Frank
2010-04-22 05:25:28 UTC
Good for them, I hope they're successful.
That said, my experience has been that it's friends and family who
notice changes in a post-war veteran _way_ before the military or VA
does, they know that person's normal behavior and can spot differences
pretty quickly: what once was pretty predictable, in terms of
understanding that veteran's actions - isn't any longer. Abnormal
behavior signs worth noting could be a 'quick to anger' response which
sometimes results in fighting, or as a new dependence on alcohol or
drugs to go to sleep after returning from the war zone. You'll know
these, or other, changes in a vet's personality when you see them, and
if you do then urge that veteran to get an evaluation at the nearest
VA clinic or hospital as quickly as possible. PTSD's symptoms don't
get more manageable over time from ignoring them, in fact, they get
worse. There's hope, but you've got to move on this condition while
it's still in it's infancy. I'm a Vietnam combat veteran who waited
decades to deal with this problem, it's getting better now, day by
day, thankfully. My only wish is that someone would have told me about
this condition sooner, so I could have had a fuller and more enjoyable
life. Best wishes to all of you out there struggling with this
problem, get help tomorrow, truly.
That said, my experience has been that it's friends and family who
notice changes in a post-war veteran _way_ before the military or VA
does, they know that person's normal behavior and can spot differences
pretty quickly: what once was pretty predictable, in terms of
understanding that veteran's actions - isn't any longer. Abnormal
behavior signs worth noting could be a 'quick to anger' response which
sometimes results in fighting, or as a new dependence on alcohol or
drugs to go to sleep after returning from the war zone. You'll know
these, or other, changes in a vet's personality when you see them, and
if you do then urge that veteran to get an evaluation at the nearest
VA clinic or hospital as quickly as possible. PTSD's symptoms don't
get more manageable over time from ignoring them, in fact, they get
worse. There's hope, but you've got to move on this condition while
it's still in it's infancy. I'm a Vietnam combat veteran who waited
decades to deal with this problem, it's getting better now, day by
day, thankfully. My only wish is that someone would have told me about
this condition sooner, so I could have had a fuller and more enjoyable
life. Best wishes to all of you out there struggling with this
problem, get help tomorrow, truly.