Reprinted from the Health District's quarterly publication mailed to district residents (Spring 2010)
TOPIC: Wounded Warriors
Persuading veterans to access mental-health services when in need
 
by nancy nichols

They faithfully served their country. They risked their lives and lost their innocence. They faced untold horror in locales far from home.

They are military combat veterans.

Despite their valor, these soldiers don’t always feel like heroes when they return home. Even those without visible wounds may suffer from war’s inevitable effect on mind and spirit.

“They put their lives on the line and have sustained injuries that may be with them their whole life,” says Terry Russell, a counselor specializing in combat-related mental illness at the Vet Center in Fort Collins. “The memory of trauma never goes away.”

An estimated 95 percent of people exposed to combat have some symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, immediately afterward. People with PTSD can have flashbacks and other serious problems that rob them of emotional balance, much-needed rest or the ability to function in society.

“Gradually the symptoms subside over the next 90 days for most people, with or without treatment,” writes Belleruth Naparstek, author of Invisible Heroes: Survivors of Trauma and How They Heal. “But after about six months, there’s a core number, between 22 and 35 percent, that don’t get better on their own and need help.”

Although effective treatment is available, veterans often hesitate to seek assistance for mental-health issues. A 2004 study of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan conducted by Walter Reed Army Institute of Research found that less than 50 percent of soldiers with symptoms of mental-health disorders sought out help.

Even the military’s well-publicized efforts to address psychological issues among troops hasn’t eliminated the stigma attached to PTSD.

“There isn’t anywhere near the number coming in [for treatment] as should be,” Russell says. “Even once they get here, sometimes they won’t take medication because [their perception is that] it’s admitting weakness.”

According to the Larimer County Veterans Service Office, at least 25,000 veterans reside in the county, about 600 of whom served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Each month the office sees about 500 veterans and fields an additional 2,000 phone calls.
Get help in Fort Collins

Larimer County Veterans
Service Office
 200 W. Oak St. (fifth floor), 498-7390
Resource center for all veteran issues, from filing claims to filling out paperwork for VA Medical Center, GI Bill, home loans, etc.

Fort Collins Vet Center Outstation
2509 Research Blvd., 221-5176
Readjustment counseling and outreach services for combat veterans and their families.

Fort Collins VA Outpatient Clinic
2509 Research Blvd. (same building as Vet Center), 224-1550
Satellite facility of regional VA Medical Center in
Cheyenne, Wyo. Primary healthcare for veterans, including psychiatric services.

Connections
525 W. Oak St., 221-5551
Partnership of Health District of Northern Larimer County and Larimer Center for Mental Health. Help connecting with services; referrals to local counselors, treatment programs, classes, support groups; affordable counseling and medications; help during crisis; advocacy.

Emergencies
Veterans experiencing emotional crisis should call the toll-free VA Suicide Hotline: (800) 273-8255. Veterans may also call 911 or go to the nearest hospital emergency room for crisis care.

For more information
Visit the “Veterans’ Services” topic online at www.HealthInfoSource.com for a complete listing of healthcare services and resources of all kinds for veterans.

Veterans who are experiencing flashbacks, anger, depression or other challenges are strongly encouraged to reach out and ask for help. Treatment might include traditional one-on-one counseling, support groups and innovative self-help resources. Treatment is most effective when started promptly after the onset of symptoms. (See “Get Help in Fort Collins.”)

In a guide for families of military members titled Returning from the War Zone, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs emphasizes how there is no relationship between how strong a person is and having PTSD: “Many who are brave or strong end up with PTSD symptoms after going through a traumatic experience.”

Indeed, it takes courage to seek help for the psychological effects of combat long after the war is over.
Facts about combat-related stress

Throughout history, soldiers returning from conflict have borne the burden of psychological trauma. Those unable to shake off the effects of war were said to have “soldier’s heart,” “battle fatigue” or a “thousand-yard stare.”

Forty years ago, the Vietnam War brought significant public attention to this emotional disorder when doctors began to diagnose it as “post-Vietnam syndrome.” In the early 1980s the illness gained its current name: “posttraumatic stress disorder,” or PTSD.

PTSD is a common illness among veterans that causes the afflicted to relive their time in combat, when they may have experienced being ambushed, receiving incoming fire, feeling the blast of a roadside bomb, seeing dead bodies or knowing people who died.

Symptoms of PTSD may include flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, depression, emotional numbing, poor concentration, memory problems and irritability. Left untreated, the illness can cause chaos in the person’s life and serious hardship for his or her family members.

These days more assistance than ever is available to vets experiencing mental-health problems. See “Get Help in Fort Collins.”