"War is bad for the brain"

Two sides of death

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
April 27, 2019

Tonight I finally had time to watch one of my favorite shows, Seal Team and I have been having trouble getting this one out of my head.

Brett Swan was having a hard time coming to terms with having PTSD, yet when he thought it was more a matter of TBI, he was not ashamed of saying he thought that was his problem.

At the same time, the Team was searching for a fallen service member. They were risking their lives to recover his body. They knew he was already dead, yet, not leaving him behind was a priority to them.

SEAL TEAM MEDICATE AND ISOLATE

While Bravo Team is on a recovery mission in Mali, their friend, former Navy SEAL Brett Swan (Tony Curran), continues to struggle with his mental health. (TV-14 L, V) Air Date: Apr 24, 2019

Clay, (Max Thieriot) still trying to recover from being blown up, had been trying to help Brett as he was being overcome by memory loss.

As the TEAM was trying to locate the remains of Capt. Washington, Clay was getting Brett to the VA.

The VA scenes were typical of a lot of VA hospitals, but not all of them. Long lines, long waits and "soldier's reward for serving" the country.

Watching the TEAM go through the recovery efforts, then watching Brett and Clay at the VA, stuck with me.

How is it that we seem to accept every effort being made to recover the fallen to honor their lives lost in service, yet, cannot manage to do the same for those who are wounded while serving?

How is it that, as Brett seemed to find no problem with being in the grip of TBI, he had such a hard time with PTSD? That happens all the time...still and it shows that after decades of research, education and claiming they are doing all they can to get rid of the stigma, it is still stronger than PTSD itself?

Clay was there for Brett, but Brett gave up. It is obvious that the writers had been paying attention to the latest news reports of veterans committing suicide at the VA. It would have been great if they had paid attention to the rest of the things going on at the VA...like what they have been getting right.

Brett's doctor said he could not treat him for TBI without medical evidence he had it and could not order and MRI since it was not documented in his service record.

Well, that is wrong and frankly, BS. No veteran would be treated and compensated for PTSD, or a long list of other disabilities, if that was how they were determined.


They also got the "therapy" session wrong. That would be more like a first session, not one that happens after multiple visits. Since Brett was on a lot of medications, it would not be a first for him.

He kept getting upset with "mental disorder" term being used, and then tried to change it to TBI because he understood that to be a wound. As Brett was trying to explain that he was sure he had TBI instead of PTSD, he said "war is bad for the brain" and he was right.

This again, shows that is also a problem for too many veterans because they still do not understand what PTSD actually means. It means after they were wounded. "Post" is after and "Trauma" is Greek for wound.

The TEAM found Capt. Washington and continued to risk their lives to bring his body home, while Brett was planning on leaving his body behind.

Clay found him in the parking lot.

This is one of those shows that will not be easy to just let go of.

After the episode, CBS did a message about needing help and that was great too. At least, they are talking about a lot of things that happen and I hope as the series goes on, they cover more of what really happens at the VA that does work.

They need to know they matter just as much as the fallen and no one gets left behind.

PTSD Got a new name?

What drives the stigma is not the "D"
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
June 17, 2018

This morning on PTSD Patrol there is a special video on how some want to change the term of PTSD to PTS, as if that one little letter is keeping you from asking for help. 

Yep, they think that you are more afraid of the letter than anything else you faced off with that caused PTSD in the first place.

Will Google Learn that PTSD Got A New Name? by Laura Rittenhouse on Forbes June of last year. This is what she wrote.

On the subway recently, I complained about the MTA’s lousy service to the man sitting next to me. Every day, I said, there are more delays, route changes, and crowded cars. He agreed. Then I continued, “Of course there are worse things in life than subway disruptions.” He agreed.

He told me his brother-in-law, who was a veteran, had struggled with “PTSD” for two years, since returning from Afghanistan. Last week, he said, this man killed himself. “He took a gun to his head…”

“I’m so sorry,” I exclaimed. We sat and shared silence. I asked him, “Do you know that PTSD is now PTS for ‘post traumatic stress’? The “D” for “Disorder” was dropped.” He did not know. In fact, lots of folks, and Google, still don’t know this. I googled PTS and all I got was PTSD. Here is why it’s important to drop the D for "Disorder"

For some strange reason, as she wrote, she "broke the "silence" correcting him instead of comforting him. 

Aside from this guy pouring his heart out to this stranger on the subway and then getting smacked down with a correction, instead of showing empathy, she got it wrong. Imagine him sharing that kind of heartache with a stranger and then hearing a lesson on a letter!

