When PTSD Is An Excuse

13 Responses to “When PTSD Is An Excuse”

1. Sue Lamoureux on October 12th, 2008 4:18 pm

   I read this post and was shocked at what I was reading. Perhaps there are some soldiers returning from Iraq/Afghanistan who do use PTSD as a ‘crutch’.
   To even make a slight inference that this is commonplace is appalling.

   One must remember that every human psche is different, and what impacts someone on a certain level, will impact another person on a completely different level. We are all human beings and we are all different. What makes you ‘tick’ does not make the rest of humankind ‘tick’.

   My husband is rated at 70% for PTSD through the VA. This is a very high, and very real rating. He has undergone continuous treatment since he returned from Iraq. He has not used this as a ‘crutch’. He has made every effort to return to a normal life since he returned from Iraq. Perhaps you should go spend some time in Iraq and witness and live through the horrors of war on a first hand level.

   To insinuate that soldiers are wallowing ‘in a pit of self pity’ and using ‘their PTSD as an excuse for everything they do and everything that happens to them’ is abominable.

   You have insulted many soldiers and their families. Many families are facing life changing situations brought on by the effects of the war and PTSD. To minimize and downplay the severity of PTSD is unconscionable.

   You owe an enormous apology to countless soldiers and their families.

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2. Terri on October 12th, 2008 6:54 pm

   Sue I never once inferred that “most” soldiers use PTSD as a crutch. However, when people such as the person who used it to try to get off of charges in an incident that could have caused the death of someone, then they’re going too far. I work on a military installation and unfortunately I’ve seen some who have used their PTSD to excuse behavior that is blatantly against the law and behavior that they were well aware of was not right. That’s going too far. I am one of the first who will advocate for better treatment and healthcare for veterans, however, I will not advocate them using it as an excuse for doing things that are wrong and that they know is wrong. There’s a BIG difference there. I have spent many years supporting our Troops and advocating for them, and not once did I say all Soldiers suffering from PTSD use it as a crutch or an excuse. Unfortunately there are some who do. That’s the point I made in this post and nothing more. Perhaps you should reread the post and not read things into it that were not inferred or meant at all.

   The majority of our Troops who are suffering from PTSD don’t do what this person did, thankfully. Counselors like the one I mentioned in the post, who provide them letters stating that they should not be held accountable for their actions because of their PTSD, enable those who would do so, the opportunity to advantage of that. I was merely pointing out that this person and others like him, could cause many problems for those (the majority of our Troops) who are genuinely suffering from PTSD and attempting to get better. This particular person was just looking for an excuse. I, in no way insinuated that his behavior was the norm.

   So, relax, take a deep breath and don’t read more into the post then what was meant. People like this man, could cause a whole lot of problems for those like your husband, who actually want to get better and learn to manage their PTSD. Nothing more was inferred than that.

   Please take some time to read through the entire section about PTSD, TBI and Military Heath Care Issues and I think you’ll find that we here at A Soldier’s Mind are very supportive of our Troops and their medical issues. Anthony himself is a Soldier and I work at a military installation where I deal with wounded Troops on a regular basis. We see the Soldiers like your spouse who wish to recover and we see those who want to take advantage of their diagnosis and while doing so, victimize others. Those who take advantage of their diagnosis and use it as an excuse, are the ones this post was directed at and only them.

   Reply - BIG<\/strong> difference there. I have spent many years supporting our Troops and advocating for them, and not once did I say all Soldiers suffering from PTSD use it as a crutch or an excuse. Unfortunately there are some who do. That\'s the point I made in this post and nothing more. Perhaps you should reread the post and not read things into it that were not inferred or meant at all.\r\n\r\nThe majority<\/strong> of our Troops who are suffering from PTSD don\'t do what this person did, thankfully. Counselors like the one I mentioned in the post, who provide them letters stating that they should not be held accountable for their actions because of their PTSD, enable those who would do so, the opportunity to advantage of that. I was merely pointing out that this person and others like him, could cause many problems for those (the majority of our Troops) who are genuinely suffering from PTSD and attempting to get better. This particular person was just looking for an excuse. I, in no way insinuated that his behavior was the norm.\r\n\r\nSo, relax, take a deep breath and don\'t read more into the post then what was meant. People like this man, could cause a whole lot of problems for those like your husband, who actually want to get better and learn to manage their PTSD. Nothing more was inferred than that.\r\n\r\nPlease take some time to read through the entire section about PTSD, TBI and Military Heath Care Issues and I think you\'ll find that we here at A Soldier\'s Mind are very supportive of our Troops and their medical issues. Anthony himself is a Soldier and I work at a military installation where I deal with wounded Troops on a regular basis. We see the Soldiers like your spouse who wish to recover and we see those who want to take advantage of their diagnosis and while doing so, victimize others. Those who take advantage of their diagnosis and use it as an excuse, are the ones this post was directed at and only them.'); return false;">Quote
3. Roman General on October 14th, 2008 8:53 pm

