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Adam Miles
Mrs. Lester
Hon World Lit
19 April 2012
Shaping Sheet
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, has become a major problem for the soldiers
serving in the United States Armed Forces. Since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,
the number of PTSD cases have drastically increased; up to 400% in some cases.The Veterans
Administration is trying to help our veterans recover. There are also many charities and other
facilities that are helpful to veterans. However, more needs to be done to prevent PTSD from
occurring in combat and researchers need to find a more dependable and successful treatment to
give to our veterans.It is essential that the society of the United States understand the nature of
this epidemic so that it can help veterans adapt to civilian life.
PTSD is a disorder that affects the mental state of many of the veterans that return from
the wars in the Middle East.Before learning about the available treatment for this disease, one
ought to know how the disease is defined. According to the American Psychological
Association, PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is defined as an anxiety problem that
develops in some people after extremely traumatic events, such as combat, crime, an accident or
natural disaster. People with PTSD may relive the event via intrusive memories, flashbacks and
nightmares; avoid anything that reminds them of the trauma; and have anxious feelings they
didn’t have before that are so intense their lives are disrupted.PTSD has become a major problem
in the modern wars. Every year, more soldiers develop PTSD than the year before. Some
statistics claim that there has been up to a 400 percent increase in PTSD cases in soldiers in the

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recent years.In sheer numbers, there have been 236,000 cases of PTSD out of 500,000 surveyed
soldiers in one study.These soldiers have been fighting since the beginning of the wars.
According to this survey, almost fifty percent of the soldiers that have fought since the beginning
of the war have developed PTSD.PTSD has become a major problem in the army, and is most
likely caused by the brutality of today’s wars.
The veterans of the US military have developed PTSD because of the type of combat that
is seen in today’s wars.Fighting styles used by the enemies of the US military create a high stress
environment. As an army report puts it, “fighting insurgents and terrorists in Afghanistan and
Iraq has been a nearly nonstop exercise in patrols, raids and firefights with no real battle lines.
Even at a forward operating base, soldiers can be hit by a rocket, a suicide bomber or an Afghan
who turns and starts shooting Americans.”Due to the fear of all of these tactics, soldiers are
constantly under stress. Constant stress along with stressful events can lead to PTSD
development.Another cause of PTSD is redeployment. Take Sgt. Bales for example, the soldier
who went on a killing spree supposedly due to PTSD. He had served three yearlong deployments
in Iraq, and had witnessed some heavy firefights.This is the same for many soldiers. The
soldiers’ minds cannot endure traumatic events. Logically, the more chances a person has to
encounter a traumatic event that can cause PTSD, the more likely he is to develop this mental
disease. A third reason for the development is the little time for recovery during service. Some
soldiers, such as Eric Fowler, felt like they were always on fighting. He said, “We had 24/7
guard duty and we usually had 30-hour shifts.”This duty was usually spent in a Humvee, and the
time for rest in between was even shorter. Soldiers most likely took a major blow to their mental
state due to the limited amount of rest time that they received.The horrible sights that soldiers see

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during war are the cause for PTSD. When these soldiers return home, PTSD can have a major
effect on their lives.
Whether it is merely everyday life or violent crimes directed at others or even
themselves, PTSD severely affects soldiers that return home to the United States.The first way
that PTSD affects veterans is in their civilian lives. One veteran, who did not wish to have his
full name disclosed, said, “I was always having nightmares at night, and certain things trigger it:
just, loud noises, or, I don’t like people behind me a lot of the time, or stuff like that. I don’t like
malls with a lot of people in it. I hate it.”This veteran cannot even enjoy sleeping at night or
going to a mall. He has obviously been so mentally wounded by the war that everyday life
becomes difficult. The sad thing is that he is so ashamed about this that he would not give his full
name.Soldiers with PTSD are more likely to commit violent crimes upon returning to civilian
life. An example of this is veteran Nelson Hopkins Sr. Hopkins was just recently convicted of
armed robbery and earlier convicted of second degree robbery. He has sought out treatment for
his PTSD with little success.Hopkins is just one of the many veterans with PTSD who has
committed violent crimes because of it. These crimes span from the robberies committed by
veterans like Hopkins to murders in some cases.While some of the veterans suffering from PTSD
use violence against others, others show violence towards themselves. An army report that there
were 115 suicides directly related to PTSD in just one year during the Iraq and Afghanistan
Wars. These veterans are so troubled by their mental state that they feel like the only way to end
it is to kill themselves. More should be done to prevent veterans from reaching this point.This
condition obviously affects soldiers’ lives greatly. In an effort to help these veterans, many
psychologists prescribe medicine to the veterans.

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The medicine that is used to treat PTSD in soldiers does not work on the scale that it
should for the United States’ mentally wounded warriors. Most veterans who return home are
given antidepressants, sleeping pills, or anxiety medicines to help them cope with their
PTSD.These medicines help some soldiers with their symptoms. However, these medicines do
not prevent the symptoms from recurring. A large number of the medications used to treat PTSD
patients are opiate based. This medication has not shown to cure soldiers of PTSD. Also, when
combined with other medication, these pills can cause suicide attempts.The last thing that our
veterans should be receiving is a medicine that can possibly cause suicide. These medications
have not shown enough success to be used.A second problem that can be caused by medication
is simply taking too much of it. One soldier, Spc. Victor Lewis, accused his battalion at Fort
Bragg of overmedicating soldiers.Overmedication does not improve a patient’s condition. In fact,
it can cause problems in the recovery process.There are a number of problems with the
medication used to treat veterans, but there are still problems left for veterans to face.
A common problem that soldiers with PTSD face is receiving treatment from a good
facility.A problem among many treatment centers and army bases is understaffing. The army
standard ratio of mental health doctors to patients is one to fifty. However, some military bases
as few as to 1 doctor to 265 patients.This is a major problem for soldiers with PTSD. Without
enough psychiatrists, these centers cannot do an effective job in treating each individual case.
Active duty soldiers with PTSD face yet another problem. Army bases continue to deploy and
use these soldiers even when they have developed PTSD. Of the 76,176 soldiers diagnosed with
PTSD between 2000 and 2011, 65,236 of them were at some stage in their deployment. One
might wonder why these soldiers were not relieved of duty. The answer is most likely because
the military needs all the people it can get to serve. Another possible challenge is the chance of a

