PTS and PTSD

Well, many of you have heard the terms far too often on t.v., mostly about Viet Nam vets, and occasionally about our combat vets now returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Let me just share some layman's understanding of these issues based on having seen elements of both over the last several years.

First, Post Traumatic Stress, which falls short of the disorder, and many of us have experienced it, whether or not you've been to a combat theater (not the Rainier Valley Cinemas). If you've ever been in a bad traffic accident, been through a shooting, or maybe had the barista make your double venti half-calf vanilla latte just a bit too hot, you may have gone through some of the symptoms: nightmares, nausea, repeated mental images, sleeplessness, irritability, among others. Typically, with a little talking with family or friends, some reflection on the incident, and time, these go away and may just remain as unpleasant memories.

As the incidents get more violent, the stakes get higher (i.e., loss of life, limb or security), and the frequency of events increase, cumulative stress begins to build. Even those who cope well with high stress incidents can struggle at this level. Finding what they call "a new normal" in the midst of the chaos is possible with lots of reflection, perhaps some counseling or therapy and finding rest once again. Unfortunately, some people don't access counseling, or they experience too great a trauma to piece life back together, or perhaps they have never built the resiliency skills that help them cope. Maybe there has been just too much trauma. The situations are different for everyone. What one person shrugs off may deeply affect another.

The real problem arises when those cumulative traumas (or the one that hit really hard) start to build dysfunction into a person's daily routine. Anger, acute fatigue, "flashbacks," and many other psychological problems can arise, usually noticeable at about 6 months or more post-incident. Without help, they don't get better. These are often the battlefield casualties that get left behind - until recently, as I believe the military has become very focused on relieving combat stress early and being able to deal with the longer-term cases that inevitably arise.

I talked today to several of our troops who recently lost a team member to grave injury. Just as I experienced some of these symptoms after a near-shooting incident as a cop years ago, they expressed symptoms of sleeplessness, irritability, nightmares, even second-guessing what they did or should've done at the time of the incident. Fortunately for them, their partner is recovering nicely in the States, so putting the pieces together is much easier, as there is the possibility of a positive resolution. Their post-traumatic stress won't turn toward the PTS Disorder.

A man in Iraq killed several military members from the combat stress team with whom he had been dealing concerning his own stress lately. I can't judge how well they did or did not treat him. I can't judge whether his level of stress was truly combat related or just his own personal dysfunction (which some of these cases are). All I know is that we have soldiers over here who will never receive a visible injury from combat, but who will nonetheless suffer from their time here.

I wish I could get them all to talk to a chaplain - a good one. I wish I could get them all to gain the Heavenly perspective on good and evil, the sin of mankind and the ultimate plan God has for redemption, both of men and of the Earth. Sadly, many will continue on in life with too small a box for the traumas they endure. The disonance this will create in their life will leave invisible injuries only One can heal. Pray for our soldiers and this nation, that we will return to the One who has such healing in His hands. One of the statements in the "Warrior Ethos" is this: I will never leave a fallen comrade behind. We may bring them home, but to what? I pray that our country has something to offer, post-trauma, other than platitudes, parades and pageantry. In the end, only a savior can right what is wrong with mankind and make sense of the trauma we inflict on one another.