Realty Check for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Tuesday March 18, 2008, 11:13 am
It is a good article Terrah. They use to call it 'shell shock'. The ancient Celts had a name for it too & sometimes it even happened to seasoned warriors (battle fatigue) they had a place set aside where they could go into the woods to go wild in nature or seek some peace that way, as they chose, & burn it off, (release the trauma of the recurrent battle frenzy)some went into the woods for years to recover & some just a few months, and produced wild poetry about this recovery period of 'divine madness' in their lives where they ended up trying to discover the meaning of life (some aquired self actualization during the healing process even, but others we cannot be sure, since they did not say much after)
Sometimes women with very abusive husbands that have been severely abused, some even tortured (worse than what the ACLu reported in these news items on torture of prisoners) have PSTD labels put on them too. It is just like shell shock in declared wars, except they had no battle-training or firearms to fight back with and no hope of doing their time & getting home. They were home.

Tuesday March 18, 2008, 3:12 pm
I suffered a bit after Pan Am 103 when working for the SAS but we had very great support but many of the officers and men that were there couldn't cope with the situation it was dreadful and many of them had to take early retirement and that was the Fire Service, Police, and the Ambulance Service.I had to take early retirement but for a different cause but I have had two nervous breakdowns since then, but everytime it is mentioned on Radio or Tele it brings it all back.
So I give all the troops support I can but sometimes its very hard convince most of Psychiatrist that you need help but if they had been in the same situation they would soon understand.
Jim W

Tuesday March 18, 2008, 9:35 pm
Irregardless of all the so-called controversy about this condition, PTSD is real and U.S. government should stop denying it. For starters, it's just as real war.

Wednesday March 19, 2008, 3:16 am
I'm here to tell you that PTSD is as real as anything can get. After my own cancer, and then my mother's cancer, and then my mother being crushed to death by a cement truck and then my father dying and then my husband being murdered, I've got all the symptoms, there is no doubt that I have been traumatized (there were other contributing events, also that I just can't discuss), I've been diagnosed with PTSD along with an expected depression and am being treated for exactly those things.

Anyone who denies that this exists is a fool.

Thursday July 24, 2008, 11:54 am
PTSD is as real as cancer or heart disease. It was called shell shock. In Korea the Marines called it malingering, and we know better. It is very serious. The government, VA does recognize this but down play it as much as possible. It is hard to get unless you are lucky enough to find your orders and can prove your claim. The VA shrinks are young and never been to a was zone or any violent zone for that fact. We all know a VN vet that has it to one degree or another. I saw it in my own Dad from WWll but it was never discussed. He never ever let his temper show and never lost control and wouldn't drink. PTSD wasn't quick to be proven because the VA wanted names of wounded or killed soldiers, it was called prove your stressors. Some guys volunteered to go out and pick up body parts, no names of those killed. It was a ridiculous law put in by Congress. You didn't know the name of a guy that was blown up next to you. Some guys didn't last long enough for anyone to even know their name. Another shame on this country. By the way, VN vets got together all over this country and helped each other. It wasn't the government that first helped.