“We’ve come along way baby,” as the old Virginia Slims ad used to say. No more collective repression and denial of the residual effects of war on the human psyche.
The mask is off and the stigma abated. We can now be real and be tough at the same time. The admission, both personally and collectively, that post traumatic stress is the proverbial war within and must be reckoned with before and during transition to civilian life and polite company, is simply a good thing. America will be happier, healthier and stronger by not living in denial about the ravages of war and its indelible mark on the soul.
Moreover, in a lifeboat situation, I’ ll take all the ones with PTSD thank you!
National PTSD Awareness Day
June 27 is the nation’s official day to focus attention on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Last year, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution naming June 27 National Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day to promote dialogue about this prevalent condition and help people realize that there are resources and effective treatments available to address PTSD.
U.S. Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND), authored the resolution and at the time said that the wounds of PTSD may not be visible but they are still real. He was inspired by the efforts of the North Dakota Army National Guard to bring attention to the disorder and its effect on one of its unit members, Staff Sgt. Joe Biel, who sadly, took his own life following two tours in Iraq. June 27 was Biel’s birthday.
Read the entire blog regarding PTSD on the Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury‘s (DCoE) blog.
In addition, The United States Department of Veteran’s Affairs has posted extensive information about PTSD and how we ALL can work to raise awareness of the issue.