Sure there are some folks pushing to drop the "D" but none of them really understand what the term means. If they think that one letter is feeding the stigma, perhaps they should consider what they are adding to it instead.

And then in the article she quoted George Carlin. It seems as if it has become her mission to make sure people stop using the D! She gave the same lesson to a waiter. After all, so many think it is adding to the stigma. Ya, I know, smacked me in the head too!

Rittenhouse ended with this thought.

Removing the stigma of “D” shows veterans that we support their physical, psychological and spiritual healing. It builds empathy and can transform lives.

Is she an expert on this? Nope! This is her bio.

I founded Rittenhouse Rankings Inc. after leaving Lehman Brothers in the '90s. I am the author of "Investing Between the Lines: How to Make Smarter Decisions by Decoding CEO Communications" and have been a featured author at the Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting. My annual CEO Candor Surveys report on companies that excel in Candor and those that do not.

See, the thing is, they have been changing the name for decades, and that has not done much good, as we're seen by the results. We have also been seeing people running around the country talking about things they learned online. Most of the time their vast information comes from millions of keystrokes on Facebook with other experts sharing what they also assumed was true.

Rittenhouse is not alone. If you Google PTS you get "About 142,000,000 results (0.58 seconds)" with everything from Physical Therapy Specialist, Precision Test Solutions and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary established way back in 1794!

Google PTSD and you get PTSD and "About 37,700,000 results (0.43 seconds)"

I am offended by her being offended with the "D" after Vietnam veterans came back and fought for all the research done on what war did to those we sent, thus reaching out to every human who ever survived traumatic events. 

So let us take a look at what the "D" actually means.

Definition of disorder transitive verb
1 : to disturb the order of
2 : to disturb the regular or normal functions of

Normal is not having something put your life in danger. Combat puts your life in danger. Others are willing to risk their own lives to save someone else. You know, law enforcement, firefighters and emergency responders. Some of it even do it for free while in between their regular jobs and taking care of their own families.

My life had been in danger many times since childhood. I can tell you first hand there is nothing normal about any of this.

Now, we should also look at what "disturb" means. I am not taking about the great band Disturbed, but the word itself.

Definition of disturb transitive verb 1 a : to interfere with : interrupt disturbing the flow of traffic b : to alter the position or arrangement of the items on her desk had been disturbed c : to upset the natural and especially the ecological balance or relations of wetlands disturbed by development 2 a : to destroy the tranquility or composure of

But as with everything else, things can get put back into order, even if it is not the same order it was at the beginning.

The results of all the BS about the letter "D" has prevented the one thing veterans, and all others, need to hear. The "D" also means to move forward! You know, as in the "D" on your shifter letting you get from one place where you do not want to be to get to where you do want to get to.

No one can control how other people drive their vehicles but we do choose how we drive our own. In this case, that vehicle is your body.

We need to stop going in reverse and letting people put up road blocks deconstructing terms they do not understand when there are lives on the line, heartaches happening to more and more survivors because they never heard the news that they are not stuck where they are.

When they need real facts that will change the conversation, they have been forced into silence by people doing a hell of a lot of talking about things they do not understand.

Getting back to the band Disturbed, this is one of my favorite videos. The Sound Of Silence!

Fools, said I, you do not know 

Silence like a cancer grows 

Hear my words that I might teach you 

Take my arms that I might reach youBut my words, like silent raindrops fell 

And echoed in the wells of silence

Take a sledgehammer and break the silence! Understand that PTSD hit you and that you are not a victim, but a survivor. You beat it before and can do it again.

Today on PTSD Patrol we're talking about this and how some want to trivialize the term, as if it did not matter at all. They want to blame something they do not understand. If they would stop and think about what would really get rid of the stigma, then they'd be doing something worthwhile.

Guess it is just so much easier to say what they think instead of thinking about what they need to learn.

Go to PTSD Patrol and see what a difference can be made when we change the conversation from a knowledge based on assumptions into something empowering! 

UPDATE
Happy Father's Day Gunny!

Well the midnight headlights blind you on a rainy night
Steep grade up ahead, slow me down, makin' no time,
But I got to keep rollin'
Those windshield wipers slappin' out a tempo,
Keepin' perfect rhythm with the song on the radio,
But I got to keep rollin'
Ooh, I'm drivin' my life away, lookin' for a better way for me
Ooh, I'm drivin' my life away, lookin' for a sunny day

The Power to Heal Combat PTSD is In You Too!

