This has made it very difficult for me to relate to those around me, even to the family members that loved me and still love me, and that I still love; despite the bonds we share that could never be broken, there are parts of me that they will never understand -- parts of myself that I don't really understand. As clear as the effects of PTSD are, and as evident as it is to many that the Iraq war has produced more horrors than many other military actions and thus has led to more cases of PTSD, there are some that argue these reports are overblown. In testimony given to the House Committee on Veteran's Affairs, Sally Satel argues that though PTSD is real and certainly debilitative, there is no reason to think that the military action in Iraq would produce more individuals with PTSD than other campaigns (Satel 2004). The central problem, as Satel sees it, is that levels of PTSD are often determined through self-reporting by soldiers, who are not fully trained in recognizing their own disorders (Satel 2004). While there is certainly some merit to this argument -- I have no training in psychology, and I do not believe that Blake Roberts had any, either -- the conclusions that Satel draws from this minor fact are ultimately ridiculous. When a person cannot sleep out of fear for what will happen to them or their family despite the fact that they live on a quiet suburban street, and when the few hours of sleep this individual does manage to get is interrupted by witnessed scenes of violence playing in unbidden nightmarish loops, it reads like a classic case of PTSD. Even if she doesn't want to call it that, it is certainly a debilitative psychological problem that needs recognition and support, not skepticism.

Creating a greater awareness of PTSD and the difficulties it creates actually...

Though others will never be able to truly understand what we have gone through, an acknowledgment of that lack of understanding and an acceptance of the difficulties we have can help us heal by re-learning how to accept ourselves. Greater awareness will also lead to greater pressure on officials to implement programs providing direct psychological help to soldiers with PTSD. Talk to your friends about this issue, talk to your neighbors, and talk to your representatives -- PTSD is still a growing problem, and the men and women that served with honor deserve to be served with the same dignity and respect when they arrive home.
References

Huang, K. (2005). Night visions. Accessed 7 November 2010. http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/films/night_visions/

Satel, S. (2004). "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Iraq Veterans: Testimony before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs," American Enterprise Institute, March 11. Accessed 7 November 2010. http://libproxy.howardcc.edu:2067/ovrc/retrieve.do?subjectParam=Locale%2528en%252C%252C%2529%253AFQE%253D%2528su%252CNone%252C4%2529PTSD%2524&contentSet=GSRC&sort=Relevance&tabID=T010&sgCurrentPosition=0&subjectAction=DISPLAY_SUBJECTS&prodId=OVRC&searchId=R1&currentPosition=5&userGroupName=colu91149&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&sgHitCountType=None&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2C%2C%29%3AFQE%3D%28ke%2CNone%2C4%29PTSD%24&inPS=true&searchType=BasicSearchForm&displaySubject=&docId=EJ3010640215&docType=GSRC

Vendantam, S. (2006). "Veterans report mental distress." Washington post, March 1. Accessed 7 November 2010. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/28/AR2006022801712.html