A Rand Corporation telephone survey of 1,965 former soldiers found at least 14% were suffering from PTSD and another 14% had major depression.
Lisa Jaycox, Ph.
D.
, author of the RAND report called "Invisible Wounds of War: Summary of Key Findings on Psychological and Cognitive Injuries, discovered that veterans are not receiving adequate medical and psychological attention and treatment.
If left undiagnosed, untreated, or inadequately treated, the long lasting effects can be devastating for the veterans and their families, coworkers and friends.
PTSD affects veterans both physically and cognitively.
They may have sweaty palms, heart palpitations, and feel jittery and ill at ease.
They may also have difficulty communicating with family members and intimate partners about their thoughts, feelings and the traumatic experiences they lived through.
Sometimes, when they do talk about the details of the trauma, they experience a flashback and begin to feel as if they are actually reliving the trauma.
Their body does not know the difference between the actual situation and the memory of it.
Sexual desire and sexual activity often diminishes, even for a beloved partner who they previously found exciting and previously had shared wonderful intimate sexual experiences.
The partner may innocently reach out for familiar affectionate touch, only to be instantly rejected and turned away.
Veterans may also have great difficulty falling asleep and remaining asleep long enough to get into a state of deep and restorative sleep.
Soldiers are trained to be "on guard" at all times, ready to fight at a moment's notice.
Cognitive behavior therapy, anti-anxiety and anti-depression medications, as well as healing touch therapy and the mind-body awareness that comes from body psychotherapy, are all methods that can be used to assist veterans to overcome the initial stages of PTSD.
As the treatment progresses and PTSD symptoms start to decline, veterans can begin to reorganize their brains and their relationships.
Couples therapy, marriage counseling, and even group therapeutic situations can help veterans return to civilian life with traumatic memories receding and current (more pleasant and relational) memories forming in the forefront of their brains.