PTSD / TBI: You Can't Go Back and You Can't Come Back

My subject matter is that whatever the degree of PTSD/TBI the condition is almost permanent.

Military truck in Iraq that was struck and destroyed by a roadside bomb; try to imagine a person surviving this. Salem-News.com photo by Tim King

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - I wanted to get your attention with the above title. I have posted several articles on this subject. See PTSD Leveque; maybe about 100 including piggy back articles.

TBI is most likely the new name for SHELL SHOCK which is mostly concussion injury or direct physical injury to the head. As President Clinton would probably say whatever it is, IS.

Combat is many things all bad and they collectively stick to one like fly paper. Sometimes they get worse with time. Most usually when a veteran gets fed up with the medical mind games being played on them by the VA medical system. When a vet gets disgusted with VA treatment and becomes an alcoholic it is all HIS/HER fault for non-compliance with PTSD drugs et cetera which make PTSD worse. The VA drugs are known to cause suicide and the withdrawal symptoms can be devastating. This probably also goes for TBI drugs but the preponderant mental health condition is PTSD by 80 to 90%.

A fairly recent article by the National Council on Disability; a 63 page article called Invisible Wounds: covers lightly the possibility of interrelationship between the two. There could be but each can be separate. One thing they do say is that “Current efforts are inadequate to ensure the psychological health of our fighting troops” I can say AMEN to that. Reported deployments are making the problems not only more acute but exacerbating the chronic problem with about 300,000 definite PTSD victims but the number is going up.

They reiterate the symptoms which we victims know all about. We are NOT paranoid we KNOW someone out there is trying to do us harm. So far it is the VA system and about 70% of PTSD/VA victims are going to private doctors who are reluctant to treat PTSD/VA victims.

The NEWSWEEK article quotes military medical officials that 20% of combat veterans have PTSD. For Infantry who do the fighting, killing and dying it is more like 80%. After all the Infantry has 70% of killed and wounded. Concussions causing TBI may be as high as 40% in the current vicious war. The Pentagon says 144,453 personnel. We will be ending up with a whole bunch of “punch drunk” veterans.

Another VA article lists TBI injuries as mild, moderate and severe. Most medical conditions are rated on a scale of 1 (mild) to 10 (very severe = suicides and murder) but I won’t argue the differences.

My subject matter is that whatever the degree of PTSD/TBI the condition is almost permanent. I have heard many spouses, children and grandchildren say “my dad/uncle, brother/sister, et cetera NEVER would talk about their battle experiences”.

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