PTSD: An Iraq War Veteran's Experience

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is an illness that most people have a surfaced knowledge of, at best, even though its earliest reports date back to 6th century B.C. In the post-Vietnam War era, it made a more frequent appearance in the media, as combat veterans returned home and struggled with symptoms including anger, insomnia, hyper vigilance, and flashbacks. Since then, some people owe their knowledge on the subject to Oliver Stone and "Born on the Fourth of July", or even this election period, as political pundits have hailed John McCain as unfit to run this country, due to his POW experience and, thus, potential to suffer from PTSD.

Bryan Adams, a sophomore at Rutgers University at Camden, has undergone quite a trajectory to get to where he is today. There was a dark time to go through, though, first. "With a couple of my girlfriends, I was just mean, forceful I guess you could say," Bryan admitted. He also talked about his frustration and anger with his classmates whose conversations and interests he could not relate to. As Bryan explained, "I felt very isolated... I had been through all this stuff and [my friends] can't even begin to imagine what it was like. They try, you know, but it's just hard to convey." Finally, Bryan talked about one of the incidents that added to the buildup in realizing that he needed to seek help. "I got a DUI... I was going 75 in a 50. UI was swerving in and out of traffic... Stuff like drunk driving. I didn't even think about it. I didn't care about it."

It became clear to Bryan, through a buildup of such experiences, that he had to put in the effort to get better. There were many factors that were strong contributors to his healing process. The underlying theme in all of them, though, was the recognition and understanding that he is not alone. Even the diagnosis of PTSD in itself was a source of comfort for him. He told me that, when he was diagnosed, he finally understood the concept of "It's not you.. It's [PTSD]" and that enabled him to see what was going on more clearly.

At the end of our interview, Bryan called upon both young veterans and others to put real and lasting effort into veterans' rights and benefits. To veterans, Bryan advised, "Don't give up hope, because you might not know what's going on. You might not feel like you have control over your situation in life, but you really do. If you want to make a difference, you have to put out the effort. It's just like anything else in life... No one is going to listen to you unless you stand up." And to others, the rest of us and those that have the ability to enact change, Bryan reminds us that "The veteran is the expert. We're the ones that shed blood for this country."

If one solution to PTSD is knowing that you don't stand alone, there is no doubt that Bryan's words and work so far on the issue have already improved--and saved--lives.

To check out my interview with Bryan Adams, go to:http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1597801/20081023/story.jhtml