Mental Injuries: Worse Than Some Thought, But Not Those Who Served

A new study released yesterday concluded that mental injuries suffered by those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are much worse than estimated, because those injuries don't manifest themselves, in many cases, for months down the road. It's somewhat entertaining to watch the media fall all over themselves to express "shock" at this story, when all they had to do was talk to those of us who served, who have known this for a while.

It's truly heartbreaking when you do actually listen to the troops. In the Washington Post coverage, they interview reservist Timothy Bredberg:

"Bredberg's family, which he describes as conservative and patriotic, disowned him after he returned. "Timmy, we don't know you anymore," his sisters told him, he recalled. "People talk about the sacrifices . . ." he said. "People don't realize it's more of an emotional and mental thing that we give up for going over there. I have lost family members because of it. I've lost best friends."

Thing here is, Bredberg returned in 2004. Three years ago!

Far too many troops return and are not properly screened when they return, and are not being brought into the system for constant evaluation and care. As I wrote earlier last week, even for those troops who do seek help, there are ridiculously high hurdles they must meet, to qualify for care and disability for their mental injury. Failure to bring these guys into the system, properly screen and monitor them, and give them full disability when it's due leads to a host of problems, whether it's homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, or fits of violence against family.

Increased funding for the VA and related veteran care programs would go a long way towards identifying and caring for those veterans with mental injuries, and ensuring that they get the disability payments they are due. And yet, the Administration is still fighting over every dime Congress proposes on spending for veterans.

Just because mental injuries cannot be seen, it doesn't mean they are less severe. And yet, as a nation, we treat mental injuries like that, when it comes to our veterans. Imagine if we had veterans in the streets with untreated third-degree burns, blown off limbs that weren't sewed up, and gaping open wounds with organs hanging out. This country would never forgive this Administration and those in Congress who voted against increased VA funding. And yet, we have a very similar situation, when it comes to untreated mental injuries, and a system that allows our veterans to deal with it on their own.

I ask, where is the outrage?

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Comments

[jcc173]

There is not and there will not be public outrage until every US Citizen is made to serve through a draft. Way too many people in our country get a free ride and have no stake in our Country. If everyone is made to serve and that includes the priveliged among us. Then and only then will things improve.

[live by the golden rule]

There is a huge amount of outrage but until the "support our troops" Republicans actually care about this, there will not be enough votes to do something about it. People think they are supporting the troops by voting for Republicans, and many military families do, but they are being fooled by empty patriotic rhetoric into voting against the needs of their own soldiers, who are sent to war without adequate resources or armor, and then dumped out when they come home--- many already are homeless, just as many Viet vets were left homeless. The Republicans will send people to risk their lives with much fanfare, parades, and brass bands, but when Democrats try to increase spending for Veterans' health care a Republican president vetoes it as "tax and spend".

[ibsteve2u]

It saddens me to see the comments that so harshly judge those who serve in the military. I wonder that people can condemn young men and women who, in most cases, idealistically expected only the best - and the truth - from their President and Congress.

Were they so wrong in expecting good out of their leaders? Are they to be held accountable for the lies and failures of their leaders?

Would you rather that idealistic youths not serve in our military, where they may each day be helping to prevent even more atrocities by the handful of socio- and psychopaths the opportunity to wield power and the weapons of war inevitably attracts?

[BritPatJax]

When you watch 'the war' by Burns you ask yourself if man will ever be able to endure such atrocities again. As much as I respect this campaign it does not compare much with fighting the Germans or the Japanese. Their machinery and technology and their idealism made this Iraq thing a stroll in the park by comparison. Apologies to those who serve and served.

[gardenbookie]

Where is the outrage? It's right here, Jon. Millions of us are outraged..­....and everything we've done (within legal boundaries) has failed to bring positive result. We've formed groups, attended meetings, made phone calls and sent letters of protest to our governing leaders. We've walked in protest parades and have GONE TO THE POLLS! We've demanded the impeachment of our reigning King and King Jr. Democrats finally gained the majority in the Senate....­so what?! Little, if anything, has brought us closer to the end of the lies, the deaths, and the mistreatment. Death by suicide among our fighting men and women now exceeds death by combat. The combined count of our fallen military is nearly three times that of the dead at 9/11...
What the hell else can we do to express our outrage?

[janmB]

I read stories about these brain injuries maybe a year after our invasion.

It seems NEWS from IRAQ is being absorbed into the mainstream America at a slow pace.

Just like the war was going to be paid for by the oil ---then it was 200 billion -then 400 billion --and now up to a trillion dollars as though Americans could not absorb the fact it was going to cost a trillion dollars earlyon when in this day and age with computers you don't have excuses of not knowing.

[NoFactsJustTruth]

I'm sure, Jon, it won't help much when CONgress, in an effort to limit the funding available for the preznutz - to carry our his occupation for natural resources, force him(in his mind) to take monies from EVERY other possible Military and Executive source to thumb his nose and continue the 'OIL&GAS GRAB'. He WILL go out of his way to make sure everyone possible pays a price when he doesn't get his way.

Almost IN SPITE of 'the will of the people' though, most in OUR Government seem to put OUR soldiers way down the list. I will GLADLY give far greater taxes for a CONgress and Executive that I KNEW wished to improve the soldiers' and veterans' lives with it, and NOT a damned bunch of corrupt and overpaid CEOs instead.
The deciders there now,...


don't deserve 'beans'.