   Just because you work around people who have PTSD does not mean you understand the nature of PTSD, this shows by the ignorance of your words and insensitivity to the plight of the walking wounded. Obviously you place yourself in a position of moral superiority over the “less fortunate ones” then yourself.

   Now to further the argument of your complete ignorance on an understanding of PTSD, let me point to your sentence, “The one thing that I want to stress here, is that just because someone is suffering from PTSD, doesn’t mean that they don’t know the difference between right and wrong and it doesn’t mean that they don’t have control over their behavior.” I follow your logic and I agree with your summary on whether PTSD survivors understand between right and wrong. I counter that in a moment of being triggered from a PTSD stressor, choice becomes overridden by a survival defensive mechanism that takes over the body and engages a fight or flight response.

   More ignorance abounds in your comment, “So let’s empower them to get better, instead of helping them to continue to wallow in a pit of self pity and use their PTSD as an excuse for everything they do and everything that happens to them.” So that’s what you see when you look at the veterans you are supposed to be helping? This supposes to say that if we wanted to, we could turn off this thing if we just wanted to, that we should be led to see the futility of our holding onto the emotional pain.

   I also agree that we should take responsibility for our actions; we should never excuse someone for committing a crime that has PTSD. Without taking responsibility for our actions we will never be able to begin to cope with life and begin to heal; we would remain stuck in the past and possibly commit suicide.

   You drew an analogy to the PTSD sufferer and the addict. According to the first step of a 12 step program, an addict has to admit they were powerless over drugs and that their lives had become unmanageable. The first step in recovery for an addict is to admit that you have a problem with drugs that they have power over you that you cannot control yourself when it comes to drugs and alcohol. Through this acceptance of responsibility we can, with help become whole again. Once it was thought that if the alcoholic would just say no then they could get better if they wanted to, it was this thinking that uncontrollable drinking was a matter of moral fortitude that you, sir, use today in your argument. You say you are a counselor? How is it that this is lost on you then?

   Let me draw an analogy for you, being a police officer I assume you had to draw your weapon on occasion, was it something that you thought about doing and then made a conscious choice to draw your weapon? Probably most of the time. But I dare say that, once you did so without even thinking and it possibly saved lives. No? Never heard another officer discuss this? This would be the same thing that happens in combat where training takes over, where thinking will get you or your buddies killed. No, this is not PTSD, not at all. PTSD is where the stressful situations of today’s reality get confused with the horrors of reactionary histories of the past and come crashing together where training, trauma and the fight or flight mechanisms intercedes on rational thinking.

   Veterans and soldiers should be held accountable for their actions. Do you think that putting someone with PTSD in a prison would be a good idea? The veteran you talked about who was sentenced for 12 years will probably get out of prison, do you think that he will be the better for it? Or rehabilitated? I think that his PTSD will be worse, because prison itself can cause or exasperbate PTSD. I do not know what to do with our soldiers who fought for us that commit crimes, but neither do I think we should throw away the people who fought for our freedom when they become of no more use to us.

   Seriously, you have got to be adding to your observations to fit your argument when you say, “I’ve seen counselors provide letters for Soldiers stating that they suffered from PTSD and would not be held accountable for their actions.” This is complete bullshit to think that a counselor, who is not a therapist, would write a letter stating that someone cannot be held accountable for their actions. A counselor would not be qualified to write such a letter for one and if they did then their license should be taken away. You say you saw this? Then you should have reported it, professional ethics would compel you to do so. A master’s level therapist could diagnose PTSD, but only a Phd psychologist or a psychiatrist could write a letter of this magnitude and should only be done in a competency hearing. Holes way through your arguments, quit exaggerating on facts to bolster your arguments.

