High numbers of West Virginia PTSD veterans

High number of WV war vets return home with PTSD, depression
By Emily Corio
Last year, West Virginia lawmakers wanted to know how veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan were adjusting to life at home. They commissioned a study to survey these veterans about their mental health, home-life and work. So far, the results show a troubling trend.
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Heady: Unless the primary care doctor, let’s say five years out, thinks to ask ‘Hey, did you, are you a veteran? Were you in Iraq? Did you see combat?’ Until we can understand all of those kinds of features and make sure that people are trained for that---to ask for it, to look for it, then that gives us a whole other picture to know what this, how to advise this person, how to help them, where to refer them, all of those kinds of things.

If the DOD and the VA did a better job of getting the troops and veterans to understand what PTSD is, they would not have to wait until they go to a private doctor later and take their chances the doctor would be aware of what to ask the veteran about. This is ridiculous!

Are they not doing more outreach work on purpose hoping more don't show up to seek treatment for their wounds and reduce the budget? I know it sounds like a conspiracy but given the fact PTSD has been well known under different names since the beginning of recorded history, you'd think everyone would know what it is, but they don't. I still get emails from veterans and their families trying to understand this. You would also think that since the Vietnam veterans rate of PTSD and astronomical numbers following Korean veterans and WWII veterans, they would have used all these years to be pro-active in addressing this. Then you would also have to think that if it was about saving a buck here and there, they would take advantage of early intervention to make sure that PTSD was stopped from getting worse before they became chronic and before their lives were destroyed to the point they could not work, saw their families fall apart and end up homeless. But, you must be among those who still think that when the administration claims they take care of the wounded, they actually do. We know what works and they are not doing it!