What I am about to say is going to piss some people off. I want you to know that nothing that follows is meant to diminish the very real struggle that some veterans are facing. Unless we stop to talk about why we have a PTSD epidemic, we will never arrive at a solution. The truth, however, doesn’t care about your feelings, so today we ruffle some feathers…
I am going to examine 3 main reasons why, despite the best efforts of seasoned psychological professionals, we are continuing to see a rise in PTSD cases and very few people are getting “cured”.
Reason #1 Life Stressors
Difficulties in the workplace or in your personal relationships can exacerbate the problems with PTSD. Similar to the straw that broke the camel’s back analogy, there simply is only so much that the human mind can handle, and then it gives on everything. Here at CONUS Battle Drills (CBD), we have talked at length about the challenges that veterans will face with their transition. It is not an easy time, and you receive painfully little training on how to have a successful transition. A week long course on transition when you’re two months out from ETS is NOT sufficient.
We believe the DOD’s transition process needs a massive overhaul. Soldiers are getting guidance about the civilian world from a chain of command of people that have never been in it, and dangerously little of it is accurate. This is the easiest problem to fix and the stop-gap that we are trying to fill here at CBD by training you how to transition. We seek to give you the tools necessary for personal success in corporate life, marriage, and parenthood and thus remove added stress in your life. If we can help you get the majority of your shit together, then you can focus on wrestling your demons.
Reason #2 Feeling of Community
This one may come as a bit of a surprise, but for many veterans it is their trauma that connects them to their lost brothers. Although it can be torturous to re-live an experience in a traumatic way, the thought of losing that connection acts as a barrier to healing. Whether they feel like they would be losing their friends for a second time, or maybe they feel guilty for being alive, their PTSD represents their service and brings them closer to their brothers.
Our providers need to be aware that some patients may not want to lose their PTSD because of this and deal with that accordingly. Sometimes this doesn’t manifest itself in any obvious way, but as a provider you need to pay attention to see if this is an inhibition to healing for your patient.
Reason #3 Financial Incentive
This is the hardest problem to fix, and really what I think has spawned the rise in PTSD claims since the GWOT began.
Some guys are out there getting 100% disability for their PTSD, if they get cured, that means taking a hit of thousands of dollars in their disability rating. Basically, our government is paying these guys to stay sick, and if they’re not sick, to at least claim that they still are or lose thousands of dollars a month! When you have such a powerful motivation to not get well, it should come as no surprise that they don’t, or even that other guys get sick too.
This leaves us with a choice: Continue to pay guys even after they are healed or don’t pay disability for PTSD. Neither is a great option, but unless something is done about this financial incentive, we will never cure PTSD and the rates will continue to go up.
-Spartan
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