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Friday, February 15, 2013

PTSD victims aren't ticking time bombs, or victims

I don't want to slam this article because it is very good and makes very important points. The issue I have with it is in the title. They are not "victims" but they are survivors. If you take nothing else away from this please just remember this part.
The VA says, “The majority of individuals with PTSD have no history of aggression, violence, or criminal behavior, although irritability and anger are symptoms. Among individuals who do, minor aggression is more common than severe violence, and episodes of extreme violence are rare.
PTSD victims aren't ticking time bombs
Express-News Editorial Board
February 14, 2013

Back during and just after the Vietnam War, there came into being a common image.

Every incident involving a Vietnam vet seemed to drive a perception that those who served in combat were “ticking time bombs.”

Post-traumatic stress disorder is not new. The pain and grief it inflicts on combat veterans is real. But here's what isn't — then or now. Not every combat vet, nor every person who suffers from PTSD, is a bomb sure to explode.

Recently, a veteran of the Iraq War was arrested on suspicion of shooting and killing two men, one of them, Chris Kyle, a former Navy SEAL and author of the book, “American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History.”
read more here

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