Which Way Home for War Weary Troops?

Posted on May 3, 2010 by Tim Titolo

The way home for war weary troops is a revolving door between the States, Iraq and Afghanistan.  MSNBC recently reported the tragedy of Major Jeff Hall's and Joe Callan's multiple deployments to war torn zones with brief breaks at home in the United States.  For many U.S. vets, life becomes a revolving door of war, home, then back to combat — where they again face the same dangers and stresses.

Nearly 300,000 troops have served, three, four or more tours of duty in Afghanistan or Iraq.  The signs, symptoms and consequences of multiple blast injuries to the brain and PTSD show up when soldiers come home and too often are misunderstood and neglected.

With two long wars — Afghanistan is in its ninth year and Iraq just entered its eighth — the U.S. military finds itself straining to maintain a steady flow of troops. More than 2 million men and women have been deployed to serve in both conflicts, and more than 40 percent of them have served at least two tours, according to military records.
Nearly 300,000 troops have served three, four or more times. And, records show, more than half of those currently at war are at least on their second tour. (The vast majority of deployments last more than six months.)

For these men and women, life becomes a revolving door of war, home, then back to combat — sometimes within months — as they face the same dangers, the same stresses and the same agonizing separation from family. Some soldiers are gone so often, they're more comfortable being away.

The article looks deeper into the issues surrounding these military men and women.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Culture Change: Caring for Vets

Posted on August 18, 2009 by Tim Titolo

President Obama yesterday spoke with Veterans in Arizona.  He told them that traumatic brain injury and PTSD are the new wounds of war.  Those veterans in Vietnam and other wars who came home only to have depression, alcohol abuse, job loss, and the other "dominoes"  that fall for veterans can be substantially dealt with if treatment is received early enough for veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq.  The government, according to the President, is creating a culture of caring for veterans.

An excellent piece on PTSD in the military and what is being done to address it can be seen by clicking here.

Tags: , , , , ,

Ashamed of War Wounds

Posted on May 5, 2008 by Tim Titolo

More attention has been paid to the mental health of American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan than in any previous war. Yet shame remains a significant barrier to military personnel and their families getting the psychiatric treatment they need, a report released Wednesday says.

Time Magazine reports today on the American Psychiatric Association's study that veterans are attaching a stigma to the psychiatric afftects of the war.  This is a function of educating the public and veterans about the reality of brain and mental injury.

The good news is nearly three-quarters of the 200 military men and women interviewed by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) said that it was very or somewhat easy for them to seek out mental health care. But 60% still feared that doing so could have negative consequences on their career. More than half reported they believe others would think less of them if they sought out counseling, and most surveyed said they have rarely or never spoken even to family and friends about mental health issues. These numbers show "there's still a long way to go towards reducing the stigma surrounding care," says APA board member Dr. Mary Helen Davis.

Click here to read the whole article.

Tags: , , , ,

National Guard Checked for Brain Injury

Posted on November 18, 2007 by Tim Titolo

The National Guard is now being checked for signs and symptoms of brain injury with comparisons to base line data.

Beth Pearson, senior research associate at Dartmouth Medical School in New Hampshire and the principal investigator on the National Guard project, said Thursday that explosive devices used in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are causing traumatic brain injuries in many service members. But without a pre-deployment baseline, it's impossible to tell whether an individual's abnormal brain function predates deployment or is related to military service, she said.

"Now we'll have a baseline measure of the neurological functioning of each person, and they'll be retested on their return for any changes," she said. That will help doctors determine which areas of the brain have been injured and improve medical treatment. Veterans Affairs officials at Togus are supportive of the project, Pearson added.

Read the full article here.

Tags: , , ,