It’s hard to say good-bye.  It can be just as difficult to say hello.  That’s the reality of life as a military family.  The Pentagon reports that more than 1,600,000 military have been deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq since 2001.  Post traumatic stress disorder, brain injury and major depression are most frequently reported and diagnosed in returning soldiers.

 

 

 

Brain injury comes in several forms and is usually the result of blasts from roadside bombs.  Those roadside bombs, commonly called improvised explosive devices (IEDs), cause brain injuries that range from a slight concussion to serious and severe head injuries.  Coming home alive is a bonus, but even this carries a double-edge sword.

 

 

Combat Stress

 

“Combat Stress” is one term that is used to describe a person who continues to relive the realities of the trauma of battle long after the engagement has ended.  Modern war tactics have presented new and different experiences.  Car bombs, suicide bombers and terrorists present dangers never before encountered.  To complicate matters, it is very difficult to identify the terrorists from the civilians.

 

Soldiers are in a constant state of alertness, adrenalin racing and sleep-deprived.  Their goal is to get from one day to the next under challenging, very stressful conditions.  This is not confined to the troops at the forefront of the action, either.  The support workers, medical personnel, journalists and diplomats, who operate in the areas of engagement, are subjected to similar stressors.  They have different experiences or a less intense degree of the realities of war but they, also, are in a state of constant vigilance none-the-less.

 

 

Home-front reality

 

Meanwhile, time is not standing still at home.  Spouses absorb many of the chores and efficiencies of running a home, raising the children and changing into independent, self sufficient individuals.  Homecoming anticipation is constantly present, stored in the back of their minds.  Spouses are hoping for a wonderful outcome.  They imagine a return to the normalcy of daily life.

 

The anticipation of this event is quite a stretch compared to the actual homecoming.    Homebound troops carry baggage with them that is very different from the duffle bag with which they departed.  This duffle bag is accompanied by stories, thoughts, injuries, nightmares and a sense of impending TERROR.  Often, that very necessary debriefing of the troops before heading home falls on deaf ears.  The only emotion circulating in the brain is the anticipation of going home – alive.

 

Visible injuries receive treatment and continuing rehabilitation, but what happens to those who come home with invisible injuries.  N-O-T-H-I-N-G.  Those injuries are tucked away – far away – in the depths of the brain’s memory tissue.  It isn’t until changes occur and become noticeable that these injuries are diagnosed.

 

 

The Changes

 

The changes go far beyond a case of insomnia or those more frequent headaches.  It reaches family, friends, co-workers and the family physician.  In most people, the emotional wounds will slowly lessen.  Some people, however, experience intensifying difficulties – normal reactions to abnormal experiences.

 

To experience any of the following reactions is not a sign of weakness.  It is important to pay attention and seek treatment if these reactions should persist:

 

ü     Lack of emotion or affection

ü     Irritability

ü     Difficulty with communication

ü     Fear – without good reason

ü     Unfounded anger

ü     Guilt for surviving

ü     Guilt that is unexplainable

ü     Guilt resulting from actions or inactions

ü     Insomnia

ü     Tense alertness

ü     Poor concentration

ü     Vivid nightmares

ü     Trouble remembering

 

 

Extent of the Problems

 

A new study conducted by the RAND Corporation estimates that 300,000 men and women are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with obvious signs of major depression and post traumatic stress disorder.  Another group, estimated at 320,000, has brain injuries as a result of service.

 

Ironically, only a portion of these troops have sought help.  Those who have tried to get help find themselves navigating a frustrating myriad of red tape within the government agencies.  These are the very agencies that exist to assist them.  So much for peace of mind.