Power to Heal is Already Within You
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
January 15, 2017

Did you know you have the power to heal PTSD within you? How could you know that when the only outcome folks want to talk about is how many veterans they believe are committing suicide? Seems that raising awareness should have started with changing your life instead of leaving you as you were on your worst day.

The only way to have PTSD is surviving a traumatic event. Let's think about that for a second. It did not start within you but happened to you. You survived it. Any shame in that?

There are different levels as well as different causes. Civilians can get PTSD and the only way psychologists understood that was after combat veterans were studied. There is a difference between the type of PTSD veterans have, other occupational causes with law enforcement come close and so does the type firefighters get hit with.

A civilian can have their life changed with one event. For veterans it was a series of events topped off with the threat of more during each deployment. For law enforcement and firefighters the threat is on a daily basis for year after year. To choose any of these occupations requires many qualities. Courage, dedication and an abundance of love to be willing to sacrifice your own life for the sake of someone else. Any shame in that?

What you were willing to do was based on love and faith that you had it within you to endure whatever came with the job. Still, being resilient enough to do your job, did not make you impervious to the pain you would carry within you. None of it was just about you in the moments you were risking your life. The pain you carried away from it was yours but it was also the pain caused to others. Any shame in that?

That ability to love others do deeply also came with the strength to grieve just as deeply. When you were last on the list of people to take care of, to help live, it turned into much more than moments. You became unworthy to yourself to help yourself. That's how much you loved. Any shame in that?

Maybe it is time to think about things differently. Everything you needed within you to do all that was required of you came with everything you need to recover from all of it. What you have convinced yourself is weakness within you, is actually what is strength and all you have to do is channel into that power.

There are many leaders trying to get you to understand that. Military Officers, current as well as retired, have a message for you. They have PTSD too and are unashamed to admit it. You matter more to them than they pride does. They know what you are going through and have come to terms with how to defeat it and win the battle for the brothers and sisters they led. It is what they did for love.

Maj. General David Blackledge

"It's part of our profession...nobody wants to admit that they've got a weakness in this area." He went on to say, "I have dealt with it. I'm dealing with it now...We need to be able to talk about it."

Maj. Gen. Tony Cucolo and Command Sgt. Maj. Jesse Andrews

Fort Stewart, Georgia - War changes a person. It's a truth Maj. Gen. Tony Cucolo knows all too well from his 29 years of service - and counting - in the U.S. Army.And it's a truth he tries to share with each new man and woman arriving at Fort Stewart to serve in the 3rd Infantry Division he guides."Command Sgt. Maj. Jesse Andrews and I try to speak to each newcomers' group," said the commanding general of the 3rd ID. "We get all ranks - from private to colonel - and in part, we try to impress upon them ... it is a point of moral courage to step forward and say you need help."

General Carter Ham

So he sought screening for post-traumatic stress and got counseling from a chaplain. That helped him "get realigned," he says."You need somebody to assure you that it's not abnormal," Ham says. "It's not abnormal to have difficulty sleeping. It's not abnormal to be jumpy at loud sounds. It's not abnormal to find yourself with mood swings at seemingly trivial matters. More than anything else, just to be able to say that out loud." 

“Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” That is what Jesus said to the Centurion after he humbled himself in front of his men to a member of the people they held contempt for. Remember, this was during a time when Roman soldiers were treating the people of region as if they should be wiped off the face of the earth. For a Centurion to seek out Jesus and then ask him for this tremendous favor took an abundance of courage fueled by love.

The Faith of the Centurion
5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”

7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.
Matthew 8:5-13

Saving the life was so important that he pushed his pride aside for the sake of someone else. There is a lot of that going on in this country right now. Medal of Honor heroes talking about their own pain while wearing the highest honor around their necks because they care about others.

The number of officers coming forward, pushing aside their own pride for your sake, it simply astonishing. All they want to do is let you know you have nothing to be ashamed of and follow their example by healing to live a better life after combat.

Adm. William McRaven (Ret.), former commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command and longtime Navy SEAL

But in its telling, McRaven was forced to stop in his tracks and take a long pause before he could complete his story. For 10 seconds, the audience sat in silence as he struggled through his own emotions to find his voice. It drove home yet another lesson: No one – not the top warrior nor the highest star admiral - is immune to war’s toll.

Isn't it time for you to use that power within you and around you to heal? You learned how to be a soldier and now it is time to learn how to be a healing veteran.

