Soldiers with PTSD still need help and support

“As a community, we can make a different in the lives of our returning military,” Douglas said. “But we need to know the signs and symptoms and where to go to get help.”

Soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder still need help, support
By Kevin Barlow
kbarlow@pantagraph.com

CLINTON -- Soldiers coming home from war today are different from their predecessors, but they still need help and support when it comes to post-traumatic stress disorder, experts on the condition said.

“They are younger and have different needs and expectations, It’s a different generation,” said Katherine Edwards, an outreach director for Illiana Health Care System in Danville.

“They are smarter and computer-savvy,” she said. “So, they do research on their medical conditions, and often times can help the doctors with the diagnosis much quicker than previous patients.”

Edwards was among those who spoke to about 50 people last week at a seminar on raising awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder.

Vince Long, commander of the Illinois State Veterans of Foreign Wars and a Lincoln native, compared today’s veterans to the generation that fought in World War II, widely known as “the greatest generation.”

“They have earned that distinction because they saved the world,” he said of the older veterans.
“But I also believe the people who are serving in the military now are the most patriotic people I have ever seen in my life. Let’s not wait 50 years though, to tell them that.”
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