Depression Taking Toll on Returning U.S. Vets
By E.J. Mundell
HealthDay Reporter
Friday, August 17, 2007; 12:00 AM
FRIDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Depression may be a largely unrecognized problem for many U.S. soldiers returning from duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, placing a tremendous strain on them and their families, a new study suggests.
Researchers studied the home life of 168 soldiers diagnosed with psychological symptoms upon their return home from deployment. Nearly half -- 42 percent -- of these veterans said they now felt like a "guest in their own home," and one in five felt their children did not respond warmly to them, or were even afraid of them.
In many of these cases, depression or another psychological problem, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), played a major role, the researchers said.
The PTSD finding has been observed in other studies, but the link between returning veterans' depression and family trouble is new, experts said. (Bull! Read below for this part)
"It seems like other kinds of mental health issues, besides PTSD, are also resulting in family problems," said lead researcher Steven Sayers, an assistant professor of psychology in psychiatry and medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
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Depression is new according to the experts? Who the hell are the "experts" saying depression in PTSD wounded is new? Ask any Vietnam Veteran with PTSD and they will tell you that it has always been that way. Ask any wife/spouse and they will tell you it has always been a part of the life of PTSD. It is not new. Family problems are not new either. The average PTSD vet gets divorced many times. The stress of PTSD in a family is very hard to live with. Add in the self-medicating and you have a time bomb. I should know that depression is not new at all. Do these "experts" ever read the signs of PTSD before they open their mouths? Where do they get these people to interview from anyway?
I'm really surprised this came out of the Washington Post after all the great reporting they have done on PTSD up until now. I just hope they return to asking the people living with it what the truth is and what a "expert" claims it is.
Kathie Costos
I heard a lecture just last year where the speaker said that it has been known for some time that depression is a part of PTSD. That's why they prescribe SSRIs sometimes. For that and the anxiety.
ReplyDeleteJust makes you wonder who the "experts" are. This has been known since the 70's in Vietnam Vets.
ReplyDelete