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Mark Salmorin
English 112
Ms. Connie Douglas
12 July 2016
Critical Analysis
There are many different medical journals and psychological studies
that have been conducted over the years, by the top doctors across the
globe in their respective fields researching and trying to aid veterans in their
struggle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Let us discuss what
(John W. Williams Jr) has to say, did you know that North Carolina is home
to more than 114,000 active service members and 45,000 reservists that is
truly amazing how many patriots we have here. North Carolina also has the
eighth highest population in the country totaling 21.5 million veterans across
the state and its one hundred counties. Based on the Studies from Dr.
Williams, evidence based Synthesis Program which synthesize research to
support web-based interventions for mental illness, tools to screen for PTSD,
the impact of wearable motion-sensing technologies on physical activity, and
the comparative effectiveness of proton irradiation therapy. Which are helpful
in treating PTSD.
Now that we have discussed some new treatment methods let us talk
about PTSD from a different point of view (Gourley) states that PTSD is way
more than fear and anxiety, it involves the full range of emotions and

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undermining our bodys ability to think clearly, to set and achieve goals, and
to fully participate in and benefit from relationships. All a veteran knows is
that they are safe and alive. It becomes all about the loss of self-regulation
that occurs when survival determines how they think, feel, and behave in
every area of their lives. PTSD replaces the person who was still growing,
learning and becoming a unique person before the trauma, leaving only the
desperate survivor who may have no clear sense of identity and who may
even hate themselves. Their thinking has kept them safe and alive, they
dont think they have a problem. They are not crazy they are acting
accordingly to their training. It is what defines them and who they are, they
best at what they do. They do not use kid gloves and go on full attack, how
can their actions be wrong? Veterans use video games as an outlet to feel
that they have control of something, normal. Do not try to take this away
from them it will only upset them.

Try playing a game with them it is a

great way to rebuild trust. Lack of intimacy is normal due to being numb
emotionally, it is not that they dont love you it is about trying to figure out
what the hell is going on which leads to the next point anger. Yelling, cursing
and reacting before thinking is a reflex. The trauma that is suffered causes
physical changes in their brains. The amygdala part of the brain controls
fight or flight and is always turned on. A veteran can go from zero to sixty in
a nanosecond, they have just come back from a place where everyone
wanted to kill them and their brothers and sisters and people are dying right
in front of them. Another thing is lack of impulse control what is the point of

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saving for the future that may never come this is a result of the chemical
change in a Veterans brain. As far as jobs go I dont know how many
veterans with PTSD that can hold down a job being in public for a majority of
them it freaks them out. The civilian world is not in the same universe as the
Military world. Veterans get bad reputations because they are used to rules
and regulations and doing things the right way, they are not used to dealing
with the civilian jobs where things are not always done the proper way. A
majority of Veterans with PTSD have a very high startle response, and sit in
places to position themselves where they are able to see everything, having
cat like reflexes to sudden movement and noises. They stay on guard and
watch every move throughout the room.
How about what is said by Dr. Satel, (Sally) that the number of
Veterans afflicted is exaggerated, stating that medical practitioners should
promote rehabilitation rather than disability. Undoubtedly, it will afflict some
men and women returning from Iraq. A humane and grateful country must
treat them, but how many will be afflicted is difficult to know. It is not
uncommon for some people to have symptoms (e.g. , nightmares, painful
memories) but to function at a very high level and neither they nor those
around them consider them sick. Veterans with the most PTSD symptoms
tend to amplify their memory for traumatic events over time, though they
are unaware how those memories have changed. Individuals with more
symptoms of anxiety and depression remember traumatic events being
worse the second time they are asked about it. It is important to enumerate

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the factors known to protect against post-traumatic stress symptoms of
PTSD. These include the benefits of a smooth reintegration of the Veteran
into family and community, societys appreciation for their sacrifice, minimal
economic hardship, engagement in purposeful work and the ability to derive
reward, or at last meaning.
What is crucial is the help we give vets does not transform acute
problems into chronic ones. It should not entail repeated telling of terrifying
or demoralizing stories and encourage the client to assume the identity of
the psychologically crippled veteran. A veteran deemed fully disabled can
collect $2,000 to $3,000 a month, tax free. If work is the best therapy (it
structures ones life, gives a sense of purpose and productivity, provides
important social opportunities and a healthy way to get ones mind to stop
ruminating about problems), the ongoing disability payments can be the
route to further isolation and disability. Once a patient gets permanent
disability, motivation to ever hold a job declines, the patient assumes-often
incorrectly- that they can no longer work, and the longer unemployed, the
more their confidence in his ability for future work erodes and his skills
atrophy. They are trapped into remaining disabled by the fact that they
were once very ill but by no means eternally dysfunctional.