   Do yourself and the soldiers that you help a favor, and consider yourself fortunate that you were not so effected by your service as a police officer and quit looking down on them as less than you because they were impacted in such a way. Look beyond your differences and try and see them for who they really are, mentally wounded, and in need of your care and compassion not your judgment.

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4. Stan68ar on October 15th, 2008 5:33 am

   PTSD is a real affliction affecting many that return from Warzone

   It can be manefest in a number of ways and the behaivior exhibited may not conform with our expectations.

   People with PTSD need help regardless of other personal failures or problems related or otherwise.

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5. Michael Scott on October 21st, 2008 10:28 am

   Have any of you been to combat? Probably not, I’m a Cav Scout in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) 4th BCT and I’m finishing my 3rd deployment. I’ve been to Iraq twice and Afghanistan once. There is nothing pretty about war. There’s nothing nice about it. Plain and simple you are there to kill the enemy. When I rose my right hand 6 years ago I swore to God that I would uphold the U.S constitution and defend against it’s enemies foreign and domestic. We as soldiers didnt ask to see the things we saw. Its a product of combat. By no means am I saying that soldiers shouldnt be held accountable for their actions but it really feels like the people of the United States, the great country my comrades and I fight for, is turning their back on their soldiers. I’ve had too many of my friends die in my arms. We have had to kill to many insurgents in face to face combat. The same doctors and analyst who make these judgements about soldiers and say there trying to not be accountable for what they do are idiots. Let me give you a rifle and you come do what I do. Come on a mission with me and have ur squad get hit with a daisy chain EFP then as soon as you get out to help your buddies you get a complex attack with small arms fire and RPG’s. You hear your best friends crying and yelling for you to help them but you have to surpress the enemey before you can get to them or more lives will be lost, you tactically move up to the humvee and watch your bestfriend take his last breath, while his blood is splattering all over you. Me and most of my buddies have been through that. And after you do that , which i doubt you could handle, you tell me if you feel the same about PTSD. Its REAL, and it’s not a joke. If you haven’t done it…Please Dont Talk About It!!

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6. Zaphara on October 22nd, 2008 5:35 am

   I would first like to say I agree with the comments so far. I do not have PTSD, but my husband does. And its very real and its very difficult to deal with on a day to day basis. I agree with Sue here, you owe a whole lot of people an apology. Do you have any idea what it is like to live with someone who has an anxiety disorder? I do. Do you know how physically exhausting it is for a sufferer to slap on a fake smile and act as if everything is hunky dory around family members, friends and co-workers? I think its ignorant of you to say that they we should get them to realize that they should better themselves. It doesn’t go away, its a life-long process. Its not something that you can shut off with a switch. It isn’t an easy task for anyone to get them to realize their PTSD, especially if they’re in complete denial about it. Only those who love them the most get the brunt end of it all. Do you know the pain a carer goes through on a daily basis? Ever been ignored for 2 months, because the man or woman you’ve married just doesn’t want to communicate to you because they think that they’re somehow going to transfer how they feel and what they saw upon you? They have reasons for why they do the things they do. They have a reason why they shut off their love, joy and happiness emotions. I challenge you to walk in my shoes for a day and see the pain that I see and feel the pain that I have.

   Roman is absolutely correct. However, I will add one thing to that. Being taken out of the society they were once protecting, and is now been judged against, the BIGGEST fear a PTSD sufferer has, has just now been made worse. I am not saying that he shouldn’t be held accountable for his actions and were a bit extreme to a civilian, but its all they came to know when they were deployed. They now realize that the country they once lived in, is now foreign to them and now their eyes are open to the fact that the world is not as safe as they always thought it was. I feel getting this person treatment would’ve been the better road traveled. I mean if a woman such as Andrea Yates can drown her 5 kids in the bathtub, due to her manic depression can get out of prison time, I think that PTSD should’ve been taken into consideration on this particular case.

   PTSD is a normal reaction to a traumatic event. It creates fear, agoraphobia, anger, guilt, an overwhelming sense of loneliness and anxiety. They constantly fight back the demons within themselves to present someone that they use to be among the civilian world. They have flashbacks, hallucinate, nightmares and night terrors. If you think someone should be held accountable while they’re having a flashback, you’re wrong. Treatment is the answer. During a flashback anything can happen. They may think they’re fighting the enemy during a flashback only to come out of it to find their spouse crying and standing across the room by the light switch, holding her neck and breathing heavily as she got away from you in the nick of time. Upon returning they crave adrenaline rushes because its something that feels familiar to them, because it is what carried them through during their deployment. Yes, they know right from wrong, but for some they bring the war home with them. Nothing is familiar to them and they feel they don’t belong. They become emotionally numb, but the adrenaline rush they get is not only familiar but its something they can easily achieve to feel.

