Often associated with military combat, PTSD is an indiscriminate anxiety disorder. It’s usually the result of being exposed to a horrific experience or event in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. It may be triggered by violent personal assaults. The symptoms of PTSD can start immediately or after a delay of weeks or months. Most often, they appear within six months of the traumatic event.
High rates of PTSD have already been documented in record numbers for Iraq War veterans. Overt signs include depression and excessive alcohol and drug use. Recent studies published in Military Medicine and the New England Journal of Medicine found that about one in eight soldiers reported symptoms of PTSD and less than half of those with problems seek help.
There is little research on PTSD with specific focus on ethnic and racial differences, but what has occurred over the past few years with individuals returning from combat may be best summed up by the occurrence this week in Wisconsin where Iraq War veteran Matthew Magdzas killed his pregnant wife, their 13-month-old daughter, their three dogs and himself.
PTSD is serious. According to a 2005 Veterans Administration study of 168,528 Iraq War veterans, 20 percent were diagnosed with psychological disorders, including 1,641 with PTSD, with Marine and Army forces being four times more likely to report or display symptoms. Add to that the fact that suicides among active-duty soldiers in 2007 reached their highest level since the Army began keeping such records in 1980. These rates continue to grow and as our military services personnel return home, PTSD with remain a major health issue.
