Psychological toll of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq mounts as veterans return home
Thu Oct 4, 2012
By Shoshana Guy
Rock Center
Sergeant Louis Loftus first noticed something was wrong when a simple picture brought him to tears.
“I came home on mid-tour leave and I was showing some family members pictures of my deployment,” said the veteran, 24, who served in Afghanistan. “And just from seeing a picture that reminded me of something where someone had been killed...right there I just started crying.”
By the time he was home from his second deployment he was plagued by a sleep disorder and nightmares, followed by anxiety and the impulse to isolate himself from his loved ones. Eventually he was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Some 2.4 million soldiers have been through Iraq and Afghanistan and the psychological toll of the wars is mounting. Last year the Veterans Administration treated almost 100,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans for PTSD. But many agree that the numbers could be higher because not everyone who suffers seeks treatment.
“I used to be one of those guys that made fun of people with post-traumatic stress -- in my mind, not to their face,” said Loftus in an interview airing tonight at 10pm/9c on NBC's Rock Center with Brian Williams. “But now I realize that it’s a real thing.”
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