Fewer soldiers deployed to Afghanistan contemplated suicide

Study: Less war improves mental health of soldiers
USA TODAY
MILITARY INTELLIGENCE
Gregg Zoroya
February 3, 2014

The imminent end of the U.S. war in Afghanistan has triggered some of the highest morale and lowest levels of mental illness among deployed U.S. soldiers in years, according to an Army mental health study released Monday.

The findings by Army scientists working in the combat zone last year dovetails with the 19% drop in active-duty Army suicides in 2013 announced by the service Friday.

The study, which interviewed war-zone troops anonymously, also notes fewer soldiers deployed to Afghanistan contemplated suicide. Some 8.5% did, down from 13% in 2010.

"We're seeing some of the lowest rates of behavioral health issues. We're seeing leadership rates higher than they were in the past. Morale is on the rise. All of the key indicators that we would be looking at are looking much better," says Army Lt. Col. Maurice Sipos, a research psychologist and author of the report.

Despite the improvements, the stigma against seeking mental health help remains, the study shows. 

Nearly half of the surveyed soldiers who need therapy said the perception of weakness discouraged them from seeking help. That rate has remained unchanged for years despite military efforts to reduce it, the report said.

The report also showed that the more times a soldier is deployed, the greater the likelihood he or she will suffer from mental illness.

There are 34,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan compared with the peak of 100,000 in 2011. Afghan troops are taking the lead in combat operations as the United States prepares to end operations there this year.
read more here

Military intelligence lacking when troops are blamed for PTSD

Military intelligence lacking when troops are blamed for PTSD
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
February 4, 2014

MP Cheryl Gallant under fire for PTSD comment. What did she say? "The stigma that has to be overcome is a stigma within themselves," Gallant said on January 30.

If she avoids seeing the obvious, that is her problem. The obvious point is that after a decade of attempts to get the stigma out of the way with billions spent by nations, 40 years of research on PTSD, it isn't the fault of soldiers they still don't understand it. The fault belongs to the leaders of the nations sending men and women to fight their battles but refuse to return the favor by fighting for them.

This is not just the twisted logic of Canadian officials. Here in the US we have the same ignorance.

On a Veterans Day broadcast program, televangelist Kenneth Copeland and controversial historian David Barton told listeners that soldiers should never experience guilt or post-traumatic stress disorder after returning from military service.

General Ray Odierno blamed soldiers and their families.

Some of it is just personal make-up. Intestinal fortitude. Mental toughness that ensures that people are able to deal with stressful situations.

But it also has to do with where you come from. I came from a loving family, one who gave lots of positive reinforcement, who built up psychologically who I was, who I am, what I might want to do. It built confidence in myself, and I believe that enables you to better deal with stress. It enables you to cope more easily than maybe some other people.

Major General Dana Pittard blamed soldiers for suicide

“I have now come to the conclusion that suicide is an absolutely selfish act,” he wrote on his official blog recently. “I am personally fed up with soldiers who are choosing to take their own lives so that others can clean up their mess. Be an adult, act like an adult, and deal with your real-life problems like the rest of us.”

All of this has been so bad that a group of soldiers decided to do a video about the military feeding the stigma of PTSD.

If they understood what they needed to know, there there would be no stigma left. Had the military done their jobs there would be no reason for any of them to not get the help they need.

Taking the D out of PTSD but not the way you think

Taking the D out of PTSD but not the way you think
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
August 31, 2013

This is what the military tells them

Punitive Articles of the UCMJ Article 134—General article

“Though not specifically mentioned in this chapter, all disorders and neglects to the prejudice of good order and discipline in the armed forces, all conduct of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces, and crimes and offenses not capital, of which persons subject to this chapter may be guilty, shall be taken cognizance of by a general, special, or summary court-martial, according to the nature and degree of the offense, and shall be punished at the discretion of that court.”

But this is what disorder means when part of Post Traumatic Stress

Definition of DISORDER
1: to disturb the order of
2: to disturb the regular or normal functions of

Medal of Honor Recipient Ty Carter Says Drop the ‘D’ from PTSD. Carter addresses stigmas associated with PTSD on 'Morning Joe' but think about what else still going on. The stigma is still alive and strong while too many are not alive and more are not feeling so strong about seeking help.

I'll give away the date of this report below.

Army fights stigma of mental care By ROBERT H. REID – 2 hours ago

BAGHDAD (AP) — A military culture that values strength and a "can do" spirit is discouraging thousands of soldiers from seeking help to heal the emotional scars of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, despite top-level efforts to overcome the stigma, commanders and veterans say.

