Las Vegas NowPaula's Health Notes: The Lingering Anguish of War

Paula's Health Notes: The Lingering Anguish of War

The military has recently added a new element to training: mental resilience. The program is designed to prepare soldiers for the possible mental effects of combat, urban warfare, repeat tours of duty and so forth.

The initiative is badly needed. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have sent many American troops home with serious psychological difficulties. The Army culture has not in the past, encouraged soldiers to share their feelings, so they often remain bottled up. The incidence of suicide is heartbreaking, and the servicemen and women who will have to deal with post traumatic stress disorder could potentially be enormous. On top of all the physical injuries that the wars have caused, the mental health issue will stress an already bursting system.

A veteran of Vietnam recently wrote to me, and he said he found a program that helped him with PTSD. I attach a link, but as my deadline nears, I have not yet read his entire article.  I am also providing other links that deal with the same subject.

To anyone who may be suffering PTSD, my heart goes out to you, and I urge you to find help. It's an injury, just like a bullet wound, and there is hope for recovery.

http://thesop.org/index.php?bio=fredrendon

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/DS00246/DSECTION%3Dsymptoms

http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/post-traumatic-stress-disorder

http://www.ptsd.va.gov/

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml