the growing problem of PTSD: veterans and their families look for answers |
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Visible injuries like missing limbs and scars remind Americans of the physical sacrifices of war. But there is a hidden injury that is both debilitating and frightening and which affects a large percentage of vets returning from both Iraq and Afghanistan: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Left untreated, PTSD takes an enormous toll on vets, their families and society as a whole.
According to a study published by the RAND Corporation in 2008, PTSD has affected approximately one in five Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. For those serving in the military, the risk of developing PTSD is particularly high due to increased exposure to death or injury: active combat, for example, or even sexual assault while serving in the military.
According to Dr. Patrick McGrath, a clinical psychologist who treats veterans with PTSD at the Illinois-based Alexian Brothers Center for Anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, approximately 18 percent of people coming back from the war meet the criteria for PTSD, but only about 25 percent of those are seeking active treatment. Others practice avoidance, distract themselves, or self-soothe with drugs and alcohol.
“If you have that macho view of things, you’re just supposed to walk it off,” said Dr. McGrath. “This kind of philosophy interferes with people’s ability to function, and that’s what keeps people sick for a very long time.”
The result of leaving PTSD untreated can be devastating, leading to a host of problems such as drug abuse, alcoholism, homelessness, unemployment, and violence. According to the Welcome Back Veterans website, “PTSD has been associated with unemployment and a work productivity loss of approximately $3 billion annually.” Those affected are also six times more likely to commit suicide. Violence stemming from PTSD is also a growing problem.
In his interview, Dr. McGrath stressed that it is imperative to treat PTSD as soon as possible. “You treat people now,” he said, “and then you’ll have less cost in the future.” He added, “We’re asking these people to go over and fight for our country and to defend us and to help establish our liberties. If we just let them be, it’s not a good reflection on a nation that doesn’t take care of the people who fought to keep the country safe.”
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LISTEN to the interviews with Dr. Patrick McGrath, a clinical psychologist at Alexian Brothers Center for Anxiety & Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
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For more information:
>> Experts: Vets' PTSD, violence a growing problem (CNN) >> Back From War, Fear and Danger Fill Driver’s Seat (New York Times) >> Invisible Wounds of War (RAND Corporation, 2008) >> The War Within: Preventing Suicide in the U.S. Military (RAND Corporation 2011) >> Veterans and Mental Health (Chicago Tonight) >> A Needs Assesment of New York State Veterans: Final Report to the New York State Health Foundation >> Understanding PTSD (National Center for PTSD) >> US Department of Veterans Affairs PTSD Resource Page >> Robert R. McCormick Foundation Veterans Issue Page >> Welcome Back Veterans: About PTSD
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FEMALE VETERANS face unique challenges as they return home
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Not all veterans are treated equally. Women are a growing, but often unrecognized and underserved, segment of the military with unique needs that should be addressed.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the overall female veteran population has grown to an estimated 1.9 million, and 50,000 more servicewomen are expected to join that group over the next five years. Most of these new women accessing VA care are under the age of 40 and of childbearing age, according to a 2008 study done by the Under Secretary for Health Workgroup, “creating a need for a significant, focused shift in the provision of health care.”
In recent months, other reports have indicated that female veterans face different challenges from those of men when they return home, including increased homelessness and unemployment (nine percent higher than civilian counterparts), as well as PTSD and MST (Military Sexual Trauma). A Jan. 20 New York Times article revealed that the Army reported a 30 percent increase in violent sex crimes last year, most of those against young active-duty females.
It took Deb Jones—a veteran who was honorably discharged from the Air Force and suffered PTSD and MST, both stemming from a sexual attack—nearly 12 years after leaving the service to visit the VA because she was afraid of and didn’t trust the male doctors.
“I know young women who live in a shelter because they can’t go to the VA,” she said. “There’s no privacy for women. And there are very few services for women.”
Deb is now studying to be a professional counselor and voluntarily helps other women vets suffering similar trauma.
Because many women have little time to transition to civilian life, and often immediately resume the role of caretaker to children and family, they often suppress their PTSD, even more than their male counterparts. “Women have to have a breakdown before they get help,” said Jones, who had three before entering treatment. “If you don’t have yourself, well, everything else will be toxic.”