Up to one-fifth of the more than 1.7 million military members who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan are believed to have symptoms of anxiety, depression and other emotional problems. Some studies show that about half of those who need help do not seek it.

"It's a reality that for some — certainly not all, but for some — there's a stigma to stepping forward for behavioral health," Maj. David Cabrera, who runs counseling services at a military hospital in Germany, told The Associated Press.

"Our goal is to eradicate the stigma," he said. "We're not there yet."

Encouraging more soldiers to seek help, and training leaders to spot signs of trouble, have taken on new urgency since the fatal shooting last Monday of five U.S. service members at a counseling center at Baghdad's Camp Liberty.

Army Sgt. John M. Russell has been charged with five counts of murder. He was finishing his third tour in Iraq and had been ordered to seek counseling at the center, the Army said.

Sergeants on their third or fourth assignments to Iraq or Afghanistan are more than twice as likely to suffer mental health problems as those on their first assignment to a combat zone, according an Army study last year.

This wasn't last week last month or even last year. It was in 2009. The same year Ty's heroic efforts saved lives.

Specialist Ty M. Carter distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Scout with Bravo Troop, 3d Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, during combat operations against an armed enemy in Kamdesh District, Nuristan Province, Afghanistan on October 3, 2009

This goes to show that as for providing the troops with awareness of what PTSD is, they have not done their job. As for taking the "D" out of PTSD, we need to start taking the "dumb" out of how the military views it and then the letter won't matter as much. The label has been changed far too many times already and as we've seen by the results, didn't do any good before.

Medical supply company manager said PTSD veterans are "a bunch of babies"

Medical supply company manager said PTSD veterans are "a bunch of babies"
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
August 14, 2013

Aside from being a neanderthal, a manager of a company that made "third quarter net sales of $2.58 billion" with many slogans, this foolish person is accused by a Gulf War veteran of calling PTSD veterans a "bunch of babies."

Positive thinking with an eye on positive patient outcomes. We're a global healthcare products leader focused on helping medical professionals perform their lifesaving work.

Boss made me ill: vet
New York Post
By JULIA MARSH
August 14, 2013

A Navy veteran was so viciously belittled by his boss for admitting he had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that he suffered a debilitating relapse, according to a lawsuit.

Manhattanite John Gorman, 48, was treated for anxiety, migraine headaches and nightmares in June after manager Dale Kelly at Covidien, a pharmaceutical and medical-supply company, allegedly called victims of PTSD “a bunch of babies,” the vet says in Manhattan Supreme Court papers.

Gorman “was placed on a battery of medication because the symptoms of PTSD were exacerbated,” the suit states.
read more here

One of Covidien's slogans is on compassion.

"We are caring professionals committed to improving the health and well-being of patients around the world."

Calling PTSD veterans a "bunch of babies" is not the way to prove that. Firing is too good for him. He needs to go out and meet some of the people he called "baby" face to face.

Here's just a start on some of the "PTSD babies" Kelly ignored.

He coule start with Marine Clay Hunt.

"He thought the world was supposed to be a better place than it is, and he lived every day of his life thinking, perhaps naively, that his efforts could make the world be what he thought it should be."

"The 28-year-old had narrowly escaped death in Iraq four years ago, when a sniper's bullet missed his head by inches. But he wrestled with post-traumatic stress disorder and survivor's guilt over the deaths of four friends in his platoon who weren't so lucky."

He can't talk to him because Clay committed suicide in 2011 after he came home with PTSD and after he risked his life time and time again to help people after natural disasters as part of TEAM RUBICON. The group has a lot of PTSD veterans in it and another one of them was Neil Landsberg. He committed suicide too.

I am sure Clay's family would be willing to sit down with him and let him know exactly who he called part of the "bunch of babies" because his Mom, Stacy Hunt said "If anything good comes out the death of our son is that they might see this. They may talk to somebody to seek out help because there are other groups out there in addition to the VA and they are all heroes."

He could talk to some of these guys too.

The 878 men of the First Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment who came home have struggled to come to terms with the fact that 11 did not; that 68 others suffered combat wounds; and that many more were hit with injuries less visible but with long-term effects.

It is as if they all shared in those losses, and, in a real sense, most did. A Globe survey of more than 130 members of the battalion found that nearly 60 percent report one or more symptoms of war trauma - anger, depression, nightmares, hypervigilance - even if they have not been diagnosed with the disorder. There is also a powerful consensus that while most of their neighbors appreciate their service, civilians don't quite get it. A sense of isolation grows out of that, particularly in New England, where military bases are few and hostility to the war runs high.

