OPINION:
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is, in my opinion, the worst combat-related injury troops can sustain.
I don’t suffer from my PTSD, because mine is not too severe. My major injury is Traumatic Brain Injury, better known as TBI. Two pieces of shrapnel punched through my jaw and drove through my brain, stopping near the center. As a result, I have lost a great deal of capability: The entire right side of my body is “challenged,” meaning that walking, shaking hands and driving a car - to name a few activities - are hampered. Add to that memory loss and exhaustion and most people can’t believe I think PTSD is worse. But I believe it is.
First of all, PTSD comes in many forms. I always say that every warrior who experiences combat has PTSD. Traumatic stress is a perfect explanation of what combat is like. Whether you work in a relatively safe area or are on patrols, traumatic stress is everywhere in the military.
Unlike a physical injury, which is identifiable, PTSD is nearly invisible. Most physical injuries draw blood. Some, like mine, cause relatively minimal blood loss. But nearly every one of them is quickly identified. Shortly thereafter, severity is determined. A lot of people are involved in wounded warriors’ care. While the injury itself might be brutal and life-changing, American wounded warriors receive excellent medical care.
PTSD, on the other hand, is invisible. As a matter of fact, medical personnel know so little about the human brain that they tend to group non-penetrated TBI and PTSD together. In both cases, there is little to see.
That is what makes PTSD so difficult. Even a non-penetration TBI shows a “picture” of a warrior’s injury. Warriors are not embarrassed when they explain to others that they have a TBI. But as of yet, there is no “picture” of PTSD.
Identifying PTSD early on, once it becomes possible, will reduce its severity. Unfortunately, little is being done about it. Today, military personnel are often asked how they feel after their tours of duty. Usually the response is that they are “fine.” Most have a hard time admitting they have PTSD. They feel that they are lucky to be alive - how can they admit to feeling anything else? Unfortunately, until the individual admits it to himself, nothing can be done.
When we have figured out a way to get a physical picture of PTSD, perhaps embarrassment over having it will begin to go away and the number of military suicides will decrease.
TIM MAXWELL
Dumfries, Va.
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