What can be done to combat PTSD?

PO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 11:55:58 -0400

I recently stood a SOQ board and was asked about what can be done to address the high rate of service members returning with PTSD. I quickly realized I had never really given thought to the subject, and subsequently did not provide a great answer. But, I've given it some thought and talked to some of my mentors to come up with some pretty decent ideas, but I'm curious to see what the RP community can come up with.

It basically comes down to constant screening from day 1 boot camp. Whether we're talking bi-monthly/quarterly/annually is up for discussion, but that would help to build a good baseline of a persons normal day to day mental facilities. So, when they return from deployment/combat zone or wherever, you can see even a small change in their mental health level. This write up may be a little simplistic, but I'm ad-libbing a bit.

Response by Col Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 23 at 2015 12:20 PM

Col Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 12:20:01 -0400

I think having someone to talk to helps a a lot. Allowing service members to decompress and talk about their feelings about their experiences can help alleviate some of the symptoms. Can PTSD be avoided or prevented, I don't think so because war is hell, and PTSD will happen as long as we are involved in conflict. But we have to recognize PTSD and not be afraid to help our fellow service members, take it seriously, and counsel them when they need it.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 23 at 2015 12:21 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 12:21:17 -0400

Don't know how well that will help...meaning the constant screening. I feel as though I left a little part of me over there both times. I would say talk...talk...talk. When I came back both times I was fine. I was happy to be home. I remember being screened when I got home and again 6 months later after my second. I took my wife with me so she could say her perspective of home life with Hays. This method is not for all. It worked for me.

Response by LTC Yinon Weiss made Apr 23 at 2015 12:22 PM

LTC Yinon Weiss — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 12:22:03 -0400

I think the best way to combat PTSD is to help prevent it as much as possible in the first place...

Properly *prepare* our service members for the stress they may encounter in their service. I have observed many infantry and Special Forces types subject to incredible hardships in deployments, but were not susceptible to PTSD (though some were of course). However, if somebody was not prepared for the job they would be doing, through realistic tactical training and mental training, then the gap between what they were ready for and the experiences they went through is actually what produced the stress.

While I am not a medical expert, just from my own observations, stress is produced from the gap of where one is comfortable, and where one is operating. We can't really do much to improve the risks involved in war, but we can improve how we prepare our service members for the situations that they would be placed in.

For example, I remember a DoD civilian contractor in Baghdad who had a panic attack out of fear of mortar fire, which was really not a significant threat to her. Based on her hysteria at the time, I would not be surprised if she developed PTSD -- even though in my relative view -- there was actually relatively little to be stressed out about. However, that experience was not was she signed up for and she was not prepared for.

PTSD is therefore not necessarily about the absolute experience, but is heavily influenced by the gap in how one is prepared, and what they later experience. If you train somebody to only be a truck driver, and they come under enemy attack and are not prepared for it, they are more likely to develop PTSD, in my opinion, than an infantryman who had prepared for direct enemy contact his whole career. This is not to say that infantry is not susceptible to PTSD, but it is to say that if the military invested more time in preparing its troops for actual combat and other stresses they face, and spend less time on bureaucratic paperwork which has nothing to do from their "combat role" -- then I believe we would have a reduction in cases of PTSD.

The above is just ONE way that I believe we can reduce PTSD. It is not meant to imply that it would solve all problems, or that anyone with PTSD was not properly trained. I think it is a step in the right direction though.

Response by Cpl Jeff N. made Apr 23 at 2015 12:38 PM

Cpl Jeff N. — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 12:38:20 -0400

I think training needs to be intensified to put people in very stressful, realistic situations to better prepare them for the real thing. It is impossoble to prepare everyone for everything but you can better prepare everyone. I see a lot of threads about the reduction of standards and training in the Army (I see more about the Army than others). I think we are setting people up for failure. Training, starting at basic, needs to be harder, more stressful and realistic.

If people cannot deal with stress in boot camp and other training areas how do we expect them to deal with it in combat (or even near combat).

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure in areas like this.

Response by 1stSgt Eugene Harless made Feb 17 at 2016 6:04 PM

1stSgt Eugene Harless — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 18:04:24 -0500

I think that is not a proper question to ask during a SOQ board. It takes years of training to come up with ways to properly diagnose and recommend treatment for PTSD. Its like asking the question "how do you poerform a liver biopsy.