combatgoldfish
Diamond Member
Thought this was an interesting read and thought I'd share.
Here's the article in it's entirety.
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Here's the article in it's entirety.
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Why Some Soldiers Develop Ptsd While Others Don't
- Post starter combatgoldfish
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Great post mate.
It's commonly known that veterans who's fathers exhibited symptoms of PTSD are predisposed to showing symptoms themselves. It makes me think that the secondary PTSD was underlying prior to deployment.
Just think of the inroads already taken with regards to it. A lot of veterans are now debriefed after each incident and the pre and post psych assessments are broader which means that a large percentage of veterans who may have been affected by a certain incident are caught in the net and helped before it gets out of hand.
Who knows, in 50 years time they might be able to eliminate people getting it altogether.
It's commonly known that veterans who's fathers exhibited symptoms of PTSD are predisposed to showing symptoms themselves. It makes me think that the secondary PTSD was underlying prior to deployment.
Just think of the inroads already taken with regards to it. A lot of veterans are now debriefed after each incident and the pre and post psych assessments are broader which means that a large percentage of veterans who may have been affected by a certain incident are caught in the net and helped before it gets out of hand.
Who knows, in 50 years time they might be able to eliminate people getting it altogether.
Good post and counter point. I could never understand why I got PTSD. I grew up in the military, probably knew more about it than a one termer. Did my Dad have it. MMMMMmmmmmm, dunno! The only time (I know of) he came even close to danger was during the Berlin Airlift.
Here's a maybe. He never hit me with his fist. I got it with the belt across the backside but probably deserved it. He was a master of psycological punishment. He'd have me sweating it out so bad for so long, I looked forward to the punishment just to get it over. Sounds lame, doesn't it.
All I know, is I went there a strong, healthy young man and I left there a mess. Been tryin to figure it out since.
Sarg
Here's a maybe. He never hit me with his fist. I got it with the belt across the backside but probably deserved it. He was a master of psycological punishment. He'd have me sweating it out so bad for so long, I looked forward to the punishment just to get it over. Sounds lame, doesn't it.
All I know, is I went there a strong, healthy young man and I left there a mess. Been tryin to figure it out since.
Sarg
V
vikingr12
I agree with the pre-war vulnarability and age thing. Sarg and I probably share some stories about our upbringing. I do know that my father had PTSD. He recognized it in me long before I did. That conversation was strange in itself.
He had all the characteristics. He was distant. Hypervigilant. Loud noises. But he slept well -- 'course he was drunk most of the time. But don't wake him up. He'll kill you.
His ass chewings were monumental. Whenever I got the "ear candy" in training I could take a lot more than most. (I remember one RI said he had f*cked my mother last night. I used to tell myself: is that all you can come up with?) Many times I wished and even told my father, why don't you just kill me? That's what you want to do. He would settle down after that.
But he was a basically good man. And it's the conflict that I think is disturbing. One day we play golf and have a good time. The next, I am avoiding him. He could be the nastiest SOB on earth.
I saw some evidence of how it affected me in training. I almost got my jaw broken when a martial arts instructor hit me because I was not aggressive enough. I actually was afraid I would kill the guy so I just tapped him. I had already came close to killing a kid in an incident when I was 12. I was not a bully either but I don't react well to being bullied. I overcompensate. He was the one that shot me with a German Mauser. Twice.
My father died lonely in a hospital with no friends and his kids were home. Except me. I stayed up all night for him. And I hate hospitals after working so long in them.
Love sucks and life is fatal.
I also think sleep deprivation is a major issue. I was always sleep deprived, even when young and especially in school. And all Ranger training is about sleep deprivation. But it lets you know what you are in for. We had to sleep with the bird (usually a Jolly Green) because then they didn't have night visioning. And the base was too far away to make it before sundown so we found a "safe" place to land. Pitch black, sitting next to a .30 MG. We had claymores if we were lucky. I was so high on benzedrine I did not come down for days afterward.
When I finally got home to the hospital, I did not know what to do with myself. I kept thinking what a monster I was and how close I was to blowing up. I honestly do not know what got me through that period. Maybe my training when you just put one foot in front of the other and don't think. The Demerol helped too.
Those are the seeds of that little monster.
He had all the characteristics. He was distant. Hypervigilant. Loud noises. But he slept well -- 'course he was drunk most of the time. But don't wake him up. He'll kill you.
His ass chewings were monumental. Whenever I got the "ear candy" in training I could take a lot more than most. (I remember one RI said he had f*cked my mother last night. I used to tell myself: is that all you can come up with?) Many times I wished and even told my father, why don't you just kill me? That's what you want to do. He would settle down after that.
But he was a basically good man. And it's the conflict that I think is disturbing. One day we play golf and have a good time. The next, I am avoiding him. He could be the nastiest SOB on earth.
I saw some evidence of how it affected me in training. I almost got my jaw broken when a martial arts instructor hit me because I was not aggressive enough. I actually was afraid I would kill the guy so I just tapped him. I had already came close to killing a kid in an incident when I was 12. I was not a bully either but I don't react well to being bullied. I overcompensate. He was the one that shot me with a German Mauser. Twice.
My father died lonely in a hospital with no friends and his kids were home. Except me. I stayed up all night for him. And I hate hospitals after working so long in them.
Love sucks and life is fatal.
