Can Congress remedy Post Traumatic Stress?
@revellanotvanella (4033)
United States
November 7, 2009 6:35pm CST
WHOSE gonna take care of this big problem?? Are we going to have another generation of retired veterans left homeless and uncared for? And sadly, timing is not on these soldiers side. What has changed though is that its not so taboo to talk about these thing where as when I was growing up you just did not talk about stuff like that and if you knew somebody suffering like this you just leave it alone.
1 person likes this
3 responses
@Netsbridge (3253)
• United States
9 Nov 09
As Spalladino has mentioned above, most people never returned from war the same. War, folks, is not funny. It is not natural for a human to just walk up and kill others for mere religious or ideological reasons; as has been the cases with most of our 20th century and 21 century wars - which is why our service people are often given doses of adrenaline (an addictive substance) for performance! The consequences and aftermath of war are too many and too risky for nations to keep entertaining themselves in wars.
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@Netsbridge (3253)
• United States
9 Nov 09
When I chauffeured, I remember driving people to the VA Hospital in Houston, Texas, who were still fighting the Vietnam war, the Gulf War or whatever war they were involved in. Most soldiers never recover from the trauma of war!
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@spalladino (17891)
• United States
8 Nov 09
No, revellanotvanella, I don't believe that we will. My husband and I have been involved with the V.A. for the past 7 years and I've seen some positive changes in the past few years in their response to this illness. Back in 1968 when he first returned from Nam with what was classified as "adjustment disorder", there was no help available for our servicemen. Now, the medical centers take addressing the special needs of this group very seriously so they have a lot of resources to turn to. The Veteran's Administration itself proved to be very difficult to deal with when we were fighting for the benefits my husband needs and is entitled to. Their response to his claim was slow and they used their own psychiatrists to evaluate him even though he was being treated by one at the medical center. Not surprisingly, their conclusions differed from his medical diagnosis so we were forced to fight with them for four years. I've heard recently that this is changing though. The burden of proof does not fall entirely on the veteran anymore and, instead of requiring the V.A. paid psychiatrist treating him to write a letter confirming the severity of the illness (which few were willing to do since it was frowned upon by their superiors), the veteran's medical records can now be used. The Vietnam era veterans were treated very badly for a very long time but they paved the way for the changes that will benefit those who came afterwards.
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@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
8 Nov 09
I would rather Congress stay out of our veterans' affairs. Everything they do, they screw up. We have to take care of the homeless vets and those suffering PTSS ourselves and that means giving to local community programs for them--money from those that can afford it and time from those who can't. Communities accomplish much more than the government can and they do a better job of it. We need to do all we can to support our local programs--those veterans made sacrifices for us and they deserve to be helped!
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@spalladino (17891)
• United States
8 Nov 09
Dragon, our veterans deserve quality care and, in the case of PTSD, that means psychiatrists who specialize in treating this illness and support groups comprised of other vets who have similar feelings and problems. You can't count of local community groups to provide that because treatment usually involved medication as well as therapy. I do believe that there should be more outreach programs available to assist homeless vets and/or those who suffer from mental illness with navigating the V.A. system and housing issues but not all of them even want the help.
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@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
8 Nov 09
Spalladino, I was thinking of local medical professionals donating their services or providing them on a sliding scale, something like that. I know those men and women need doctors of all types. But whenever the government gets involved it means substandard care and inflated costs. Look at that hospital they found with mold on the walls!!! That's a disgrace! If a prison had a hospital like that it would be discovered and fixed immediately but the country seems to take our veterans for granted.
I can't do much but I donate to veterans' charities. If everyone would send even one dollar a month to those charities, so much could be done without the interference of the government.
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@spalladino (17891)
• United States
8 Nov 09
Walter Reed was a disgrace and I was actually shocked when I learned about the dismal conditions there. My husband has received care at the V.A. medical centers in Baltimore and West Palm Beach and we've never been disappointed. Believe me, I watch over his healthcare like a hawk because he has several medical conditions and I would never tolerate substandard care when it comes to him. He has a primary doctor and a few specialists who cost him nothing to see, are very qualified and his prescriptions are filled for free, either on site or mailed. His refills arrive in the mail before he runs out thanks to the system they use. The homeless PTSD vets would also receive these services, along with the assistance of social workers, if they would only sign up. Transportation can also be arranged. The most surprising thing is that, even though these centers serve a lot of patients every day, we never have to wait longer than 15 minutes to be seen. Don't let one bad apple turn you against the entire system. Most V.A. medical centers are top rate.
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