(Hilary Valdez)
For centuries wars have been part of our evolving civilization. When we examine the hardships of the Neanderthals, the Roman Legions, the grueling battles of Genghis Khan, Hannibal, Atilla the Hun, the Viking exploits, the Black Death of the 14th Century, the Civil War, what was the major medical-social-psychological treatment? If you had an arrow in your chest, a time-out room didn’t exist; you couldn’t say to a crazed Viking wielding a sword, “Hold on mate, let me catch my breath.” And the Viking wouldn’t say, “Oh, I’m sorry. Did that hurt?” War was pure agony - it still is.
Opium and cannabis were used on Gladiators wounded in the arena. During the Civil War ether and chloroform, soaked in a rag, were used before they amputated a limb, over 50,000 of them. In World War I, opium and morphine were used for pain relief along with bandages soaked in chlorine solutions. Combat was stressful and brutal; it still is.
According to a 2022 report by the Department of Veterans Affairs, nearly 17 veterans take their own lives every day. In 2021 alone, nearly 4,000 U.S. military veterans committed suicide, a National Veteran Suicide Prevention report published in 2023 found.
As I browsed the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, I learned that more than half a million service members suffered some sort of psychiatric collapse due to combat. Forty percent of medical discharges during the war were for psychiatric casualties. What had been known in previous wars as “Nostalgia,” “Old Sergeant’s Disease,” “Shell Shock,” “Combat Fatigue” and “Combat Stress,” morphed into Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I wonder if Gladiator Fatigue existed during Caesar’s reign.
PTSD can affect anyone, not just soldiers. Recently a friend of mine was in a car accident and his vehicle went off the road, into a lake. He was rescued with moments to spare, but is suffering from the trauma of the incident.
Currently, there is no cure for PTSD. If you have been in a traumatic event or a prolonged traumatic event, you can have the effects of PTSD.
According to the Department of Defense, military family members’ suicide rates are also on the rise. In 2021, 168 family members died by suicide, including 114 spouses and 54 dependents, the DOD Annual Report on Suicide in the Military for 2022 reported.
When I was conducting de-briefings with Marines returning from Iraq, they were quiet, they didn’t want to talk. But they needed to talk and release their anger, rage and depression. Being angry all the time can wreck a good marriage and career.
The quickest way to lose friends is to start hitting them or hitting walls. The Corps did not want Marines walking around getting into fights in restaurants, public places, or driving under the influence. Talking to express was the preferred option. Depending on the clinician, one might say a person had an adjustment disorder, then again PTSD. A big difference between the two in terms of medical/clinical care and extended disability health benefits.
Marines that I thought needed constant clinical care, I had them working in the clinic where they could constantly interact with the clinical staff. Some Marines had intrusive thoughts, and difficulty with simple tasks. Others had hypervigilance and paranoia, causing them to constantly look over their shoulders. One Marine shouted at me in the office for walking to close to him: he was angry. And of course, some struggle with nightmares and flashbacks.
Hard to say how long symptoms last. It’s different for each person and the degree and length of the traumatization they experienced and their ability to bounce back. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was officially recognized by the U.S. government in 1980. After Vietnam, researchers began to take an interest on the illness on soldiers’ families.
Serious psychological distress is nearly 3 times higher among female veterans than among male veterans. Serious psychological distress is more than 6 times higher among veterans aged 18-34 than among veterans aged 65 or above. Serious psychological distress is 1.4 times higher among multiracial/other race veterans than among White veterans.” Rand Corporation, 2019.
In the summer of 1967, veterans began to become activist for their own mental health care. They worked to redefine “post-Vietnam syndrome” not as a sign of weakness, but rather a normal response to the experience of atrocity.
Mindfulness therapies, based on becoming aware of mental states, thoughts and feelings and accepting them rather than trying to fight them or push them away, are an option. Also, alternative treatment options like eye movement desensitization and reprocessing or EMDR therapy, and therapies using controlled doses of MDMA (Ecstasy), virtual reality-graded exposure therapy, hypnosis and creative therapies are starting to become common. The military is funding new technology to address PTSD including transcranial stimulation, neural chips and novel drugs, according to a 2018 article by The Conversation.
If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or others call 988 in the U.S., for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. For the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, dial 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Tokyo English Lifeline 0800-300-8355 (Toll Free). In an emergency in Japan: 119 for an ambulance or 110 for police.
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Hilary Valdez is a freelancer living in Tokyo, Japan. He is an experienced Mental Health professional and Resiliency Trainer. Valdez is a former Marine and has worked with the military most of his career and most recently worked at Camp Zama as a Master Resiliency Trainer. Valdez now has a private practice and publishes books on social and psychological issues. His books are available on Amazon and for Kindle. Learn more about Valdez and contact him at his website or email (InstantInsights@hotmail.com). Follow his YouTube channel Hilary’s Quick Talk for more insights.
