Life after war: Returning soldiers cope with peaceful world

Life after war: Returning soldiers cope with peaceful world
Julie Randle

Sherman was right: War is hell. Ask any solider. Or ask their families.

“It’s a profound life changing experience,” said David Klein, clinical psychologist for the St. Louis Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

“War is the ultimate violence,” said Gary L. Collins, team leader and readjustment counseling specialist for the St. Louis Vet Center.

When a military member is deployed, life at home can be turned upside down. Life is made more difficult, household roles shift and parenting obligations are changed.

Military men and women return home changed forever. Coming home doesn’t magically return things to the way they were before the soldier left.

Some soldiers are unable to cope. They may suffer from depression. They may abuse drugs or alcohol. The solider may have trouble sleeping. He may be angry or irritable. If symptoms persist, they may be diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

According to the July 2004 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine, one out of eight individuals have symptoms of PTSD, Collins said. Symptoms may include flashbacks, isolation, feelings of detachment and intrusive thoughts about the conflict that are present in individual thoughts.

There are services available to help current and former soldiers at the St. Louis VA Medical Center and Vet Center. Specialized PTSD teams, psychologists, substance abuse programs and psychiatry are all in place to help military members get the help they need for whatever mental health condition they are struggling with.

Klein, a member of the PTSD unit in building 51, located on the campus of the VA Medical Center at Jefferson Barracks, treats “people who are having readjustment issues or psychological problems related to their experience.”

The center treats a mix of veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War and lower intensity conflicts.

For instance, the PTSD unit has treated about 20 to 25 soldiers who were stationed in Iraq. Klein has seen a slow steady trickle of military soldiers returning home who are dealing with the condition, he said.

Klein says the body has a built in stress response system that functions as needed in normal people. But for military soldiers in a combat zone the system is on overload, and the “body is on guard all the time, Klein said.

“Our bodies aren’t designed to have it on that long,” Klein, said.

Combat soldiers in the Iraq war are facing “toxic combat,” Klein said. In Iraq, soldiers are engaged in guerrilla warfare, which is highly stressful because soldiers never know who the enemy is and they never safe.

PTSD includes three basic types of symptoms. The first set of symptoms includes re-experiencing the event, which can occur as flashbacks, nightmares or thoughts that pop into the mind. The second focuses on avoidance, which may consist of avoiding people, places or things that remind an individual of a particular event. Avoidance is carried out to help minimize the pain. The third set deals with the body response system and arousal symptoms.

People can be diagnosed with PTSD if they have symptoms from each cluster.

People with PTSD usually seek treatment for two reasons: they are having trouble sleeping or they are angry and irritable, Klein said.

Klein said his unit typically sees individuals who have chronic PTSD. Treatment may include family, individual and group therapy sessions. Medications may be prescribed to help control anxiety, depression and anger.

A combination of therapy and medication is usually needed to help patients, Klein said.

Veterans who receive services at the VA Medical Center must first enroll in the VA system. If a veteran meets the eligibility requirements and is approved they can receive services.

Another helpful option for military veterans, those still on active duty and their families are Vet Centers, which provide psychological counseling for war-related trauma, community outreach, case management and referral activities and supportive social services. In addition, the centers also provide trauma counseling to veterans who were sexually assaulted or harassed while on active duty.

Vet Centers are open to any veteran who served in combat.

A Vet Center is a satellite clinic that is part of the VA Medical Center. However, Vet Centers are not located on hospital campuses. These facilities are located in normal settings among other businesses so they are less threatening for patients.

The St. Louis Vet Center, located at, 2345 Pine St., averages 500 visits a month.

Collins says the clinic has treated about 20 veterans and active personnel who were involved in the Iraq war along with other veterans involved in World War II as well as the Korean and Persian Gulf Wars.

“Our specialty is PTSD,” Collins said.

Clients of the center can receive group and individual therapy, marital counseling, job service assistance and referral for benefits, Collins said.

Though there is no specific time for measure of treatment, Collins said, “the more severe the trauma, the longer the treatment.” The sooner an individual receives treatment the better the outcome, he said.

Some active duty members believe mental health counseling will hurt their careers. But Collins emphasized that “our records are very confidential,” he said.

“The important message I want to get out is we’re trying to take stigma away,” Collins said.

Klein encourages spouses and family members that notice changes in behavior when a soldier returns to let them know help is available.

“This is very much a family issue,” Klein said. “Everyone can be affected by untreated problems.”

Currently, the federal government is taking steps to help military personnel with adjustment issues.

For instance, the Department of Defense is doing mental health screenings on demobilized returning troops and those injured in war zones.

In addition, combat stress teams are being sent into the field to help troops with mental health issues and specialized teams of health professionals back home are evaluating various aspects of mental health care.

Klein is on a PTSD team that is evaluating how PTSD care is being delivered, how to improve care and how to meet the needs of Iraq veterans.

“They’re making a significant effort to identify and treat these problems earlier,” Klein said.

To learn if an individual is eligible to receive VA Medical Center services, call the VA Medical Center at (314) 652-4100 and ask for the eligibility department or visit www.va.gov. For more on PTSD, visit visit www.ncptsd.org or www.va.gov