More than a few of the Marines have doubts about this war, too. But their focus is on their duty - and on getting well, or helping others to do so. In that, members of the battalion report some ringing successes but also some shameful failures as the nation delivers, unevenly, on its pledge to care for those wounded in service.

Then he could talk to General Carter Ham and Major General Blackledge and some of the other Generals with the courage to talk about have PTSD after having the courage to serve.

You know what courage is and so do these heroes talking about PTSD after earning the Medal Of Honor.

Dakota Meyer not only talked about having PTSD, he talked about surviving an attempted suicide when he put the barrel of his gun to his head and pulled the trigger. He lived because the bullets were taken out.

The newest to be awarded the Medal of Honor is Ty Carter

He could talk to hundreds of thousands of veterans with PTSD to learn some facts about the people he called "babies" but he would first have to have the ability to learn and the "compassion" the company he works for has as a slogan.

Marines, Navy aim to remove stigma of mental health issues

Marines, Navy aim to remove stigma of mental health issues
By Rick Rogers
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

August 15, 2008

The Navy and Marine Corps will roll out a program next month that's designed to take the stigma out of mental health ailments by describing them as largely brief challenges instead of lifelong disorders.

“These Marines are recoverable,” said Sgt. Maj. Kevin Wilson, from the Personal and Family Readiness Division at Marine Corps headquarters in Arlington, Va. “In the past, we thought if a Marine had post-traumatic stress disorder, he was gone. Now it's more like breaking a leg.”

Wilson and other military officials outlined the program during the Marine Corps' second annual Combat Operational Stress Control Conference. The event, held at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in downtown San Diego, ended yesterday.

Besides trying to forge a new outlook, commanders plan to intensify education efforts so that everyone from generals to rank-and-file Marines will be vigilant for signs of PTSD, combat stress, depression, alcohol abuse and traumatic brain injuries.

The Corps also plans to appoint regional training coordinators at Marine bases around the world, and it intends to deploy more mental health teams to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Numerous studies in recent years by military and civilian researchers have estimated that up to one-third of combat troops from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have suffered combat stress or PTSD.
click post title for more

RESPECT-Mil program used to defeat stigma of PTSD

Army Hopes Program Makes Soldiers More Apt to Get Mental Health Care

Aaron Levin


Psychiatric News

Feb 21, 2008
February 11, 2008 Issue

Psychiatrists are consulting on a plan by the U.S. Army to screen and treat soldiers for depression and PTSD in primary care settings.

The U.S. Army hopes to encourage more soldiers to seek care for mental health problems by expanding a program to detect and treat soldiers with depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in primary care clinics, backed up by consultations with psychiatrists.

The staged rollout of the program, known as RESPECT-Mil, began one year ago at the direction of the Army surgeon general and will spread to 43 clinics on 15 military bases in the U.S., Germany, and Italy over 24 months. Program leaders from 13 of the 15 bases have been trained in its function so far, and about 10 clinics have it in operation. Congress recently increased funding to expand the program further.

The service hopes to undercut the effects of stigma by providing an entry point and screening for soldiers in a setting they find more comfortable.
go here for the rest
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/articleid/9394

Second Wind Foundation out to de-stigmatize PTSD

New Recovery Program Created in Response to Epidemic Numbers of Vets Suffering Trauma, PTSD
Grassroots Non-profit's Goal to Provide Model for Recovery Centers Throughout the Nation
By Healing Those Who Serve

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 3 --With the unmet mental health needs of our military men and women reaching critical mass, The Second Wind Foundation, a 501c3, has created a publicly funded treatment program for returning military personnel suffering from trauma and PTSD called Healing Those Who Serve (HTWS). Funded through private and corporate donations, the Healing Those Who Serve pilot program is slated to launch at The Ranch, an internationally renowned recovery center set on 2,000-acres in rural Tennessee, in February 2008. The monies raised will create scholarships to fund Veterans in need of PTSD treatment for the recommended 60 to 90-day stay.

