Troops still fear reporting PTSD

Iraq war over but no time to celebrate for anyone trying to take care of the wounded. We will be trying to help them for many years to come, just as we've been trying to help Vietnam veterans 40 years later. No one will ever get ahead of any of this especially with more troops in Afghanistan. Even when the deployments there have ended, the wars these veterans fought are far from over.

Mostly there is bad news on this fight to save their lives. Simple as that. The reports I've read and posted just today are better than any crystal ball. Suicide numbers are bad no matter how long they've said they were addressing it. Veterans getting into trouble top that off and most of the cases have been tied to PTSD. This morning started off badly with the report about programs that don't work. One of the big reasons for military suicides cost $140 million which is something I've been screaming about for years. As if anyone needed more reason than the suicide numbers to know how ineffective these programs are!

Now we read one more report today saying that they still fear reporting PTSD.

Study: Troops still fear reporting PTSD
By Patricia Kime - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Dec 16, 2011 16:09:50 EST
Even as military officials continue to work on easing the stigma of seeking help for mental health issues, many service members remain loath to admit they suffer post-traumatic stress disorder or have suicidal thoughts, according to a study published recently in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

A review of post-deployment screening questionnaires completed by an Army brigade combat team found that those who were allowed to complete the forms anonymously reported depression, PTSD and suicidal thoughts at rates two to four times higher than those who had to put their names on the forms.

And more than 20 percent of the soldiers who screened positive for depression or PTSD said they were uncomfortable reporting their answers honestly in routine post-deployment screenings.

“Current post-deployment mental health screening tools are dependent on soldiers honestly reporting their symptoms. This study indicates that post-deployment health assessment screening process misses most soldiers with significant mental health problems,” wrote the authors, eight physicians stationed at military bases and the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, Md.
read more here

Is it because they don't trust the programs out there and are afraid they will get worse instead of better? Is it because of all the horrible reports ending with veterans being shot by police or being arrested? Is it because they are afraid they can no longer do their jobs if they are diagnosed with PTSD? Not so far fetched considering there were some snipers given medications and they were still expected to think clearly and aim straight.

They can find any excuse to not ask for help if they think the help they may get is not worth the effort or the risk to their careers. Sad really when you think that most of the time this all depends on the commanders they have. If they are informed and supportive, they end up with a trained, tried and healed soldier ending up appreciating their commander even more but if not they end up hating being there.