Southwestern Oregon Veteran's Outreach

Area veterans cope with post traumatic stress
By Azenith Smith
North Bend - It's a disorder that affects millions of veterans nationwide, and here in Coos County, a local veteran's outreach program is seeing more and more clients dealing with it.

According to Vic Diaz, founder and president of the Southwestern Oregon Veteran's Outreach, or SOVO, in the past three months, they've had a significant increase of combat veterans, returning from the Iraq War, who have post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.

Common symptoms include thoughts of depression and suicide, as well as isolation and withdrawal.

It's a problem that's affecting their way of life, as many of them tend to lose their jobs and have issues with their families.

"If the husband or the wife, who have been to war, come home, after time the rest of the family starts suffering from post traumatic stress disorder," says Diaz.

But he says, it can be treated and SOVO does offer resources like licensed psychiatrists and peer counselors to help veterans with PTSD and to let them know that they're not alone.

"The one thing in military is that they understand that we don't leave our dead or wounded out on the battlefield," says Diaz. "That doesn't stop once they come home, we still believe it and still live it.

If you are a veteran dealing with the disorder, or know someone who is, SOVO's open five days a week and welcome walk-ins.

For more information, call (541) 756-8718.