Second Wind Foundation co-founder Lee McCormick explains, "This program is designed to raise funds and awareness, de-stigmatize, and heal the minds and spirits of our warriors. It is unique in that we are experienced in concurrently treating related and often times recurrent disorders, such as alcohol and drug abuse, along with trauma, which has proven to be most effective."
go here for the rest
http://www.sunherald.com/447/story/275441.html

Reducing Stigma for American Soldiers

Registration Now Open for Training Teleconference:Reducing Stigma for American Soldiers
Register to Participate
The SAMHSA Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma Associated With Mental Illness invites you to participate in a free teleconference training titled, “Reducing Stigma for American Soldiers.”
Date: Thursday, December 20, 2007Time: 2:00PM – 3:30PM (Eastern)
To register for this training teleconference, please click here for our registration page. Please pass this invitation along to interested friends and colleagues. Please note: Registration for this teleconference will close at 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on Tuesday, December 18, 2007.
We will email the telephone number for the training teleconference to all registered participants on Wednesday, December 19, 2007.
Training Summary
Nearly 1.4 million men and women make up the existing ranks of active duty military personnel, serving in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force, but research shows that America’s soldiers may not seek help when they are experiencing a mental health problem.
A 2004 study of 6,000 military personnel involved in ground combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan found that of those whose responses indicated a mental health problem, only 23 to 40 percent sought psychiatric help.1 Many who did not cited fear of being stigmatized as a reason.2 In June of this year, the Department of Defense Task Force on Mental Health acknowledged that “Stigma in the military remains pervasive and often prevents service members from seeking needed care” and made dispelling stigma one of their goals.3
This training will:
Explore research on soldiers, including veterans, and mental health stigma.
Offer first-hand accounts from people who have experienced mental health stigma in the military.
Provide an overview of strategies that may help to promote mental health recovery and reduce stigma among members of the military.
1-2 S.G. Boodman. (November 6, 2007.) The other wounded. The Washington Post, last accessed 11/16/07.
3 Department of Defense Task Force on Mental Health. (2007). An achievable vision: Report of the Department of Defense Task Force on Mental Health. Falls Church, VA: Defense Health Board, last referenced 11/29/07.
Send in Your Questions
We invite you to send in your questions related to mental health stigma in the military in advance of the teleconference. Speakers will answer as many questions as possible during the teleconference. Please send your questions by e-mail to stopstigma@samhsa.hhs.gov.
Please note that sending a question does not guarantee its inclusion in the teleconference. We will provide the speakers' contact information so that you may pursue your answer after the call. If you provide your name and organization at the time you ask your question, we may use it during the call. Anonymous questions also can be submitted.
Presentations
Presentation materials for this event will be available in two file formats: PPT (MS PowerPoint) and PDF (Portable Document Format). Please check back on Wednesday, December 19, 2007 and download one of the files.
Event Speakers
We are in the process of confirming presenters for this event. Check back to see who will be speaking!
Steve Robinson, ONE Freedom, Inc.Steve is a retired non-commissioned officer who served twenty years in the Army. He has held every job from Private to Platoon Sergeant and has also been rated in an Officer slot during his career. Since retiring in October 2001, Steve has become an advocate for veterans. He has been called to testify numerous times before the House and Senate on matters pertaining to Force Health Protection and emerging mental health issues related to this generation of returning war veterans. In his work at ONE Freedom, Steve helps veterans and their families recognize and deal with the complex issues that arise from prolonged, multiple deployments. He helps to break down the stigma of seeking help and teaches individuals and families skills to mitigate the effects of wartime trauma.
Abel Moreno, Vets4VetsAbel Moreno is the Media Outreach and Marketing Coordinator for Vets4Vets, a veterans' peer support organization dedicated to helping Iraq and Afghanistan veterans feel good about themselves and heal from any negative aspects of service and war. Abel served 7 years in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division 307th Engineer Battalion as an L.E engineer. He served one deployment in Afghanistan and one deployment in Iraq. He supported the 3rd Brigade Combat team along with L.E support with Charlie Company 307th Engineer Battalion. Duties performed were fortification, engineer recon, convoy security and demolitions. Abel received the Combat Action Badge, three Army Commendation medals, and two Army Achievement medals.
Rob Timmins, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Rob Timmins is the Field and Outreach Director for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), America’s first and largest Iraq and Afghanistan veterans group. He was an Infantryman with the 101st Airborne Division for the first year of Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he served in Najaf, and then Mosul. Rob escorted fuel convoys, went on patrol, and raided buildings for weapons caches, and also provided security for UN officials and helped Civil Affairs with reconstruction projects. He is an authority on the war in Iraq and issues affecting troops, military families and veterans. Rob holds a B.A. in Sociology from the College of Staten Island and continues to serve his country as a legal specialist with the Army Reserves.
Training Sponsors
This teleconference is sponsored by the SAMHSA Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma (ADS Center), a project of the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The session is free to all participants.

