Can You Get A Grip On PTSD At The Unit Level?

2015-01-20T13:46:03-05:00

From "The New York Times"
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/17/after-ptsd-more-trauma/?_r=0

After PTSD, More Trauma

Going in for therapy at a Veterans Affairs hospital is a lot like arriving at a large airport in a foreign country. You pass through a maze of confusing signage. Your documents are scrutinized. There are long lines you must stand in and a series of bureaucratic rituals that must be endured before anything resembling a human encounter occurs.

In April 2013, after doing a series of intake interviews and sitting on a waiting list for three months, I had my first human encounter with my assigned therapist at the big V.A. hospital in San Diego. Little did I know that the delay in treatment would be less agonizing than the treatment itself.

My first session began with my therapist, a graduate student finishing up his doctorate in clinical psychology, offering a kind of apology. “Now, I’m probably going to make some mistakes and say some stupid things,” he said. “Are you going to be O.K. with that?”

I understood. Two decades before, as a newly minted infantry lieutenant in the Marine Corps, I’d been charged with the welfare of a platoon of 30 young Marines. Too often my best wasn’t good enough, and I made a number of errors in judgment while in command, errors that bother me to this day. Offering my therapist some grace seemed like my only option.

[EDITORIAL COMMENT:- It all sounds so simple, doesn't it. Just walk your buddy through it over and over again until it doesn't hurt any more. BUT read on to see the landmines. What you CAN do is help your buddy be aware of whether s/he is having problems and not to be afraid to admit that s/he IS having them when they are. Almost EVERYONE has some problems after being in a situation where people you don't know are actively trying to kill you or your friends on a daily basis for months on end. The only difference is the degree that the problems are going to affect you (and when [because some of them sneak up and bite you on the butt YEARS after the event]).]

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Response by Capt Richard I P. made Jan 20 at 2015 2:00 PM

2015-01-20T14:00:09-05:00

I've found the most important thing is having someone who will not judge you, who will be understanding and explain and tell you it's ok, even strong to get help if you need it.