What is happening to me as (Junger) said, I thought I was going crazy.

For the next several months I kept having panic attacks whenever I was in a
small place with too many people-airplanes, crowded bars. Gradually the

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incidents stopped, and I didnt think about it again until I found myself
talking to a woman at a picnic who worked as a psychotherapist. She said
that the panic attacks were part of Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety
keeps you ready to fight and keeps you too active posing a greater risk to
the body causing lack of sleep. Because PTSD is a natural response to
danger, almost unavoidable in the short term and mostly self-correcting in
the long term. Only about twenty percent of people exposed to trauma react
with long-term (chronic) PTSD.

According to a neuropathologist Daniel Perl director of Mount Sinai,

who was approached by the pentagon to examine the brains of soldiers with
PTSD who had died or committed suicide (Worth), who was the leading
researcher on chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or C.T.E. which has caused
dementia in N.F.L. players through his studies on the brain and tissue he has
found conclusive evidence of scaring on the brain proving that PTSD is a
psychical injury to the body not just a mental one. Which attributes to
memory loss, cognitive problems, inability to sleep and profound, often
suicidal depression. It was a pattern that looked like brown dust, but they
were distinct patterns of tiny scars. Through his career he has examined over
20,000 brains in his life time so far. Nearly 350,000 service members have
been given the diagnosis of PTSD over the past 15 yrs. The real number is
probably higher because so many that have enlisted are too proud to report
a wound that is invisible.

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Barry Roma, a postal worker and disabled Vietnam veteran tells people
not to be afraid of him. He is joking sort of, he knows how veterans and
postal workers are seen by people. More than forty years ago he was an
officer in Vietnam and he witnessed wartime atrocities that can easily be
classified as war crimes. These events occurred decades ago, but they
continue to haunt and nearly overwhelm him with remorse. Barry enrolled in
college when he came home but some discovered he could not sleep. I had
a tremendous amount of adrenaline, he said. A couple of hours of sleep a
night was perfect. Barry who is now sixty said he began to drink heavily, at
the time he did not know he was exhibiting symptoms of PTSD, including
anxiety and nightmares. It took many years for Barry to get disability and
help from the government. You cant help or compensate someone who was
having problems with whatever it is, PTSD was not known at this time it was
called Vietnam Syndrome. Barry eventually received his benefits, but many
others have not fared so well. Whether it be returning from (Vietnam, Iraq, or
Afghanistan, having shattered nerves does not work so well. The number of
American soldiers that have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan in recent years is
daunting: Approximately 1.6 million men and women have been deployed to
the middle east since 2002. More than 4,000 have been killed in the Iraq
war, and tens of thousands have been maimed, wounded, or are currently
suffering psychological scars. These are some of the things veterans deal
with every day because they chose to put their life on the line to protect you

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a perfect stranger to them so now my hope is that you have a better
understanding of their sacrifices and what they go through when they come
home and try to live a normal life like you, so have a little more compassion
and understanding for them and try to help them as a way of thanking them
for the things you take for granted.

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Works Cited
Ford, D. E., I. L. Meagher, and Jeff Huber. ""The Iraq War Has Increased the
Number of Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder."." Behavioral
Disorders (2010): N pag.
Gourley, Justin. militarywithptsd.org. 2 January 2016. 2 July 2016.
John W. Williams Jr, George L. Jackson. "Utilizing Evidence to Address the
Health and Health Care Needs of Veterans." NCMedicalJournal 76.5
(2015).
Junger, Sebatian. vanityfair.com. 7 May 2015. 2 July 2016.
PTSD, National Center for. "Mental Health Effects of Serving in Afghanistan
and Iraq." PTSD Quarterly (2010): N Pag.
PTSD, The National Center for. "Treatments for PTSD: Understanding the
Evidence." PTSD Research Quarterly 19.3 (2008): N .pag.
Sally, Satel. ""The Iraq War Has Not Increased the Number of Veterans with
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder."." Behavioral Disorders (2010): N Pag.
Tara, McKelvey. ""Combat fatigue:as returning veterans suffer post-traumatic
stress disorder in record numbers, a contriversial new drug is being
tested that would dampen their memories."." The American Prospect
(2008): 19.7.
Worth, Robert F. What if PTSD is More Physical Than Psychologicial. 10 June
2016. 2 July 2016.
Yochi, Dreazen. "Tour of duty: Ty carter fought in Afghanistan and became a
hero Now he has one more enemy to fight:PTSD." Foriegn Policy
(2014): 208.