The number of casualties from this war is staggering. One piece of information that is particularly of concern is the number of both military and civilian personnel returning to the U.S. with symptoms of PTSD. One of the more difficult of the anxiety disorders to treat and one which has an enormous impact on families, PTSD has now become a focus of intensified research. Both therapy and pharmacologic interventions are being sought to more effectively deal with the trauma that gave birth to the disorder. Just as World War II helped psychologists and neurologists better understand physical brain trauma, this war is pushing the resources in research to look at psychological trauma. The initiative will serve all of us.

The National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, which is in the US Department of Veterans Affairs, now has both videos and FAQs related to this disorder and related issues. These issues concern the expectations of both the family and the PTSD sufferer. Questions center around actually talking about the topic, and the need to work toward establishing trust and closeness. Additionally, there are links to the resources you and your loved ones will need and how to gain access to them.

I’ve pasted a link to one site on my self-help page (a NAMI center) and the National Center also has a booklet (Returning from the War Zone: A Guide for Families) available only on-line here and a guide for military personnel is available here.

More specific information can be found at Veterans and their Families and addresses additional issues as well. They also have a video on a topic which has previously received less attention: women in the military. Well-known TV personality Jane Pauley narrates the video on military women.

If you have someone now serving in the military in Iraq or Afghanistan or who has come home, I urge you to visit these links. We all need to know what we can do to help with our veterans’ return to a full life of physical and mental health.

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: A Soldier’s Road to Recovery
• Iraq War Veterans Face Allergy Risks

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