Stigma of PTSD number one road block to healing

An Assessment of Beliefs About Mental Health Care Among Veterans ...
Psychiatr Serv 58:1358-1361, October 2007
doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.58.10.1358
© 2007 American Psychiatric Association
Brief Report

An Assessment of Beliefs About Mental Health Care Among Veterans Who Served in Iraq
Tracy Stecker, Ph.D., John C. Fortney, Ph.D., Francis Hamilton, M.P.H. and Icek Ajzen, Ph.D.
OBJECTIVE: This study assessed beliefs about mental health treatment in a group of soldiers newly returning from the war in Iraq. METHODS: Participants were 20 National Guard soldiers who had served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Soldiers who in phone interviews screened positive for a mental disorder were asked about advantages and disadvantages of seeking treatment, who would or would not support treatment seeking, and facilitators and barriers to treatment seeking. RESULTS: Stigma was portrayed as a major disadvantage to treatment seeking. Yet most participants indicated that people would be supportive of treatment seeking. Reducing symptoms was a major advantage of care. Barriers, especially those viewed as "self-induced," such as pride, not being able to ask for help, and not being able to admit to having a problem, were considered major impediments. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that interventions developed to engage veterans in care must be directed toward cognitive factors that motivate treatment seeking.
go there to read the full report if you can.

You know a rant is coming from me on this.

When the hell will they get it? When will they understand there is nothing wrong with them other than they are normal humans exposed to abnormal conditions? If it has more to do with idiots standing in their way of healing then they should just walk right over the mud dwellers!

I've heard enough of their kind over the years to know there is no basis for what they believe other than Neanderthals must have had more sympathy than these people do. The effects of combat on a human have been documented all the way back in ancient history and if they have failed to learn anything from history, it is their problem.

Over 300 million people live in this country. We have about 25 million veterans and only 17 million combat veterans. Think of how rare they are. Then think about another fact. People exposed to natural disasters get PTSD. People who are victims of crimes get PTSD. People who work in law enforcement and the emergency departments get PTSD. It takes humans exposed to trauma and that is it. It also requires people who can feel. Maybe those who deny PTSD is real and love to belittle those with PTSD, lack the ability to feel? Maybe they are so selfish, so self-centered, they cannot see past themselves, see other people suffering or even care.

There is no reason to retain the tag of stigma when it comes to PTSD. The ancient Greek and Roman warriors suffered the same symptoms but the VA did not exist. There was no support system for them or psychologists but what they did have was the support of the people around them or no one would have talked about what they were going through and we would have never know how old PTSD is. It's been called by different titles but the results have been the same for generations.
Kathie Costos

Chip away at PTSD? Try a jack hammer and get it done!

Health officials chip away at PTSD stigma

By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Sep 19, 2007 12:55:30 EDT

The concept of getting rid of a stigma can be a little nebulous, but experts on a post-traumatic stress disorder panel offered up some concrete changes that could help people overcome years of stereotypes.

“Mental health issues are in many ways the top issue of veterans of our generation. It needs to be treated like a pulled hamstring,” said Paul Rieckhoff, founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, at a forum sponsored by the Military Officers Association of America and the U.S. Naval Institute.

And he said he thinks the military is ready for that change.

“Beyond all the macho and hard-headed culture, I think we understand we have to perform,” Rieckhoff said.

If service members get the help they need, they’ll perform much better on the battlefield, he said. But convincing them that a trip to mental health won’t ruin their careers can be the toughest issue.

Marine Col. Keith Pankhurst, Combat/Operational Stress Control Program Coordinator for the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, said it wasn’t very long ago that he believed Marines who had PTSD just didn’t have what it takes to serve.

“I would have been the first to say, ‘What kind of weakness is that?’” He said. “It took a lot of education to overcome that attitude.”
go here for the rest
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/09/military_ptsd_070919w/

It's great they are doing this but it is so late in coming they need to pull out the biggest jack hammer they can find to totally get the stigma out of PTSD. I can't count how many blogs I go into and get sick because they are attacking veterans with PTSD as if getting wounded is now something they should be ashamed of.

The recent "war" movies coming out cause outrage from "war bloggers" when they say it makes the rest of the "troops" and the "veterans" look bad. It makes them all come of as "crazy" and all kinds of other remarks. They do this because they don't understand what PTSD is. In the process of defending their own ego problems, they end up attacking combat wounded veterans instead of helping them heal. What is it with these people when they think the "brotherhood" should end when one of them needs help? Twisted!