With a rising female veteran population has come a rising suicide rate: According to a December 4, 2010 NPR article, 20 percent of U.S. suicides every year are veterans, and female vets between ages 18-34 are three times more likely than civilian peers to die by suicide.
“Women need to come right to treatment before home to help them adjust,” said Jones. “There needs to be a welcoming committee made of women just for women.”
Watch Deb’s story below to learn more of the plight of women veterans as they transition to civilian life.
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WATCH a video interview with Deborah Jones, a veteran of the US Air Force
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For more information:
>> Study: Female Vets Especially Vulnerable To Suicide (NPR) >> Female Vets Navigate Post-War Stress, Home Duties (NPR) >> Women vets face unique barriers when seeking mental health care, VA officials say (Medill National Security Zone) >> Panel Focuses on Women Veterans Issues (The American Legion) >> Provision of Primary Care to Women Veterans (Report of the Under Secretary for Health Workgroup) >> Department of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on Women Report 2010 >> Trauma-Informed Care for Women Veterans Experiencing Homelessness: A Guide for Service Providers
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VETERANS return home to higher unemployment, few solutions
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Along with the good news of service members returning from war arrives the bad news: the unemployment rate for veterans—two groups in particular—spiked significantly in the fourth quarter of 2011, highlighting an issue that has simmered and now threatens to boil over.
In spite of state and federal programs aimed at helping veterans find work, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that one out of three veterans ages 18 to 24 were without work the last quarter of 2011, double the civilian rate. The plight of women veterans is also stark. Among women who served post-9/11, their unemployment rate of 16.8% dwarfs the civilian rate of 7.8%.
Although last November Congress approved tax breaks for companies hiring jobless vets, it is likely these benefits will take a while to filter through the system. In the meantime, the social cost to unemployed vets, their families and the country is significant. A Jan. 6 USA Today article quotes statistics from the Department of Labor indicating that unemployment payments to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have skyrocketed since the 2007-09 recession from $452 million spent in fiscal 2008 to $940 million in fiscal 2011.
That same article notes that female vets “historically gravitate to work in areas now experiencing severe cutbacks such as education and the public sector,” while young vets, particularly those without a college education, are having a difficult time translating skills learned in the military to skills needed in the workplace.
But there is help—some companies are aggressively hiring vets, such as Chicago-based Aon. According to Chad Watson, a former Marine and assistant director of Aon’s Crisis Management Operation Centre, the company finds value in military experience. “Veterans have been in hard situations and have had to stay calm and make great decisions,” he explained.
Watson added that one of the biggest obstacles is that veterans leave the service without concrete credentials.
“When veterans end their service, there is nothing in terms of credentials that they can bring out to the workforce,” he said. “If I was an X-ray technician in the Army, where are my credentials showing exactly what course work I had and breaking that down to bring out to an employer?”
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LISTEN to the interview with Chad Watson to learn more about this complex and growing issue from a veteran's perspective.
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>> Jobless rate for young and female vets climbed in late 2011(USA Today) >> Vets come home to new battle: Joblessness (Chicago Tribune) >> Missing credentials hamper jobless veterans (Reuters) >> State grappling with younger veterans’ needs (Daily Herald) >> Aon's Warriors Bring Military Values to Managing Global Risks (Insurance Journal) >> The Top 100 Military Friendly Employers >> Obama signs bipartisan bill to help jobless vets (MSNBC) >> Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University >> For Young Vets, Healing in Service to Others (New York Times) >> The New Greatest Generation (Time) >> From Public Duty to Private Sector (Financial Times)
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Lt. Col. Jack Amberg Named Illinois Veteran of the month
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On December 16, 2011, the McCormick Foundation's own Lt. Col. Jack Amberg (Ret., U.S.) was recognized as the December 2011 Illinois Veteran of the Month by the State of Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs for his 26-year career in the military and his ongoing commitments to helping veterans.
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cantigny Honor CLUB
Cantigny Park and Cantigny Golf, each part of the McCormick Foundation, are pleased to offer special privileges to veterans and active-duty military (regular, reserve and National Guard). It is our way of supporting our troops and honoring the men and women who served and sacrificed to protect our country’s freedom. Membership is free and does not expire. Sign up here.
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