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misdiagnosis. At Fort Bragg Army Base, there have been alleged misdiagnosis in an attempt to
deny veterans military healthcare.This was most likely done in an attempt to save money.
However, the veterans who have been misdiagnosed are most likely suffering greatly due to
it.The facilities that are used to treat soldiers have problems that can slow recovery, but there are
still more problems for our veterans.
Remaining problems for veterans with PTSD exist.One problem exists in the initial
diagnosis. Up to 80 percent of PTSD cases exist with another psychiatric disorder.The other
disorder can mask PTSD, which makes it harder to see the symptoms. This can make diagnosing
PTSD very difficult. Symptoms of PTSD can also recur when triggered. For instance, many
veterans with PTSD can have flashbacks if they hear a loud noise, or if someone stands too close
behind them. These flashbacks are the very problem that doctors are trying to cure. The triggers
stunt the recovery of the veteran with PTSD.One of the biggest problems for veterans with PTSD
is that they never sought treatment to begin with. Many veterans do not want this help because
they see it as a sign of weakness. Others feel that treatment will not help them, and others do not
understand that they have PTSD.Obviously, there are many problem that face veterans with, but
there are also many things that are being done to help these veterans.
The military and Veterans Administration have dedicated a large amount of time and
money to helping veterans with PTSD.The Army does want to find a cure. Since 2007, the Army
has invested $710 million in research.This shows that the US Army is concerned about this
problem. Hopefully, this large amount of money will find a better treatment for PTSD. The
Veterans Administration offers many services to veterans suffering from PTSD. These services
include, but are not limited to: One-to-one mental health assessment and testing, medicines, One-
to-one psychotherapy and also family therapy, and group therapy.Many of these services help

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veterans to cope with their PTSD. Veterans who use these services have a chance of living a
normal life.For patients with more serious PTSD, the Veterans Administration also offer several
other services. These are specialized treatments for cases that are not cured with basic treatment.
Treatments of this type range from substance abuse and women’s treatment to 90 day
hospitalization.One can see that the Veterans Administration does not give up on veterans whose
PTSD is not cured with basic treatment. It is good that the men and women in the Veterans
Administration care this much about our veterans.The army and veterans administration want to
fix this problem, but so do other organizations.
There are also several options other than the treatment offered by the Veterans
Administration and Army.One of these options is to take part in clinical trials offered by
universities across the nation. An example of this is the University of Pittsburgh. The University
of Pittsburgh has an extensive psychiatric program that deals with PTSD victims regularly.Many
of these programs ask for volunteers for trials. If basic treatment has failed veterans, they ought
to consider volunteering for research trials.Several research centers are researching a medication
that would enhance the brain’s ability to change during psychotherapy.This would be incredibly
helpful because it would allow the brain to change easier. Doctors would then be able to change
the veterans’ brain in a way that would help cure them of their PTSD.Another form of treatment
for veterans is merely discussing their condition with other veterans. These are called group
therapy sessions.Many veterans find these sessions helpful because they help to ease the pain of
their traumatic memories. Veterans cannot forget these memories, but they can come to view
them differently, which would help them live a better life. There are many organizations outside
of the veterans administration and army that dedicate much of their time to helping veterans, and
there are also civilian and charity organizations that can help.

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Society as a whole in America needs to help integrate its veterans back into the normal
life that they deserve.There are many facilities across America to help veterans suffering from
PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury, and other war related problems. An example of this is Shepherd's
Heart Veterans Home, an Uptown ministry for homeless veterans that offers rooms, food,
counseling and training as well as weekly church services.Places like these can help veterans
adjust to normal life. Several of the veterans that stayed in this veteran’s home could not hold a
job, keep a house, or have a good relationship. After staying here, these veterans were able to
attain most of these things. Jack Grate, a judge that has had to deal with a PTSD related crime,
said that, “Society does not have time for him to get solved.”What Grates is saying is that society
did not stop to help the veterans suffering from PTSD. Society should take the time to help the
veterans that are struggling to make it in civilian life. The general public can do things to help
veterans as well. One of the most helpful things that the public can do is advocate for them to get
resources that they need. The United States’ veterans need all the help that they can get. The
people of America sacrificed many things in other wars, such rationing food and supplies. In this
war, the citizens of the United States need to help soldiers get housing, treatment, work,
education, and anything else that they may need to help them adjust to civilian life.
The veterans returning from the modern day wars need the help of civilians. The general
public does not know how Post Traumatic Stress Disorder affects returning warriors. United
States citizens need to understand what these men and women are going through. It is the
citizen's’ responsibility to help veterans return to normal life. These men and women risked their
lives to protect their citizens; and, in return, have suffered psychologically. The citizens, who
live a protected and peaceful life, owe it to these young men and women to help them achieve
the same lifestyle.