The Chattanoogan: Former Sen. Bob Dole on PTSD

An op-ed from yesterday's Chattanoogan:

"My own experience as a WWII veteran and involvement with other veterans over the years have made it crystal clear that returning stateside is not the end of the mission. A sizable percentage of the 1.2 million men and women who have rotated through Iraq and Afghanistan will experience significant readjustment challenges as they integrate back into their hometowns.

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Hoge, Auchterlonie & Milliken, 2006) found that 20 percent of Iraq veterans will suffer some sort of mental health problem upon return. These problems can include relationship and work difficulties, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, substance abuse, or depression. Many will appear fine, showing no visible scars of war. And many who do need help will not seek it primarily because of their military training and mindset. The authors of this study also found that approximately 50 percent of Iraq veterans given a mental health referral based on a questionnaire completed upon return did not seek help during the year that followed." ...

For returning veterans, focusing on your readjustment now that you are home is a worthy, yet difficult mission because it often goes against your ideas of strength and courage. Actually, it takes guts to face problems and get help. I encourage you to make use of the many valuable services and resources available today. Both you and your loved ones deserve it.

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• ptsd
• opinion
• stats
• studies
• stigma
• dole