PTSD -- The Arguments

[Gunny]

Fair enough. You presented the argument against making PTSD an injury that deserves the Purple Heart. I've been talking with friends about trauma from a generational perspective. Attitudes are inherited.

The increase in PTSD has to do with letting gays and lesbians into the military.

Homosexuals are more prone to mental illness and have weaker inner strength when dealing with stressful situations such as combat.

Is that a fact? Fuck you, scumsucker.

 

[KittenKoder]

Psychological injury is just as bad as physical injury, but in both cases it's all political crap now. I agree with Gunny 100% on this.

A medal doesn't help the person ... in either case. Honorable discharge yeah, in both cases they are unable to perform as needed. But a real job and maintained health care when they get out ... that's real help. The medal is just pointing fingers at them, do you like people pointing fingers at you? I hated it, really. Though for me it was shelter workers and residents, then social workers, then employers ... now I am fine, I had to rise above that, but it's hard to. When people point fingers it's like telling them over and over again that they are damaged and less than capable every single day. Oh yeah, that will help PTSD.

 

[Gunny]

Sunni served in combat? News to me. I thought he just hung around and beat up gays serving in the military.

I can only conclude from this thread that men are too wussy to be men if someone knows they have mental problems.

Kind of hysterical, really.

You obviously are laughing at yourself since your conclusion is pretty fucking stupid.

 

[KittenKoder]

Fair enough. You presented the argument against making PTSD an injury that deserves the Purple Heart. I've been talking with friends about trauma from a generational perspective. Attitudes are inherited.

The increase in PTSD has to do with letting gays and lesbians into the military.

Homosexuals are more prone to mental illness and have weaker inner strength when dealing with stressful situations such as combat.

This is why you haters are just scum. You just basically called everyone who has PTSD homosexual ... and not in a good way, you also called anyone who suffers from it weak and inferior, which is wrong on so many levels.

 

[elvis]

Fair enough. You presented the argument against making PTSD an injury that deserves the Purple Heart. I've been talking with friends about trauma from a generational perspective. Attitudes are inherited.

The increase in PTSD has to do with letting gays and lesbians into the military.

Homosexuals are more prone to mental illness and have weaker inner strength when dealing with stressful situations such as combat.

Is that a fact? Fuck you, scumsucker.

His posts read like Mein Kampf. (I am taking a German history class)

 

[Gunny]

Nope. Your way off the mark, Gunny.

"All Soldiers in combat suffer stress, but most recover quickly. Those whose symptoms persist may have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

PTSD is a condition that often follows a terrifying physical or emotional event, causing the person who survived the event to have persistent, frightening thoughts and memories, or flashbacks, of the ordeal. People with PTSD often feel chronically, emotionally numb.

Soldiers with PTSD may have three kinds of symptoms for weeks or months after the event is over and the individual is in a safe environment. These symptoms are re-experiencing the event over and over again; avoiding people, places or feelings that remind them of the event; and feeling keyed up or on-edge all the time. These symptoms may interfere with the ability to live their normal lives or do their jobs.

PTSD is treatable, especially if treatment begins early. Treatment options include medication and talking therapy. Most Soldiers diagnosed with PTSD are treated successfully and remain on active duty.

Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries (mTBI) may be commonly referred to as concussions or “getting your bell rung.” Unlike severe TBI in which there may be a penetrating head injury with an obvious wound, a mild TBI or concussion may have no physical signs. It may result from a hard blow or jolt to the head, or a blast exposure that causes the brain to be shaken within the skull. TBI may involve confusion, disorientation, or impaired consciousness, dysfunction of memory (amnesia), or loss of consciousness.

Most people with mild TBI recover fully, but recovery can take time. One purpose of the chain-teaching program is to equip Soldiers to recognize symptoms of these conditions in themselves or others so they can obtain treatment."

Blog Them Out of the Stone Age » Getting Beyond the PTSD Stigma

I'm way off the mark. I have been diagnosed with PTSD. I receive treatment for it. I, not your mouthy little ass suffer the affects of it. But you want to tell ME what it's all about?

You are pathetic.

 

[KittenKoder]

Wait ... Arthur thinks they recover quickly from having been in combat for years on end? I hate to laugh at that just because of how wrong it is. Ever talk to Vietnam vets Arthur ... oh yeah, a huge majority of them recovered quickly ...

 

[Luissa]

Wait ... Arthur thinks they recover quickly from having been in combat for years on end? I hate to laugh at that just because of how wrong it is. Ever talk to Vietnam vets Arthur ... oh yeah, a huge majority of them recovered quickly ...

I have talked to a few, when I was working in a city park and they were living there drinking every day and than there was the ones who think they are still in the war, yeah I would say they are handling it well. I also worked with a vietnam wet who had been homeless off and on since the war, he was usually homeless when he was drinking again. I am happy to say I saw him recently and he was sober again and doing well!
We found one guy who had fallen out of his wheelchair and had another kind of accident, and he was homeless. I would have to say he wasn't effected by the war at all!

 

[Arthur]

Wait ... Arthur thinks they recover quickly from having been in combat for years on end? I hate to laugh at that just because of how wrong it is. Ever talk to Vietnam vets Arthur ... oh yeah, a huge majority of them recovered quickly ...

How did you ever get that idea from anything I've posted?

