them get
on with their lives.
Fortunately, PTSD's recognition by the medical field, the military and veterans'
organizations makes it easier for soldiers to come forward with their symptoms.
But many veterans - especially men - still find it difficult to admit they're
having problems, Uhl said. Others may be so deeply affected that they can't
recognize their behaviors as abnormal.
It's often family members or others close to the veteran who see the change and
understand the need to seek help.
Though the Veterans for Peace organization is a leader in the antiwar effort,
Uhl emphasized that the organization's other primary mission is to aid veterans
in whatever way is needed.
"We identify with veterans regardless of their politics, regardless of the
circumstances that drew them into the military," he said. "We're veterans who
help veterans."
Anyone interested in PTSD is welcome to attend Saturday's program, although it
is limited to 150 participants. So pre-registration is recommended. The charge
for attending is $10 per person, which includes lunch. The fee may be waived if
it's a hardship.
For information about the event or to pre-register, call 778-7292 or 293-2580.