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United States. Congress. House. Committee on Foreign Affairs. Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia
Author : United States. Congress. House. Committee on Foreign Affairs. Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia Publisher : Page : 56 pages File Size : 26,45 MB Release : 2007 Category : History ISBN :
"Usually when we talk about post traumatic stress disorder the conversation is about members of the military, about those whom we unfortunately expect to have experienced the horrors of war but increasingly the United States is sending civilian employees, diplomats, intelligence analysts, reconstruction specialists, contract administrators, not just to hardship posts but into actual combat zones, and then expecting them to do their usual jobs but under extraordinary and perilous conditions. So it should not be any surprise that those who are now returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are returning not only with exotic souvenirs but with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) as well"-- From publisher’s website.
Usually when we talk about post traumatic stress disorder the conversation is about members of the military, about those whom we unfortunately expect to have experienced the horrors of war but increasingly the United States is sending civilian employees, diplomats, intelligence analysts, reconstruction specialists, contract administrators, not just to hardship posts but into actual combat zones, and then expecting them to do their usual jobs but under extraordinary and perilous conditions. So it should not be any surprise that those who are now returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are returning not only with exotic souvenirs but with PTSD as well.
Working in a war zone : post traumatic stress disorder in civilians returning from Iraq : hearing before the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, One Hundred Tenth Congress, first session, June 19, 2007.
From the Director and Associate Director of the VA's National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: a highly practical, user-friendly guide that answering all conceivable questions about returning from war--for veterans and families Two experts from the VA National Center for PTSD provide an essential resource for service members, their spouses, families, and communities, sharing what troops really experience during deployment and back home. Pinpointing the most common after-effects of war and offering strategies for troop reintegration to daily life, Drs. Friedman and Slone cover the myths and realities of homecoming; reconnecting with spouse and family; anger and adrenaline; guilt and moral dilemmas; and PTSD and other mental-health concerns. With a wealth of community and government resources, tips, and suggestions, After the War Zone is a practical guide to helping troops and their families prevent war zone stresses from having a lasting negative impact.
The medical, surgical, and psychiatric casualties of Operation Iraqi Freedom will receive care from a broad group of clinicians working in diverse clinical settings. Although most service members will initially be treated in military treatment facilities, many may find themselves returning to the United States with conditions that are treated in military facilities, VA Hospitals, civilian treatment centers, or all of these as they move through their recovery. As a result, some clinicians involved in treating casualties returning from Iraq may not have an understanding of the experiences of the military patient, the military system in which he or she serves, the military medical services available, or the potential impact of medical decisions on the service member's future military career. It is essential that all health care professionals-civilian or military-who care for casualties from Operation Iraqi Freedom have at least rudimentary and relevant military knowledge. A variety of factors including personal and cultural characteristics, orientation toward coping with stressors and painful emotions, pre-deployment training, military-related experiences, and postdeployment environment will shape responses to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Furthermore, psychological responses to deployment experiences can be expected to change over time. The absence of immediate symptoms following exposure to a traumatic event is not necessarily predictive of a long-term positive adjustment. Depending on a variety of factors, veterans may appear to be functioning at a reasonable level immediately upon their return home particularly given their relief at having survived the war-zone and returned to family and friends. However, as life circumstances change, symptoms of distress may increase to a level worthy of clinical intervention. Even among those veterans who will need psychological services post-deployment, acute stress disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) represent only two of a myriad of psychological presentations that are likely. Veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom are likely to have been exposed to a wide variety of war-zone related stressors that can impact psychological functioning in a number of ways. It is important for clinicians to recognize that the skills and experience that they have developed in working with veterans with chronic PTSD will serve them well with service members returning from Iraq. Clinicians' experience in talking about trauma, educating patients and families about traumatic stress reactions, teaching skills of anxiety and anger management, facilitating mutual support among groups of veterans, and working with trauma-related guilt, will all be useful and applicable.
