Wars have always been controversial - so much so, that during the Vietnam War, young soldiers returning from the war were mistreated. Many did not ask to be drafted but were and when they returned many were ignored, or cursed - some were even spit upon. These young people, many of whom were suffering from alcohol and drug addiction spurred on by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) were left to live out lives of misery and despair.
We cannot allow this to happen to those young people returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. PTSD causes severe anxiety in individuals - it can result in depression related to a sense of recurring panic and hopelessness. There are several theories as to why individuals with PTSD are at higher risk of alcohol and drug use. One postulates alcohol and drug use may predate PTSD; another theory is that people with PTSD self-medicate with alcohol and drugs; yet another theory is biochemical - if you use alcohol and drugs it may alter brain chemistry and make one more susceptible to PTSD; lastly, genetics may put an individual at greater risk for PTSD and alcohol and drug abuse or addiction.
More research needs to be completed before a definitive answer is provided. So now to the crux of the matter - treatment is needed. Not just any treatment, but a unified approach - a team of mental health and addiction professionals working together to ensure that our young men and women get the treatment they deserve to live productive lives.
At one time it was considered the norm to treat each illness as a separate entity, but this clinician, in his model of "Carefrontation" has always advocated for a holistic approach. It just does not do to say if you treat the PTSD first it will increase the drinking or drugging. We professionals know better. Indeed, the literature seems to bear this out.
We must not rely on serial or parallel treatment approaches but integrated treatment. Programs must be established with experts from every field to deal with the bio-psycho-social nature of the co-occurring disorder of PTSD and chemical addiction. We must have professionals from both the mental health and addiction camps and when necessary the medical camp (e.g., neurologists, surgeons, etc.) come together as a unified force to treat our young returning veterans and see to it that they receive the finest treatment available. We can begin by drawing on the existent mental health and addiction facilities across this great nation of ours so that teams can be formulated based upon logical approaches that are steeped in evidence based practice in both camps.
We have been doing this for civilians and now we MUST do it for our returning veterans. Indeed, there are some organizations that are already established to guide us in this important "mission" such as the Veteran's Healing Initiative. This particular subject matter is probably one of the most important topics I have written on since beginning this blog and I urge my readers to get behind me on this and make sure our officials know how important you feel about this issue. Thank you for your support.
