Help With A Traumatized Marine Friend

[sharky]

So I'm pretty sure my boyfriend's best friend is suffering from at least Post Traumatic Stress if not Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He has told my boyfriend that he's really messed up in the head after being in Afghanistan but it's 'unmanly' and 'dishonorable' to see someone about it. He also thinks that if he sees someone who specializes with veterans, they will be a veteran themselves and will tell him that they've been through what he has been through. He also doesn't want to join the PTSD thing for veterans (I don't remember what it's called) because something to do with he will be dishonorably discharged or it goes on his record and can stop him from getting future jobs or something along those lines, I can't remember.

He can't talk to his dad because he doesn't want to seem weak. He also won't talk to his mother. But he will kind of talk to my boyfriend. He's gone into some detail with what he saw, and he's admitted that it has really messed him up. He can't be in crowds anymore, or have anyone behind him. I think he also has problems with people if he thinks they're looking at him wrong. Which is not like him.

My boyfriend, knowing a lot about PTSD because I have it, has tried to talk to him. All he tries to say is that therapists and psychologists are quacks and it's a waste of time. Is there any way my boyfriend could re-approach the situation? His friend has definitely been trying to ask for help, in his own way. But I just don't think my boyfriend has said the right thing yet. Is there anything he could do? We live in Michigan and right now the Marine friend is in California, and is still in the Marines for another year(at least, I'm not sure how long he's there for certain). Help?

 

[Pinkcake]

I have no advice. Your friend is in such a hard position and I absolutely HATE the stigma that follows mental illness. I hope that he gets help soon.

 

[sharky]

So do I. And I know that it can be really hard to actually accepting help... But he has talked to my boyfriend about it and has even admitted to possibly having PTSD. But he thinks that it will make him less manly or ruin his career (maybe that's what it was with the PTSD Veterans thing? They are permanently labelled as mentally ill? I don't know) if he sees someone for it. But being a sufferer I do know that the longer you wait until you get help, the worse it can get...

 

[Marine/w/PTSD]

Sharky, He probably wants to get out of the Marines clean, and by that I mean not early. I think in the long run that's the best thing for him, if you want to give him advice tell him to make sure he sees a navy doctor right before he gets out so his ptsd is confirmed. It's very difficult to claim it unless there is some record of it in service. Also if he does get an appointment( and this is for when he's out of the Marines) tell him to makes sure to make all his medical appointments, otherwise his benefits will just suffer as a result.

 

[sharky]

Would he actually be discharged from the Marines? I don't really remember if that was what he was worried about, I just knew it was something weird about if he went to see someone for PTSD. I remember him saying something about not making a report when he should have, and now it's way too late. I don't think he wants to see any doctor or therapist while he is still enlisted. And as far as that goes, it's not like he cannot receive help once he leaves the Marines. But I can tell he really needs to talk to someone about what he has seen, and he'll admit that. But he refuses to take any steps after that. Could you maybe explain what would happen to his career if he joined this PTSD Veterans thing? Which he doesn't even have to do, but I know he really does not want to do that, and he explained why... I just can't remember.

 

[Marine/w/PTSD]

He wont be discharged, but things will change in the internal dynamics of his unit and he probably doesn't want to jeopardize his relationships he's got with his fellow marines. Depending on how severe his ptsd is, he might be separated from his unit until his time to leave the marines. I think he'd rather stay with his unit until his exit, that's just my opinion and what I wanted when I got out.