This post does not represent my thinking on PTSD one bit. PTS post traumatic stress and PTSD are two different things. Not every soldier gets PTSD. Many do. It takes YEARS to get over it.

 

[Arthur]

Wait ... Arthur thinks they recover quickly from having been in combat for years on end? I hate to laugh at that just because of how wrong it is. Ever talk to Vietnam vets Arthur ... oh yeah, a huge majority of them recovered quickly ...

I have talked to a few, when I was working in a city park and they were living there drinking every day and than there was the ones who think they are still in the war, yeah I would say they are handling it well. I also worked with a vietnam wet who had been homeless off and on since the war, he was usually homeless when he was drinking again. I am happy to say I saw him recently and he was sober again and doing well!
We found one guy who had fallen out of his wheelchair and had another kind of accident, and he was homeless. I would have to say he wasn't effected by the war at all!

If you notice that the article I posted states that not all soldiers develop PTSD. For some, they return with post traumatic stress (PTS) but seem to recover ok. Many develop PTSD and do not recover so quickly.

EMDR is a new therapy that is getting good results for PTSD.

Many with PTSD try to self-medicate their symptoms with alcohol and drugs and other compulsive behaviors and many become addicts and alcoholics.

The success rate for full recovery of alcoholism is about four percent. That means that 96% don't make it. Many alcoholics and drug addicts are trauma survivors.

We owe veterans for the advances in the current work on PTSD.

 

[catzmeow]

I'm way off the mark. I have been diagnosed with PTSD. I receive treatment for it. I, not your mouthy little ass suffer the affects of it. But you want to tell ME what it's all about?

You are pathetic.

EXACTLY. So typical of the mental health industry...they know better than everyone, even when they don't know jack shit.

 

[catzmeow]

EMDR is a new therapy that is getting good results for PTSD.

I do agree with this. I know several officers who've had EMDR, and it worked wonders for them. Frankly, I wish my health insurance would cover it for me.

But, having said that, I still don't support awarding the purple heart to PTSD survivors. It's a purely political move that does nothing to benefit the issue.

What Robert is doing is about a million times more profound and important...what people need is readily available treatment that doesn't affect their career track, and isn't viewed as a terminal, stigmatizing injury.

Awarding the purple heart for this would hurt, not help. Furthermore, some people go into the military with PTSD. We simply don't know enough about it to conclude clearly that a vet's PTSD was caused by his/her military service. There can be other, outside factors that also play a role. And politics doesn't belong in this arena.

 

[dilloduck]

I received my PTSD from several posters here----does the membership upgrade include therapy ?

 

[catzmeow]

Was it from the person who told you she'd make you cry near suicidal tears? I know posting on message boards can be incredibly traumatic for some (stupid) people.

 

[dilloduck]

Was it from the person who told you she'd make you cry near suicidal tears? I know posting on message boards can be incredibly traumatic for some (stupid) people.

well now that you mention it I had to run a whole load of hankies through the washer just yesterday.

 

[catzmeow]

Some users, from what I hear, are prone to being bullied and having trauma flashbacks from posting here. We are a scary fucking bunch.

 

[Arthur]

More about EMDR:

Several controlled field studies have tested EMDR in community settings such as low cost agencies5, an HMO facility and a university based clinic serving the outside community. Such studies, which reported good results, have excellent external validity. In the only controlled study that has treated disaster-related PTSD , school children’s PTSD symptoms were markedly reduced after EMDR treatment, with an improvement in overall health measured by fewer health visits to the school nurse. This was also the first controlled outcome study of any treatment for children with PTSD.

Studies with combat veterans were hampered by insufficient treatment time and fidelity to treatment. The only randomized study using the 12 session suggested minimum treatment14 indicated that 77% of the Vietnam veterans no longer had PTSD after the 12 sessions. A post hoc analysis of a PTSD program in the VA found a superiority of EMDR over the two other treatments used."
Summary of PTSD Research - EMDR Institute, Inc.

The Department of Defense/Department of Veterans Affairs Practice Guidlines have placed EMDR in the highest category, recommended for all trauma populations at all times. In addition, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies current treatment guidelines have designated EMDR as an effective treatment for PTSD (Chemtob, Tolin, van der Kolk & Pitman, 2000) as have the Departments of Health of both Northern Ireland and Israel (see below), which have indicated EMDR to be one of only two or three treatments of choice for trauma victims. The American Psychiatric Association Practice Guideline (2004) has stated that SSRI's, CBT, and EMDR are recommended as first-line treatments of trauma.
http://www.emdr.com/efficacy.htm

Regarding insurance for non-veterans. I just learned that medicare part b covers psychological care. AARP is a good second insurance back up for the co-pay. I just helped a friend with that yesterday.

 

[Amanda]

More about EMDR:
....

Arthur, I'm really disappointed at how you seem to be posting cut and paste responses. It makes for a really boring "conversation".

 

[catzmeow]

More about EMDR:
....

Arthur, I'm really disappointed at how you seem to be posting cut and paste responses. It makes for a really boring "conversation".

Arthur reminds me of another poster, but I'm not sure if I can figure out exactly who. His style seems vaguely familiar.

 

[kylelavito]

every soldier should seek help with ptsd the stigma comes from narrow minded people that really have no understanding at all i dont know but if your worried you could do a screening here
PTSD test