I also think sleep deprivation is a major issue. I was always sleep deprived, even when young and especially in school. And all Ranger training is about sleep deprivation. But it lets you know what you are in for. We had to sleep with the bird (usually a Jolly Green) because then they didn't have night visioning. And the base was too far away to make it before sundown so we found a "safe" place to land. Pitch black, sitting next to a .30 MG. We had claymores if we were lucky. I was so high on benzedrine I did not come down for days afterward.
When I finally got home to the hospital, I did not know what to do with myself. I kept thinking what a monster I was and how close I was to blowing up. I honestly do not know what got me through that period. Maybe my training when you just put one foot in front of the other and don't think. The Demerol helped too.
Those are the seeds of that little monster.
Christer
New Here
Thanks for this post and the link.
This information has merit because I am currently seeing a therapist for my PTSD at the VA. I never made the connection why she was interested in what my age was at the time. I was 21 and she mentions that a lot during my treatment. She wants me to understand that I was young and that I should move on.
Another thing that gives the information in the link merit was I too witnessed and took part in events involving Iraqi POWs. Something I'll never forget and is the main focus of my treatment, with an even higher priority over the combat exposure PTSD.
This information has merit because I am currently seeing a therapist for my PTSD at the VA. I never made the connection why she was interested in what my age was at the time. I was 21 and she mentions that a lot during my treatment. She wants me to understand that I was young and that I should move on.
Another thing that gives the information in the link merit was I too witnessed and took part in events involving Iraqi POWs. Something I'll never forget and is the main focus of my treatment, with an even higher priority over the combat exposure PTSD.
Great thread.
I was 20 when I landed in 'Nam. And as it is for most of us that's a very formative time in our lives. We're still growing up, so to speak. Our brains are still forming, putting the finishing touches on them so to speak. So here we go into the military and off to war, it's no wonder that we have the problems that we do. We come back changed, old men/women in a child's body. Still immature, but trained to kill. It's also why the military likes to recruit people at that age, the brain is still very malleable.
And Chister, stick with the therapy, it will take some time to sort it all out but it a huge help in the long run. And as far as moving on, you'll know when to when you get to that point.
I was 20 when I landed in 'Nam. And as it is for most of us that's a very formative time in our lives. We're still growing up, so to speak. Our brains are still forming, putting the finishing touches on them so to speak. So here we go into the military and off to war, it's no wonder that we have the problems that we do. We come back changed, old men/women in a child's body. Still immature, but trained to kill. It's also why the military likes to recruit people at that age, the brain is still very malleable.
And Chister, stick with the therapy, it will take some time to sort it all out but it a huge help in the long run. And as far as moving on, you'll know when to when you get to that point.
There is another problem that a lot of us face too. Some veterans like myself do 20 years plus, so they go from that young man to middle aged and are conditioned well to the military way of life. It's all they have known in their adult life. Throw that on top of 4 or 5 tours and you have a big mess to untangle to find out what is causing their problems.
You see, a lot of veterans who have done over 20 years suffer a great deal of stress and anxiety by itself just trying to deal with society once they are discharged, let alone dealing with PTSD.
Will write more later. Can't think right now.
You see, a lot of veterans who have done over 20 years suffer a great deal of stress and anxiety by itself just trying to deal with society once they are discharged, let alone dealing with PTSD.
Will write more later. Can't think right now.
reddevil1111
Diamond Member
I faced the double whammy of my father having cptsd as well. I didn't understand when I enlisted at the age of 17 what I was in for it was the longest 6 years of my life. I had ptsd and secondary ptsd PRIOR to my going into the Marines. I am positive of both. I was already self medicating with booze prior to my enlistment. Enlisting just added fuel to the fire imo. The demon we face is multifaceted in that its easy to acquire causation for the cptsd but impossible to remove. Sorry if I am rambling im in a weird mood.
we had a long discussion last yr I think here... seems the majority had an overbearing parent figure... I went through weeks of Marine Corps boot camp training sometimes at 12 yrs old.. dad would walk by room and see socks on the floor and such and next thing you know all my room was in the back yard and I had 20 min to put it back together....
Boot Camp was a joke, one I was prepared for dads boot camp, USMC Boot Camp circa 1957.... two I lived to it a certain extent down to the OD wool blanket folded down at the top 6 inches etc on my bed...
Boot Camp was a joke, one I was prepared for dads boot camp, USMC Boot Camp circa 1957.... two I lived to it a certain extent down to the OD wool blanket folded down at the top 6 inches etc on my bed...
Did be bounce a quarter off your bunk, Tom? Mine did but I think it was just to give me shit for something!
There one thing that should be entered into this convo...I've learned to see positive things in that strict upbringing. As has been hinted at here is it prepared us not only for a world that can be incredibly cruel but to also be survivors. A very good Marine friend of mine used to call my wife and I, "consumate existentialists". We would get hit with wave after wave of adversity, get up, dust off and motor on.
Also, thankfully, I have no arrest record. Partly out of luck, yes, but we seem to know where that thin line between right and wrong is and think twice before stepping over it.
Tough before we're teens, we motor on.
Sarg
There one thing that should be entered into this convo...I've learned to see positive things in that strict upbringing. As has been hinted at here is it prepared us not only for a world that can be incredibly cruel but to also be survivors. A very good Marine friend of mine used to call my wife and I, "consumate existentialists". We would get hit with wave after wave of adversity, get up, dust off and motor on.
Also, thankfully, I have no arrest record. Partly out of luck, yes, but we seem to know where that thin line between right and wrong is and think twice before stepping over it.
Tough before we're teens, we motor on.
Sarg
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