NursingLink

There was another article today on the subject. Does everyone think that the Army's education program will work?

Glad you sought help medic. Nuttin' wrong with that, your OK in my book. I don't know if you saw my reply to the article on changes to mental health for the military. I'd like to know if you agree with me. Basically I said the problem with the system and the stigma of soldiers seeking help is that the soldier himself does not seek the help; and we have alot of resources we can use, but the soldiers aren't using them. I think the education program will work, but families need to get involved too. All soldiers won't be proactive about it like medic17 (which was very cool), a loved one needs to be part of the equation, as well as commanders and officers (we can be jerks about stuff) need to be more understanding and proactive. And JonZ, all it takes for a brain injury in combat is being in a mortar attack on the base and being about 20 meters from impact. That's enough to jostle the brain around a little and bruise it.

My opinion on that JonZ as a former soldier and a soldier's wife is no. I think there is far more of a stigma against mental health issues for the general population than for soldiers experiencing PTSD. I think most anyone can empathize more with a soldier because the soldier has experienced direct trauma be it physical or pyschological while doing something that they had to do and it is easy to see how you might feel the same way if you were in their shoes.

On the other hand, the average person with a mental illness may not have any reason at all, it may just be a chemical imbalance that no one can explain. It is harder to understand thus creating a stigma.

Denis.. I do agree that soldiers are not using all their resources. Ex: I had was the first on scene at a downed airplane when I was active duty and I was told that I should go talk to someone regarding it. I went as far as the clinic on post and turned around because I didn't want anyone to know I went to the "mental health clinic". I think to some soldiers it's a sign of weakness by saying "I'm having flashbacks, nightmares, mood swings, or anger management issues". After my last deployment to Iraq, my breaking point came when my daugther told me that I had changed.. that "they" (being the Army) had made me mean and she wanted to know why and what they had done to me.. it crushed me.

I've worked with soldiers suffering from PTSD for years. I've been a nurse for a long time and some of my patients were vets from WWII. It's so sad to see brave men and women come home with a shattered mind. I wish I could do more for them. Sometimes the best thing I can do is hold them while they cry.

MJ

I have been an RN for 37 years; 15 of them in psych. I have spent the last few years learning about Energy Medicine (Energy Psychology, Energy Work period) This whole field of working with the ENERGY FIELD, absolutely blew me away! I have a certification in a couple of techniques, but my all time favorite is one called EFT....Emotional Freedom Technique....because it is incredibly simple, and works incredibly fast. The guy who developed it is a Stanford University Engineer. He actually went to a VA for six days and worked with Vietnam Vets who have been struggling and some suffering with PTSD for decades! With INCREDIBLE results! Tell every soldier you come in contact with to check out this website.... emofree.com .... and to learn how to do this technique. It is incredibly easy to learn and do. Children can learn and do this technique, it's that easy. But soldiers can learn this and do it in the privacy of their own homes, or anywhere they choose....and with anyone they choose. They could see an EFT practitioner if they so choose, or they can keep reading tutorials from the site and actually learn to do some incredibly effective work. Their wives, or whole families can learn this, and help the soldier, or themselves, as well as each other. This is SAFE. Nothing to ingest! Nothing to have to worry about side effects!
I plan to open my own business as an Educator of this wonderful new approach to wellness. But I will be advertising for veterans and their spouses, or parents, to come to a special group totally for free. NO UNCLE SAM; NO STIGMA; NO MEDICATION;
I want to teach as many people as possible, this technique. Every nurse should investigate energy work for themselves. Read, learn, test it out. I PROMISE you it will KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF!!!
One quick, but oh so incredible example. ...... I worked with a 62yo gent who was s/p a stroke, that he had in 2004. He recovered pretty darn well, with a few blocks in the fluidity of his speech, and frequent word searches, which he said would be tolerable, but what really drove him crazy was the fact that he couldn't read. He had no comprehension. Couldn't hold on to any of it. He would read it over and over, so of course he finally stopped trying. He hadn't read for two years. ...... I taught him about this feild. I taught him the specific technique to use and how to use it. He laughed at it. Made fun of it. Didn't believe a single word I said (and told me so), but said that he would do it for his wife's sake, because she was bugging the heck out of him to try it! She did it with him every morning. And without telling her, he did it several more times during the day by himself. .... ON THE FOURTH DAY....HE......COULD.....READ!!!!!!!! I THOUGHT IT WOULD TAKE WEEKS OF TWEAKING THE TECHNIQUE FOR HIM, (BECAUSE OF HIS RESISTANCE) FOR IT TO WORK........BUT NO.......IT TOOK......FOUR ! ! ! ....DAYS ! ! ! KNOCKED MY SOCKS OFF ! ! !
Check it out for yourselves. I could go on for hours about this, I have seen some incredibly wonderful results !
Learn it and test it out for yourselves!

Here is a short history of the nomeclature PTSD. During WWI it was called "shell shock". This was commonly a result of days spent in foxholes as military ordinance rained down on the poor bastards pinned down in those same foxholes. It was renamed "battle fatigue" after WWII and continued through the Korean Conflict(isn't that a great name for a war--so civilized). During the Viet Nam Conflict(again that ugly word) the term changed to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This was a result of what the combat troops were experiencing in terms of trauma wether it was actually experienced by actual trauma by a soldier or a witnessed event. Never in the history of war before or since have we used such weapons to achieve destruction of humans. If you have never seen, smelt or felt the aftermath of the use of Napalm or seen the consequences of a Pungy stick, the devastation of a Claymore mine you haven't experienced the trauma of war. Most Americans don't understand PTSD and it has become more confusing when that diagnosis is now used in general psychiatry when people have been beaten, raped, etc.
I took care of many of the battered men who returned from Nam. Many were stable but I will never forget debriding burns caused by Napalm--still reeking of gasoline months later. Or the soldier who had a helicopter blade go through his skull and live--if you could call living in a vegatative state at age 23 living. Do I still have horrible dreams about those things I experieced--damn right. Would you call it PTSD. Sure on some level. Twenty years later I worked in the VA system working with VETS from all 4 WARS and the undertreatment of their PTSD symptoms was deplorable but even more so in the Nam vets. As a Vet I have always supported those who served and serve. What bothers me is how easily the government tries to dismiss war related problems. We aren't doing great with the new injured returning from the newest conflict. Can't we do better?