"If you consider Iraq—like I do, probably twenty-nine out of thirty days—to be the pinnacle of your life, then where do you go from there? And I'm sure that a lot of veterans feel that way. To them, that was it. That was everything. So now what? They have to find something meaningful and purposeful." "When I got back from Afghanistan, there was not even so much as a briefing that said, 'Let us know if you're having problems.' There wasn't so much as a phone number. There was literally nothing." "I knew it was crazy. I was thinking, the guy on the roof's either a sniper or he's going to radio ahead. And then I thought, this is San Antonio. There's not snipers on the roof, nobody's going to blow me up here." "Whenever I look at people back here at home, I know what they're going to look like dead. I know what they look like with their brains blown out or jaws blown off or eyes pulled out. When I look at somebody I see that, to this day." —Voices of veterans interviewed in Fields of Combat For many of the 1.6 million U.S. service members who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001, the trip home is only the beginning of a longer journey. Many undergo an awkward period of readjustment to civilian life after long deployments. Some veterans may find themselves drinking too much, unable to sleep or waking from unspeakable dreams, lashing out at friends and loved ones. Over time, some will struggle so profoundly that they eventually are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress Disorder (PTSD). Both heartbreaking and hopeful, Fields of Combat tells the story of how American veterans and their families navigate the return home. Following a group of veterans and their personal stories of war, trauma, and recovery, Erin P. Finley illustrates the devastating impact PTSD can have on veterans and their families. Finley sensitively explores issues of substance abuse, failed relationships, domestic violence, and even suicide and also challenges popular ideas of PTSD as incurable and permanently debilitating. Drawing on rich, often searing ethnographic material, Finley examines the cultural, political, and historical influences that shape individual experiences of PTSD and how its sufferers are perceived by the military, medical personnel, and society at large. Despite widespread media coverage and public controversy over the military's response to wounded and traumatized service members, debate continues over how best to provide treatment and compensation for service-related disabilities. Meanwhile, new and highly effective treatments are revolutionizing how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides trauma care, redefining the way PTSD itself is understood in the process. Carefully and compassionately untangling each of these conflicts, Fields of Combat reveals the very real implications they have for veterans living with PTSD and offers recommendations to improve how we care for this vulnerable but resilient population.
This book takes a case-based approach to addressing the challenges psychiatrists and other clinicians face when working with American combat veterans after their return from a war zone. Written by experts, the book concentrates on a wide variety of concerns associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including different treatments of PTSD. The text also looks at PTSD comorbidities, such as depression and traumatic brain injury (TBI) and other conditions masquerading as PTSD. Finally, the authors touch on other subjects concerning returning veterans, including pain, disability, facing the end of a career, sleep problems , suicidal thoughts, violence, , and mefloquine “toxidrome”. Each case study includes a case presentation, diagnosis and assessment, treatment and management, outcome and case resolution, and clinical pearls and pitfalls. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Related Diseases in Combat Veterans is a valuable resource for civilian and military mental health practitioners, and primary care physicians on how to treat patients returning from active war zones.
Across history, the condition has been called soldier's heart, shell shock, or combat fatigue. It is now increasingly common as our service men and women return from Iraq, Afghanistan, and other ongoing combat zones. Since 1990, Veterans' centers here have treated more than 1.6 million affected men and women, including an estimated 100,000 from the Gulf War and an untallied total from the Iraq front and fighting in Afghanistan. The number also includes some 35,000 World War II veterans, because PTSD does not fade easily. Regardless of the months, years, and even decades that have passed, the traumatic events can flash back as seemingly real as they were when they occurred.In Haunted by Combat Paulson and Krippner range across history and into current experiences and treatments for this haunting disorder. They take us into the minds of PTSD-affected veterans, as they struggle against the traumatic events lingering in their minds, sometimes exploding into violent behavior. The authors explain how and why PTSD develops—and how we can help service members take the steps to heal today.
Offers soldiers and their families a comprehensive guide to dealing with the all-too-common repercussions of combat duty, including posttraumatic stress symptoms, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse.