Commentary: Haven't been there, still done that: Non-deployed troops suffering PTSD

  • Published
  • By Maj (Dr.) Dennis P. Tansley, USAF, Biomedical Service Corps
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  "They can't have PTSD, they haven't really deployed!" a supervisor said in disbelief when discussing a member who had deployed to a country far from any combat action. 

A commander at another base once insisted, "No way, they haven't even been downrange," when one of their troops was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Some believe that an individual must actually be at the location where combat is happening in order to develop PTSD symptoms.  That's not necessarily true.  I have worked with members at multiple installations that were diagnosed with combat-related PTSD, yet hadn't physically been to combat zones.  There's also a good amount of research showing that it's possible to develop PTSD by watching videos, such as Predator recon and combat feeds, seeing photos of traumatic events and even hearing or reading stories of traumatic events from downrange. 

Bottom line: Someone could be halfway around the planet when they're exposed to a combat situation and still develop PTSD symptoms.  It's the exposure to the traumatic stressors, events or situations and not necessarily being there that's key to understanding the potential for personnel to develop PTSD symptoms.  Additionally, repeated or continuous exposure to traumatic events could also heighten the chances of developing PTSD.

One of the most researched cases where people have developed PTSD symptoms while being geographically removed from an actual traumatic event occurred on Sept 11, 2001.  After 9/11, multiple studies, to include research by the Veteran's Affairs National Center for PTSD, showed that the more people in the general population watched the attacks on TV, no matter where they were in the U.S., the more they experienced anxiety and PTSD symptoms.

It's important to understand that some degree of PTSD symptoms, such as avoidance, emotional numbing and being on guard are normal and adaptive survival reactions to extremely abnormal situations.  Personally, I tend to be a little hyper vigilant when I'm downrange.  We may see some kind of stress reaction in troops returning from war because war is stressful business.  It doesn't matter if they saw combat action while in Afghanistan, or deployed away from the action or even at their home station.  We also expect troops to recover over time and to see their symptoms fade away when removed from the stressful situation. 

However, this doesn't always happen.  There are times when the symptoms remain or get worse over time.  Some symptoms to look out for include disturbing memories, avoiding things that trigger painful memories, nightmares, flashbacks, intense anxiety or anger, irritability and jumpiness.  This can be thought of as members not being able to recover from their extremely abnormal experiences. 

Personnel cannot fully recover from their traumatic experiences unless they deal with them.  Avoiding or "suppressing" the memories does not work - it's like putting a Band-Aid on an arterial wound...ineffective, and will likely lead to other problems in a person's life.  Treatment helps personnel better understand what's going on in their lives and why.  Through therapy and support, our military members can learn skills to recover from PTSD in order to live a fuller life.

A few of the more widely-used, research-based treatments used in today's military include Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure Therapy, both individual modes of treatment, and Conjoint Couples Therapy, which treats both PTSD symptoms and relationship dysfunction in couples.  The U.S. military has also adopted using virtual reality software to help simulate combat situations in psychotherapy sessions.

In conclusion, personnel don't have to actually go to war to experience PTSD symptoms.  It's the exposure to traumatic events that precipitates or exacerbates these symptoms.  If you are suffering, or someone you know is suffering from your war-related experiences, please seek help.  Even if you've never set foot in a combat zone, but have been exposed to war in some fashion,you could still be suffering from PTSD.  Visit your local military & family life consultant, chaplain or mental health provider, and take that first step into a better future for you and your family.  If you are feeling overwhelmed or suicidal, call DSN 118 to be connected to a crisis hotline.  For local Lakenheath helping #RUFit agencies, please visit:

https://www.lakenheath.af.mil/library/rufit/index.asp.

https://www.nrd.gov/ - National Resource Directory - Connecting wounded warriors, service members, veterans, their families and caregivers with those who support them

http://www.afterdeployment.dcoe.mil/ - Wellness resource for the whole military community