Soldier finds counseling helps with lingering effects of war
3/17/2007 7:24:01 AM

By Heather J. Carlson

The Post-Bulletin

As a soldier in Iraq, Sgt. 1st Class Mark Larsen grew accustomed to working 20-hour days, listening to mortar explosions and being on constant alert.

A member of the Minnesota National Guard, Larsen spent a year in Iraq with the Rochester-based 79th Military Police Company. A Desert Storm veteran, Larsen already knew what it was like to be sent into combat. But this time, he faced a year-long deployment with the daily threat of harm.

Even after Larsen had returned home to the safety and security of Rochester, he felt on edge.

"When you come back, you're so geared up you just can't relax," Larsen said. "I still can't relax about anything. I am so much more of a stressful person than I used to be, and everyday I try not to be."

Seeking counseling

Two years after returning, Larsen said he just tried his best to tough it out, to deal with his anxiety, nightmares and tendency to become upset over little things -- especially the unexpected. It finally took the urging of his friend and Olmsted County Veteran Service Officer Brad Lindsay before Larsen went to a counselor.

"Thank God for people like Brad. He knew I wasn't the same old Mark he knew," Larsen said. "If he hadn't kept pushing me like that, I would never have gone (to a counselor)."

He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.

And he is not alone. A recent study by Dr. Charles Hoge found that 16 percent to 17 percent of those who served in Iraq reported symptoms of major depression, anxiety or PTSD. But many veterans are afraid to seek help -- leery of being labeled PTSD. Failing to get counseling can be deadly. The Minneapolis Star Tribune recently reported that 13 active-duty or discharged servicemen younger than 30 committed suicide in Minnesota between Jan. 1, 2003, and last October.

In Olmsted County, one in three of its roughly 240 veterans of the Iraq War end up seeking counseling, Lindsay said.

Rochester psychologist Steven Bingner has been counseling veterans for more than 20 years. He said he generally avoids diagnosing veterans with PTSD.

"I think sometimes it harms soldiers when people use the PTSD label because it sounds like something you are stuck with," said Bingner, with the Center for Effective Living.

His most frequent diagnosis for the veterans he works with are anxiety and depression. The counseling sessions are focused on helping soldiers and Marines work through these challenges.

"No one can go to a war without coming back with some things that they have to work through," he said. "The experiences (these veterans) are having are to be expected."

Quieting the memories

Awareness of the mental health issues soldiers can face has come a long way since the days when David Crawley served his country. As a Vietnam veteran, Crawley said, he struggled with feelings of anger and bitterness when he returned home. But there was no support available.

It wasn't until the 1980s that PTSD became an established diagnosis.

"You can't see massive, horrendous killing and arms and legs blown off and not let it affect you," said Crawley, commander of Rochester VFW Post No. 1215.

Larsen said the counseling has helped, but he still feels like he has not fully adjusted to life back home. He made the tough decision to transfer out of the 79th MPs and now trains soldiers headed to Iraq. He also works with his wife, Shannon, as a tour operator for Ed-Ventures and spends time with his 3-year-old daughter, Caitlin.

Larsen says he knows he will never be the same person he was before the war.

"A little bit of your soul stays there. That's what it feels like to me," he said. "Like I left a part of my soul there and it's never going to come back."

Ellie