Returning vet PTSD numbers and incidents are not being reported in the media in any measurable way, even though it very literally affects us all. It's not just a military problem. It's not just a military family problem. It's our problem. Our veterans are returning to all of us.

We must examine how the soldiers and marines returning with PTSD affect the families, communities, and society they're returning to. Although incidents of violence and suicide at the hands of our veterans towards family members and strangers alike are increasing stateside, these statistics aren't tracked (surprise) by the Pentagon. And the massively underfunded Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) doesn't have the means to do this work, even if they wanted to.

I began combing the Internet in September seeking news reports of stateside PTSD-related incidents. They're not easy to track down -- a few local reports here and there, and that's it. More often than not, the reports that I found were in local media outlets. And they vanish from the websites pretty darn quick. I've seen more 'item not found' error pages than I would have liked (Google's cache feature has come in handy).

The last update of the Returning Veteran PTSD-Related Stateside Incidents List was in November. That diary has since been updated to include the latest found incidents. The most recent tragedy occurred just this past Wednesday night; a heartrending murder/suicide at the hands of a vet who'd been in PTSD treatment for the past two years.

Some good news: this month there won't be need for me to post an updated diary as I've done the past three. ePluribus Media has generously decided to post the incident information in a new PTSD database. [Thank you!] The data has all been inputed, and is currently being fact-checked. It should be ready in the coming week; when it is, we're planning a press release to increase awareness of the project. I'll post that in a diary later this week.

Currently, the # of stateside PTSD-related charges I've found reports of:

• Murder/Manslaughter: 22
  
• Suicide/Overdose: 18
  
• Faked/Attempted/Suspected Suicide: 5
  
• Aggravated Assault/Resisting Arrest: 5
  
• Assault/Domestic Assault: 4
  
• Burglary/Armed Robbery: 3
  
• Weapons Violation/Police Standoff: 3
  
• Conspiracy/Obstruction: 2
  
• Rape/Statutory Rape: 2
  
• AWOL: 2
  
• Kidnapping: 1
  
• Wife Abandonment: 1
  
• Felony Child Abuse: 1

Now might be a good time to add my usual disclaimer:

The aim of this research is to shine a sliver of light on yet another burden placed on society by war. It is not to lay blame or demonize our veterans. In my eyes, they are victims, too.

I'm not interested in singling out our soldiers as if they are the only ones in society who commit crime. They're not. Violence exists in the general population -- not only amongst those suffering from combat-related PTSD. Additionally, not everyone with PTSD suffers to the same degree. Most return, folding back into society and family without harming themselves or others.

In an attempt to show respect for the veterans, I chose not to include names in the final list and database because this isn't about their individual acts. Rather, it's meant to bring about a fuller understanding of what happens to the fabric of society when a nation sends another generation to war. And what can and should be done to make sure that those we've sent are well taken care of upon their return -- for their own good and ours, too.

As difficult as these incidents are to digest, knowing the facts surrounding a problem that requires action is the only way to go about changing the result. First we examine, then we can treat.

::


ACTION ITEMS: Positive Steps Being Taken in Congress on PTSD

An important Salon piece yesterday brought attention to a group of 7 House democrats pushing for more transparency in casualty reporting. They believe a more genuine accounting should include the reporting of physically and mentally delibitating casualities (not just KIA) to the American public.

In a letter to the President on Wednesday:

The [seven House Democrats] argue that Pentagon casualty reports show only a sliver of the injuries, mostly physical ones from bombs or bullets. But war doesn't work like that, the Democrats declare, adding that the reports skip a horrible panoply of accidents, illness, disease and mental trauma.

"We are concerned that that the figures that were released to the public by your administration do not accurately represent the true toll that this war has taken on the American people," the group wrote Bush on Dec. 7. The Dems are right.

The 7 members:

• Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (does he ever sleep?)
  
• Rep. Sam Farr
  
• Rep. Raul M. Grijalva
  
• Rep. Carolyn Maloney
  
• Rep. Betty McCollum
  
• Rep. Jim McDermott
  
• Rep. Jan Schakowsky (scroll down)

........

Star & Stripes reported as well on House Democrats looking into PTSD issues this past week. Some data culled from post-deployment reassessment data completed in July:

• Alcohol misuse rose from 13% among soldiers to 21% one year after returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
  
  
• Anger and aggression issues increased from 11% to 22% after deployment.
  
  
• Those planning to divorce their spouse rose from 9% to 15% after time spent in the combat zone.

"At the end of the day, wounded servicemembers have wounded families," said Joyce Wessel Raezer, government relations director for the National Military Family Association. "More must be done to link servicemembers and families with the services they need and the information about PTSD and other mental health issues."

The data and other testimony about the effects of deployment stress came at a briefing called by House Democrats on Thursday to look at the issue of mental health care and resources for servicemembers.

...

Rep. Lane Evans, D-Ill., said he organized the briefing because he believes the military health care system still isn't fully prepared to deal with troops with post-traumatic stress disorder. Defense Department officials estimate about 18 percent of troops in Iraq and 11 percent in Afghanistan will develop PTSD.

Please give Rep. Lane Evans some positive feedback, too.

::


PTSD Resources

National Center for PTSD
Veterans with PTSD Fact Sheet
Managing Stress Fact Sheet
The Iraq War Clinician Guide, 2nd Volume

MSN Groups
PTSD - Iraq Discussion Forum
PTSD Support Group for Family Members
Aftermath of War - Coping with PTSD Forum

THRIVEnet
Guide to Listening to War Veterans for Family Members

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
PTSD Counseling Centers

Vietnam Veterans of America
PTSD Benefits Guide

Veterans for Common Sense
PTSD Resources Page

US Marine Corps
Leaders Guide for Managing Marines in Distress