PTSD AWARENESS MONTH - GET INFORMED.

Dear Readers:

This is an email I received from my Congressman, Phil Roe, this week.  As some of you are aware, I have a special interest in PTSD and how it affects our service men and women.  I try to help by educating those I know just how serious this problem is, and how we, the public, can help.  Please take the time to read this information below: 

 

PTSD Awareness Month

Since 2010, June 27th has been known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Day.  For the last three years, the National Center for PTSD has worked diligently throughout the month of June to raise awareness of this serious mental health issue, which occurs after an individual has been through a traumatic event like combat, abuse, terrorist attacks, assault and other serious incidents.  While emotional stress after experiencing a trauma is natural, an individual with long-term stress that affects their day-to-day life may have PTSD.  According to the National Center for PTSD, about 60 percent of men and 50 percent of women have experienced a traumatic event.  Of these individuals, about eight percent of men and 20 percent of women develop PTSD.  The disorder can lead to depression, anxiety and fear, dramatic changes in behavior, anger and shame.  PTSD has four types of symptoms, and knowing them can help you if you believe you or your loved one may be experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The four symptoms are: 

• reliving the event, 
• avoiding situations that remind you of the event, 
• feeling “numb” or emotionally void, and 
• feeling jittery or always on high alert. 

The Department of Veterans Affairs has an online questionnaire that can help you identify if you or your loved one have symptoms of PTSD.  Still, the best way to identify whether or not you have PTSD is by visiting a mental health professional.  Therapy and, in some cases, medication can help individuals suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to have normal lives again.  If you are a veteran and believe you have PTSD, you can call the VA’s hotline 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  That number is 1-877-WAR-VETS.  You are not alone.

As a nation, we are not doing enough to identify mental illness in and provide adequate mental health care for our returning service members.  The price of our neglect is paid by our returned service members and those close to them in the form of depression, lower quality of life, economic insecurity, substance abuse, and suicide.  The history of neglecting the mental health of service members is as long as our history of military conflict, but changes in combat and conflict now mean that ever more of our men and women in uniform are afflicted with unseen wounds.  The time has come to confront mental health issues in our returning service members and veterans head on.  Because of this, I founded the Invisible Wounds Caucus in 2010.
The Invisible Wounds Caucus explores responses to rising incidents of PTSD, traumatic brain injury, depression, substance abuse, and suicide among veterans and active duty military.  The VA reported last March that between 2000 and 2010 the number of veteran suicides rose from 20 to 22 per day.  The total grew from an estimated 7,300 suicides in 2000 to an estimated 8,030 in 2010.  We need to look closely at what’s causing these devastating suicides and what we can do to help.  

Studies show that certain events are more likely than others to cause PTSD, such as exposure to combat or a sexual assault.  This is particularly disturbing on the heels of a Pentagon survey released on May 7, 2013 that estimated 26,000 people in the armed forces were sexually assaulted last year.  This number is up 7,000 from a 2010 estimate of 19,000.  This is disgraceful and I was glad to see both President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner say publicly that this will not be tolerated.  The men and women serving our country honorably should not live in fear of sexual assault, and I will work tirelessly to ensure these repulsive acts stop.  Earlier this week, I signed on as a cosponsor of H.R. 1864.  This legislation, introduced by my colleague Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) would extend further protection to military assault victims by applying whistleblower legal protection rules to their communication with Congress, Inspector Generals, law enforcement, or DoD auditors to eliminate barriers to reporting sexual assault within the military.

Please rest assured I will continue to work to raise awareness of PTSD, as well as support solutions to prevent PTSD where possible and help those affected get treatment for PTSD.

Feel free to contact my office if we can be of assistance to you or your family.  Our contact information can be found on our website, www.roe.house.gov.