[meeneecat]

It makes me so sad to hear veterans going through this nightmare-as if the trauma of war weren't enough, you have to come home deal with the stigma and they make you leap through hoops of fire just to get the treatment and benefits you need and deserve. I suffer from PTSD and depression which emerged after a violent rape a few years ago. I lost my job, insurance, became distanced from family & friends and was unable to get proper treatment. I am still struggling with symptoms today. I've applied for disability but it's been over a two year wait, and I've already lost hope. I feel terribly about all these vets, I know PTSD can be extremely debilitating. Those who don't understand what it's like to walk a mile in these people's shoes will (and there's one person commenting here who seems to "think so little of this military") blame members of the military for the war itself or say they have no sympathy for vets because "they knew what they were getting into". I'm disgusted by the insensitivity and lack of compassion our government shows towards vets and those suffering from mental illness. I'm a loss myself for what to do about the state of mental health care in this country - the entire system is failing, that is unless you're rich enough to pay. So many who suffer from mental illness and don't get proper treatment end up homeless, in prison, on drugs, or worse-committing suicide. We should be outraged, but what is it going to take to awaken the public to this crisis and get our government to act. I fear it will just become "someone else's problem". If I can relate my experience-it's as if this war is raping our entire country-especially those serving...­BushCo uses these human beings-brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, for their own selfishness-and when they were done, beaten, bloodied and traumatized, they throw them away and leave them for dead.

[LightningJoe]

I think this is where change will finally come from -- from the ranks of those who have seen the ugly flip side of American Imperialism.

Sure, it would be nice if Americans never had to worry about an oil supply, but who pays the shitty-stick price of making it happen? Since we don't yet have an all-robot army, humans are going to keep coming back from war with wounded bodies and minds.

Ironically, one major reason a lot of these volunteers went to war was ideological -- not that these young people necessarily wanted to put forth the neo-con vision of global economic conquest, but that they wanted to stand for something they thought was right.

Imagine the ugly surprise when they find they've become something they hate, and realise there's no going back to their innocent faith in the rightness of their Commander-­In-Chief's agenda. I'm just surprised that no returning vet has yet taken an automatic weapon to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

The Bush crowd probably just wants them to shut up and kill themselves quietly, if they can't take the guilt of having fallen from their ideals to participate in such a sinfull undertaking.

Mark my words: those who survive the destructive self-loathing will not take the duties of citizenship lightly. Certainly not a one of them will ever "forget" to vote when they have the chance.

[oafishcad]

Anyone who's been paying attention should have known that suicide, homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction would follow a war into Iraq and Afgahnistan. George Bush and his fellow "send other people's children to war" enthusiasts all knew it. That's one reason we should NEVER have an all volunteer army. If Jenna came home with PTSD from the things she had seen and done, we'd have a much different government. Selfishness and greed and a lack of empathy for others is the GOP creed and the fellow traveller Dems just tag along like good little puppies.

[GrowingConcern]

Having read through the comments, I do not see any mention of what happens to active military or veterans who choose to remain on reserve status when they seek mental health care. All branches of the military deem any member to be suspect if they seek counseling, join support groups, or otherwise attempt to get help for mental and emotional problems..­.regardles­s of the rhetoric the branches spout about doing all they can to assist their members with health care, there is no support. In fact, most who seek help are targeted to be passed over for promotions and eventually end up being mustered out. In a duplicitous, devious way the military punishes anyone they deem to be "weak" in any way. Many veterans carry this fear of being weak into their private lives and suffer the consequences of ongoing mental anguish, failures, addictions, and the like because they do not go for help. War is a crime against all humanity and this administration are its merchants. It will take massive grassroots movements to get anything done for our vets and their families. Bless them all!

[TommyMcCarthy]

to moderator: I have a comment "stuck" on profile/not on post...kno­w you're busy......­... thnx for all your efforts...­..tm

[Billie]

I am outraged at the government abandoning these soldiers, and also and especially their own families abandoning them. That's trauma on top of trauma. How could they just disown someone who needs you more than ever before as a support system. So what if it's scary to see someone changed from trauma. . .you still need to be a security base for them as they heal.

Am reading a very very enlightening book about the subject called: Coping With Trauma: Hope Through Understanding, 2nd Edition, by Jon G. Allen, Ph.D.

And language is important: trauma victims should not be called "crazy." The author of this blog got it right: it's a mental INJURY. Being there for the troops when they come home and trying to understand and listen and reserve judgement is the best way to support our troops all the way.

[wisechild]

Thanks, Jon, for another good post and your continued service to this country.

However, this is not news to me. I saw a buried story about this a while back and I believe one of the news format TV shows covered it somewhat. It cannot be said that no one saw this coming.

What is news to me is how this didn't seem to be 'newsworthy' for the people who report the news until now.

Apparently, Viet Nam vets living in the streets and having mental and drug issues wasn't enough of a clue. Now we have Iraqi vets experiencing even worse blowback from their service.

When do we learn lessons around war and the fallout from it?

What I'm outraged about is the sub-par treatment, the lack of planning, and the vetos from Bush that make vets more prone to continued re-adjustment problems, family issues, mental and physical disability issues.

It seems that the rah rah only applies to signing up to serve your country and premature mission accomplished ceremonies.

These troops deserve more. Let's not blame the Dems; it's so easy to forget whose veto power kills bills intended to help and hampers ending this war sooner rather than later.

Nations are judged on how they care for their own. We are failing on this and we will pay a huge price for it...it's time to reassess priorities here.

[lisakaz]

Where is the outrage? Good question. But given the lack of curiousity and investigative skills of the MSM, they buy into the GOP myth about "supporting the troops" which is all bluster and little substance. Why was reservist Bredberg disowned? Because he didn't come home spinning tales of how wonderful his service was and how grateful he was to participate in this heroic mission? I wonder what the disconnect of his family to himself actually contributed to the soldier's ability to adjust.

I hope he and you keep up the pressure and demand better care, even if Bu$hco thinks somehow it is socialist to actually care for soldiers he has put in danger.