   Walk in my shoes, walk in a sufferers shoes, before you post to your blogs without being informed and educated on PTSD.

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7. Terri on October 22nd, 2008 2:45 pm

   Actually YES I do know what it’s like living with someone suffering from PTSD and that’s why it pisses me off so much to see some that use it as an excuse. I’ve dealt with it first hand and still do in my personal life. I also know that few are ones like the Soldiers mentioned here who use it as an excuse. My biggest fear is that people who use their PTSD as the two I mentioned in the post do, will make it that much harder for those who truly want help.

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8. Zaphara on October 25th, 2008 1:12 am

   But, you have to realize that they HAVE to want to get help. They have to make that first step to getting it. It isn’t up to us, it is all up to them. I’m sure there are people who use it as an excuse, but I honestly don’t think that our soldiers are the ones to blame for the excuses, but rather those that love them in accepting it as an excuse and not an explanation. Those that use it as their excuse, are the ones who are in a relationship with someone who isn’t willing to tell them to stop using it as one and haven’t taken the proper steps to making the PTSD sufferer realize what they will lose if they don’t stop making their SO their emotional dumping ground.

   As far as the two that you mentioned above, PTSD sufferers have triggers. They don’t always think like a civilian, they think like the soldier they were trained to be. There is so much to factor into the equation. People who truly want help, will go above and beyond to get it. Some don’t even show symptoms of PTSD for years. But, you cannot take a PTSD sufferer out of society and behind bars and expect them to straighten up. It won’t happen like that. They need help and they need someone to show them that they need help. We can’t force them to seek counseling for themselves, because they just push away even more.

   I just honestly believe that it is up to the carer to tell the sufferer how much it hurts them, how much it affects the family on a daily basis. It is up to the carer to say, “I’ve had enough!” And walk away. You can show them the door, but they’re the ones that have to open it.

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9. Terri on October 25th, 2008 5:35 am

   I’m very well aware of that and the two cases above were very extreme cases and in no way reflect the majority of our Troops and Veterans who suffer from PTSD. The majority do want help. Unfortunately the current methods of treating PTSD aren’t the greatest and the military as a whole wasn’t prepared to deal with the vast numbers who’ve returned from combat suffering from PTSD. My biggest fear, and reason I wrote this article, is that the people like the ones I gave as examples, will make it harder for those who really want help, to get it.

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10. Michael Scott on October 25th, 2008 2:57 pm

    Terri since you know it all why doesent somebody reach out to the soldiers. Maybe they (we’re) are to scared to go to a professional. This makes me sick to my stomach. Its ok because there will always be soldiers. There will always be someone here for this country in a time of battle. The question is…will the publick return the favor?

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11. Terri on October 26th, 2008 5:26 pm

    Michael no one here is claiming to “know it all.” I wish more civilian agencies would reach out to our Troops and offer help. In the area where I live, which serves one of the largest military installations there is, there are very few civilian agencies that are reaching out to our Troops in need. While there are a few, they aren’t able to provide service for everyone in need, in this area. I only wish there were more agencies in the surrounding communities that would be willing to follow their lead.

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12. Zaphara on October 28th, 2008 10:18 pm

    I don’t think those cases deter anyone from getting help for their PTSD. I think those who don’t get help are the ones who are in denial about having it. I think they’re afraid to be judge. And I think they don’t have trust in anyone anymore. I also think they don’t want to sit down and talk to a counselor who has no idea what they went through. The first phone call is the hardest.

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13. Terri on October 29th, 2008 4:14 am

    I realize that and agree that until the stigma in the military towards asking for help is changed, it’s going to be a battle getting help. They’re working on that, but you’re talking about undoing many, many years of that stigma. Changing that mindset has to come from the top down and in more than just words.

    What I’m afraid of though, is that highly publicized cases like that are ones that can cause the mental health community not to out and offering good services to those that really need it and want it.

    There are some really good places that do have counselors who’ve been through similar experiences that are willing to help. The Vet Centers, (different than the VA hospitals) for instances offer counseling and virtually every one of their counselors are veterans, or at least in the ones in my area.

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