thedrifter
01-03-06, 05:18 AM
Soldiers not alone in war with stress
Akron Beacon Journal - January 02, 2006
American Psychological Association
Hundreds of area soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines have already served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hundreds more are still overseas, and others will likely follow them.
Many will come home with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Dr. Stevan E. Hobfoll is the distinguished professor and director of the Applied Psychology Center at Kent State University and the director of the Summa-Kent State University Center for the Treatment and Study of Traumatic Stress and a veteran of the Israeli Army.
Q: What kind of stresses and triggers do you think are going on with troops in Iraq that are unique to this war?
A: Of course, as the question implies, most of the stresses are part of war. Military personnel are faced with the threat of death, having to kill others, and witnessing horrible scenes. Particular to this war is its often urban context, where the enemy is unseen in a context that just looks like a city or town, with civilians milling about. Then death strikes from a home or behind a car.
Further, much of the population we have come to "save" are hostile, causing confusion in the minds of soldiers.
Finally, and perhaps most important, reservists and guardsmen are psychologically unprepared. They signed up for a weekend a month and two weeks a summer and find themselves in places where highly trained military personnel should be. They mostly bravely endure this, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exact a severe toll.
Q: What rates of PTSD do you expect to see among Iraq vets?
A: The rates for Iraq are not unlike World War II or Vietnam, but the soldiers are not under nearly the threat of those wars.
Said another way, the rates of PTSD in Iraq appear as high as former situations in which soldiers were in ongoing battle situations and in which a considerably higher percent of soldiers were killed.
Psychological breakdown is roughly equivalent to the rate of losing a soldier due to wounds or death.
In Iraq, the rates of psychological casualties seem many times higher than the rates of soldiers wounded or killed.
Q: How did your time in the Israeli Army shape your career?
A: Israel shaped my career in teaching me about how a caring nation cares about its people. It taught me about how important it was for a psychologist to give back to the society, not just to individuals, which of course is important as well.
A: PTSD has several components. Individuals "re-experience" events in dreams or while awake. These are more than just memories. It's like you're there again.
Next are avoidance symptoms. Individuals try desperately not to think about or be reminding of what occurred.
Third, individuals experience hyper-arousal -- lots of anxiety that disturbs sleep, daily life and work.
Combined, these symptoms can range from highly disturbing to completely debilitating. They affect work, home and family life. They can disturb trust in others, sexuality and undermine faith and hope.
Q: What are some signs that something is wrong for returning war vets?
A: More limited functioning, troubling anxiety or depression, intrusive thoughts about the war, family problems, work problems, sleep problems. The list is long.
Q: Do you have any advice for veterans who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan about what they should do if they are experiencing any of those symptoms?
A: The positive news is there are excellent treatments today for PTSD. Our Center for Traumatic Stress in the Department of Psychiatry at Summa is well-prepared to help with the most cutting-edge treatments.
It's also best to come for treatment early and to understand that PTSD is a normal reaction to an extreme, unnatural situation -- war.
For more news or to subscribe, please visit www.ohio.com
Ellie
Akron Beacon Journal - January 02, 2006
American Psychological Association
Hundreds of area soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines have already served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hundreds more are still overseas, and others will likely follow them.
Many will come home with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Dr. Stevan E. Hobfoll is the distinguished professor and director of the Applied Psychology Center at Kent State University and the director of the Summa-Kent State University Center for the Treatment and Study of Traumatic Stress and a veteran of the Israeli Army.
Q: What kind of stresses and triggers do you think are going on with troops in Iraq that are unique to this war?
A: Of course, as the question implies, most of the stresses are part of war. Military personnel are faced with the threat of death, having to kill others, and witnessing horrible scenes. Particular to this war is its often urban context, where the enemy is unseen in a context that just looks like a city or town, with civilians milling about. Then death strikes from a home or behind a car.
Further, much of the population we have come to "save" are hostile, causing confusion in the minds of soldiers.
Finally, and perhaps most important, reservists and guardsmen are psychologically unprepared. They signed up for a weekend a month and two weeks a summer and find themselves in places where highly trained military personnel should be. They mostly bravely endure this, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exact a severe toll.
Q: What rates of PTSD do you expect to see among Iraq vets?
A: The rates for Iraq are not unlike World War II or Vietnam, but the soldiers are not under nearly the threat of those wars.
Said another way, the rates of PTSD in Iraq appear as high as former situations in which soldiers were in ongoing battle situations and in which a considerably higher percent of soldiers were killed.
Psychological breakdown is roughly equivalent to the rate of losing a soldier due to wounds or death.
In Iraq, the rates of psychological casualties seem many times higher than the rates of soldiers wounded or killed.
Q: How did your time in the Israeli Army shape your career?
A: Israel shaped my career in teaching me about how a caring nation cares about its people. It taught me about how important it was for a psychologist to give back to the society, not just to individuals, which of course is important as well.
A: PTSD has several components. Individuals "re-experience" events in dreams or while awake. These are more than just memories. It's like you're there again.
Next are avoidance symptoms. Individuals try desperately not to think about or be reminding of what occurred.
Third, individuals experience hyper-arousal -- lots of anxiety that disturbs sleep, daily life and work.
Combined, these symptoms can range from highly disturbing to completely debilitating. They affect work, home and family life. They can disturb trust in others, sexuality and undermine faith and hope.
Q: What are some signs that something is wrong for returning war vets?
A: More limited functioning, troubling anxiety or depression, intrusive thoughts about the war, family problems, work problems, sleep problems. The list is long.
Q: Do you have any advice for veterans who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan about what they should do if they are experiencing any of those symptoms?
A: The positive news is there are excellent treatments today for PTSD. Our Center for Traumatic Stress in the Department of Psychiatry at Summa is well-prepared to help with the most cutting-edge treatments.
It's also best to come for treatment early and to understand that PTSD is a normal reaction to an extreme, unnatural situation -- war.
For more news or to subscribe, please visit www.ohio.com
Ellie