On PTSD, or more properly, on Coming Home

On PTSD, or more properly, on Coming Home
Posted By Grim
Kat from Castle Donovan wanted us to talk seriously about the problem of what is fashionably called "PTSD." No one here needs an introduction to the topic. Kat's concern is that, in knocking down bad numbers on veterans' mental or spiritual health, we might ignore a real problem that needs to be dealt with.

She wants us to talk honestly about it, so I'm going to do that. There's quite a bit about myself I'm not going to tell you, now or ever. I will tell you some things you haven't heard before, to be sure, but I won't tell you why I know what I know. Just see if it seems right to you.

Professor Andrew Lubin and I talked to COL Sackett, of TSGLI, about the need for legislation to help make sure combat veterans can receive whatever treatment they want without wrecking their career. There is also the famous problem of the 'stigma' of asking for help, which is often seen as an admission that you're bent or broken or damaged. Young men, as combat soldiers tend to be, often don't want to show weakness. That is natural enough.

What you need to know, first and last, is that so-called PTSD is not an illness. It is a normal condition for people who have been through what you have been through. The instinct to kill and war is native to humanity. It is very deeply rooted in me, as it is in you. We have rules and customs to restrain it, so that sometimes we may have peace. What you are experiencing is not an illness, but the awareness of what human nature is like deep down. It is the awareness of what life is like without the walls that protect civilization.
go here for the rest
http://www.blackfive.net/main/2007/11/on-ptsd-or-more.html