Living with PTSD

Is it hard to live with PTSD? Yes, but it is harder than it should be for far too many veterans and their families. The problem is everyone is pretending this is a new problem instead of something that got this bad because no one was paying attention. Correction, very few were paying attention, and the few were the families of the veterans living with PTSD since Vietnam. Ask us if you can live with it, learn to laugh, find dreams to reach for again, find reasons to hope and inspiration to heal and you'll know what is possible. Keep asking the others just getting involved in this and you'll find reasons to want to just give up. Don't give up because when you look at a Vietnam veteran walking by you with his Vietnam Vet hat on, you are looking at a survivor. More than likely, his wife is still right by his side.

Sgt. Loyd Sawyer saw the faces of a lot of those who died in Afghanistan and Iraq. After working in the Army mortuary, those faces stuck with Loyd. Now his family tries to reach out to a man that is different from the one who left.
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PTSD: An Army colonel’s quest for answersArmy Col. Rich O’Connor does not mince words when he talks about the amount of mental health training he had before he took a squadron in the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment to war in Iraq’s Diyalah province in 2006.Read more »
No combat necessaryThe Department of Veterans Affairs is moving closer to simplifying the process for many veterans to link post-traumatic stress disorder to their military service, whether in a war zone or not, which opens the door for disability benefits. Read more »
Obama: Fixing VA could take yearsPresident Barack Obama not only wants to improve the treatment of America’s veterans, but also to reach out to homeless veterans, as well as those who have turned their backs on — or are unaware of — the benefits they’ve earned. Read more »
If they want adrenaline, let's give them adrenalineSoldiers who are used to life in a war zone can suddenly find life at home to be moving at a glacial pace. Extreme experiences such as thrill sports may help troops overcome what one soldier called "the Rambo syndrome." Read more »
Change would streamline PTSD claims for vets
True stories of PTSD, brain-injury victims and those who try to help
VA works to stop vets from repeating crimes