Critical Observation: Post-Traumatic Stress

Note this post is from one of my papers I have written in the course of my pursuit of a degree in Psychology so it is academic in nature.

The subject of this paper is Post-Traumatic Stress or as it is more commonly known Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD among most individuals today. The term in current usage in the psychological field is Post Traumatic Stress or PTS. PTS was not given its current name until the Vietnam War and shortly after when returning veterans began to have difficulty re-adjusting to life outside of a combat zone.  This label very quickly gathered a negative stigma to be associated with it; veterans who found themselves unable to get proper treatment languished in a personal hell for many years. Only in the last 15 years has the public’s perception changed in regards to PTS but there are many still ignorant of what it really means. 

The subject of this paper is myself; I am a decorated Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran with my initial combat tour occurring in 2003-2004. I returned for a 2^nd combat tour that was cut short when my degenerative disc disease was aggravated and I was returned to the continental United States in June 2005. My symptoms appeared approximately about 6 months after my return. I found myself very quickly reverting back to the hyper-vigilant mode of awareness. I became easily agitated in crowded locations and did not wish to be around such gatherings. 

I was able for quite a while to deal with the PTS by having a strong support network of close friends and family.  But by late 2005 my first marriage after 12 years ended in divorce I found myself adrift. The dreams and feelings seemed stronger and more intense; I then threw myself into my work as a Military instructor at Fort Huachuca, teaching other analysts to perform in combat the same job I did. I enjoyed the work and it became my security blanket to teach the soldiers how to do the job right and bring your guys home alive.

Things were going smoothly then around mid-2006 I met and began dating the woman, who would become my 2^nd wife, Kathryn.  Kate as she prefers to be address became very quickly an anchor against the darkness that I felt sometimes was going to swallow me whole.  Assisting me in dealing with my PTS was a fellow veteran, Paul Matsuzak; he served with me as a fellow instructor. Paul and I became very close as we shared many of our issues with each other and became that friend you call at 2 a.m. and you can’t sleep because of the nightmares. In September 2006 the Army moved me to Camp Parks, where I spent the next two years training soldiers whom were about to deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan.

For myself my PTS episodes begin very innocently, usually restlessness when attempting to fall asleep. I will hear voices, smell burnt flesh, or see images of comrades that died over there during my tour(s). I also see my father whom I was informed of his death the day we lost 5 men to a grenade attack while during a shift change so some of them were lying down, the others getting ready to pull their shift.  I cannot ever forget that day, it is burned in my soul till I die and beyond.  I can recall how I begged my mother to not make me return home as I had a mission do take care of, that my father would understand why.  I finally sought treatment in August of 2009 for my PTS through the Veterans Administration; I was diagnosed with a “mild-anxiety” disorder shortly after being discharged for my degenerative disc disease in 2008. 

The effects of a PTS episode upon me range from mild to severe, examples of my PTS is I with draw from social activities for a few days, possibly miss work, or feel the pain in my back reach excruciating levels beyond the pain medications I take to control the pain.  The emotional toll is I am left feeling numb to everything around me as I slowly recover from the latest episode.  I have been proscribed medication to deal with the anxiety and with the counseling seem to be effective in managing my PTS so far. 

The psychology that is used to explain my behavior is still developing as we learn more about how/why PTS occurs in human beings. The current and ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have dramatically increased the number of individuals that now seek or are directed to mental health professionals for treatment. This is the reason I have sought a degree in psychology, to better understand myself and my issues and to eventually seek to become a mental health professional to treat others whom suffer as I have. 

The ethical dilemmas that could arise from my PTS and the fact I seek to become a mental health professional to treat others, first I must have my own issues in control and be able to set aside my biases so that I can treat others. Another that could arise is the danger of becoming too emotionally invested in a patient, preventing effective treatment based on sound psychological/scientific practice.  Yet another issue is putting my issues upon my patient and not treating their issues as a separate and unique issue. This can be avoided by a solid grounding in professional ethics and ensuring that I am able to separate self from patient/client needs.