Recognizing the 'Silent Killer' of the Military: PTSD

Recognizing the 'Silent Killer' of the Military: PTSD
Huffington Post
Harry Croft, M.D

Harry Croft M.D. is a former Army doctor and psychiatrist who has evaluated more than 7,000 veterans diagnosed with PTSD. He is author of the book "I Always Sit With My Back To The Wall." He is on a national speaking tour providing Continuing Medical Education to primary care physicians on recognizing the signs of PTSD in their veteran patients.

October 2, 2013

They served our country proud and fought for our freedom, but now many are paying a price they shouldn't have to pay.

One in five veterans suffers with combat-related post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and struggles to reintegrate back into society. Help is available, but many veterans continue to needlessly suffer for a number of reasons. Many veterans go to their civilian primary care physician (PCP) than to the doctors at the VA for treatment of their PTSD symptoms. What's needed is increased education for both primary care physicians and veterans when it comes to PTSD.

Commonly experienced symptoms of military PTSD include: inappropriate anger or irritability; insomnia; problems on the job and at home; acting detached or distant; having trouble with social events such as weddings, funerals and other family gatherings; and being easily startled or hyper vigilant.

Once the veteran is seen by his family doctor, a PTSD diagnosis is often missed for two reasons:

First, primary care physicians simply don't have the specific training to recognize or treat combat-related PTSD. It's not uncommon for the physician to write the patient a script for an antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication and send him on his way, failing to recognize there is a deeper underlying issue. In addition, many doctors have little time to spend with patients, and therefore are simply unable to fully explore all symptoms and give adequate information about the best treatment options.

Second, the patient fails to inform his doctor that he is a veteran and spent time in the combat theatre, and more than likely the physician fails to inquire. The patient's symptoms are attributed to stress or a rough patch that should hopefully improve with time.

To ensure that a proper diagnosis of PTSD is not missed, better education for both veterans and primary care physicians needs to become the new standard protocol.
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