When Stress Come home

Practically every day, disturbing news stories come out of Iraq. So many of them are about explosions, often roadside bombings. We hear about the major casualties, but there are many other terrifying events that don�t get reported here at home. Unless you are there, you really can�t imagine the sense of ever-present danger. At any moment, an explosion could kill or maim you, your friends, or the Iraqi people around you.

I enjoy my drive to and from work most days, but I can�t imagine what it would be like if I had to worry continuously whether every object in the vicinity is a hidden bomb. A new report from the Army surgeon general�s office states that 30 percent of soldiers returning from Iraq suffer symptoms of stress-related mental health problems for at least a few months. In an ABC News story about the difficulties faced by returning soldiers, a young woman talked about her intense anxiety while driving back in the U.S. Each time she drove her car, she would instinctively scan the roadside, constantly on the lookout for anything unusual. Although her behavior was irrational, something inside her was still anticipating an explosion at any moment.

The soldiers with stress-related problems experienced symptoms such as anxiety, depression, nightmares, anger, and an inability to concentrate. About 4 to 5 percent had symptoms severe enough to be described as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). �Shell shock� and �war neurosis� are old terms for what now is called PTSD. According to the psychiatric definition, PTSD occurs after someone has experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, such as combat or a disaster. The event is persistently re-experienced in dreams or intrusive thoughts or images. There is emotional numbing and avoidance of anything associated with the trauma. Finally, there is increased arousal that might include difficulty sleeping, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and an exaggerated startle response.

The good news is that the Army is planning routine screening of soldiers returning from combat zones with a mental health checkup. In a pilot program, all members of returning units will be interviewed to check for stress-related symptoms, and the Army will make sure mental health treatment is available for everyone who needs it. A primary goal of the program is to erase the stigma soldiers may feel about the mental health symptoms they may experience after returning from stressful deployments