U.S. must battle against stigma of mental war wounds

Gazette Opinion: U.S. must battle against stigma of mental war wounds

If the Department of Defense were to label right-arm injuries suffered in combat as "pre-existing" medical conditions that don't qualify for government-paid treatment, Americans would be outraged. If Pentagon policy discouraged military members from disclosing to medical professionals that they had asthma, the public would be appalled and soldiers' health would be at risk.

Yet those absurd scenarios are similar to what thousands of U.S. military members and veterans have experienced in dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. Although this disorder is the result of combat duty, many have been diagnosed by the military system with "personality disorder," a condition that would predate their military service and not be eligible for Veterans Administration care. Military culture and bureaucracy have penalized members identified as having had a mental illness. "Don't tell, suffer alone" is the dangerous message that has been given.

Discrimination must end

This discrimination against military members with PTSD must end. A third of U.S. troops who served in Iraq or Afghanistan come home with traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder or other mental-health problems, according to a Rand Corp. study. That's hundreds of thousands of Americans who need timely treatment and deserve the respect of the nation they have served.

Montanans can be proud that our National Guard has become a leader in recognizing the vital importance of diagnosing PTSD and reaching out to all returning Guardsmen to offer more thorough education, screening and treatment. Montana standards were raised in response to the tragic death of a Helena Guardsman who served in combat, returned home with classic PTSD symptoms but didn't get needed treatment, and died by suicide.

As part of the ongoing outreach, starting Monday, the Montana National Guard will conduct community presentations of its "Picking up the Pieces" DVD along with a short presentation on PTSD in 20 communities that host a National Guard Armory.

"We're trying to raise awareness," said Capt. Jeremy Hedges, who is based in Helena and serves on the PTSD working group. "We're reaching out to the community."

Finally, the U.S. Department of Defense is starting to gain awareness. Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently has been urging troops to seek treatment instead of trying to ignore the problem.

"You're tough and you go into the hospital when you receive a physical wound," Gates said on a visit to a Texas Army post. "That doesn't mean you're weak in some way, and so why wouldn't you when you've received a psychological wound? It's the same difference. They're all wounded."

To make it easier for soldiers to seek treatment, Gates has announced a change on the application for a government security clearance that asks: In the last seven years, have you sought mental-health counseling? That question will no longer be asked. National Public Radio reported that studies show that the fear of losing a security clearance is one of the biggest reasons that combat veterans do not seek mental-health care.

Under the new policy, applicants who seek mental-health treatment could still obtain clearances if the treatment was for problems stemming from service in a combat zone.

Earlier this month, the American Forces Press Service reported that Gates is willing to consider awarding Purple Heart medals to combat veterans suffering with PTSD.

John E. Fortunato, who runs the Recovery and Resilience Center at Fort Bliss, Texas, told reporters that awarding the Purple Heart to PTSD sufferers would go a long way toward chipping away at prejudices surrounding the disease. Because PTSD affects structures in the brain, it's a physical disorder, "no different from shrapnel," Fortunato said. "This is an injury."

Wrongly classified

The Army classifies PTSD as an illness, not an injury, so troops with PTSD don't qualify for the Purple Heart, which is awarded to troops killed or wounded in combat.

A Purple Heart for a PTSD combat veteran would both lift up a worthy individual and tear down a dangerous stigma. PTSD is a real injury that can be more painful, more debilitating and longer lasting than a bleeding wound. The Pentagon and the American public ought to recognize this brain injury that has afflicted an estimated 300,000 Americans who have helped fight the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. They deserve the respect a Purple Heart would confer.

Copyright © The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/05/18/opinion/gazette/20-gazetteopinion.txt

I hope they forgive me for posting the whole thing but it is too important to just cut out parts of it. PTSD is a wound. For the millionth time, trauma is Greek for wound! It is not an illness. They called it an illness because it happens inside the body where no one can see it. This is a wound. It is not caused from the inside but penetrates it's way in.