The Invisible Injury: PTSD and Iraq War Veterans

It is estimated that as many as one third of all Iraq war veterans suffer from post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. We are familiar with wounded soldiers who loose a limb or who suffer a brain injury and our hearts ache for them. However, Iraq war veterans who have PTSD suffer in a different way and often in silence. PTSD is an injury that haunts many Iraq war veterans but it is invisible to most of us.

Those who suffer from PTSD experience anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, flashbacks, and extreme wariness. It may manifest right away or show up months or even years later. It can be fatal because some of those who suffer from it commit suicide. In WWI PTSD was called shell shock; in WWII it was renamed battle fatigue. By the time of the Viet Nam war it was called PTSD and some treatments were developed.

Soldiers from the Afghanistan war also suffer from PTSD but not at the rates than those fighting in Iraq do. It is estimated that one third of all Iraq war veterans have some degree of PTSD and that two thirds of that screened positive for PTSD are not receiving treatment. Often soldiers with mild or moderate PTSD are sent back into battle.

It is thought that the type of war that Iraq is causes the high rates of PTSD among Iraq war veterans. There is no fixed front; attacks are sudden and seem to come out of nowhere; much of the battle is in areas where there are civilians and it is difficult to figure out who the enemy is. Men, women, and children are killed as well as soldier's buddies and this all takes a toll. Female soldiers face another risk and 20% have reported "military sexual trauma" which translates to sexual assault by enemy hands.

Between September 2005 and June 2006 the number of Iraq veterans getting treatment for PTSD increased by 87% and the total number being treated was 38,144. But many others go untreated especially those who live in rural areas because the infrastructure is not in place.

Soldiers in the 101^st Airborne have reported that most use marijuana and alcohol in excess. Most took Valium and some used all three. Drugs are easy to get on the streets of Baghdad and two or three hundred Valium pills cost only two dollars. Soldiers use Valium in order to fall asleep between patrols.

Treatment for PTSD is varied but it usually consists of some form of talk therapy and group therapy plus medication, typically antidepressants or anti anxiety medications. The Army is experimenting with exposing veterans with PTSD to training video games in order to desensitize soldiers to their experiences. The Army also is funding research on Propranolol to treat PTSD. Propranolol is a blood pressure medication that may be useful in treating PTSD. It appears to reduce symptoms of emotional distress associated with traumatic memories. It doesn't wipe out the memory, just limits the emotional response.

If we want to support our troops we need to support them once they return home and we must not overlook those Iraq war veterans who suffer from PTSD.