Proof It's Never Too Late To Get Help For PTSD

There are only so many hours in the day and I have not had time to take a good look at this series. I'm putting in the links to the other parts and hopefully, I will get to the rest of them. For now, take a look at this site and see the great work they did and then do something for the veterans with PTSD. Contact the station and tell them "thank you" for this.

The War Within: Eyewitness News investigates PTSD, Part IV
By Kurt Rivera, Eyewitness News Video

Bakersfield Now - Bakersfield,CA,USA

* Editor's Note: This is an installment in an Eyewitness News special report on post-traumatic stress disorder. For months, Eyewitness News has been documenting personal accounts of the devastating disorder. Many military veterans have never spoken publicly about their agonizing problems.

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As our armed forces continue fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, more and more are coming home with post-traumatic stress disorder. The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates 18 veterans a day, or 6,500 a year, commit suicide.

Many fought in Vietnam where PTSD is an ongoing battle, even now.

"You would have three guys in a fox hole and one guy gets shot and other guys live.

You know what kind of mental effect that has on you?" says Oildale Vietnam veteran Mike Stevenson.

Stevenson was just 17 years old when he was dropped in a jungle to fight as a Marine.

"It's unreal some of the things I've seen," says Stevenson.

After 17 months of heavy combat in Vietnam, the Marine rifle expert came home, changed forever.

"Main thing is bodies, children, women. It's unreal whenever they wire up a child with an explosive and send him out to us. They're babies and don't know what's going on," he says.

Stevenson was diagnosed with post traumatic disorder. As a result, he has been plagued with nightmares, anxiety, anger for years. His life was a wreck.

"It got bad for me. ... I went through three marriages, drinking, doing drugs," said Stevenson.

It took 30 years and being homeless for months, but Stevenson finally sought help and has turned things around. Today, the numbers on just how many Vietnam vets suffer from the disorder is controversial. Some say one in five, others one in three.

go here for more

http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/healthalert/34435119.html

The War Within: Eyewitness News investigates PTSD, Part I
The War Within: Eyewitness News investigates PTSD, Part II
The War Within: Eyewitness News investigates PTSD, Part III