Altus AFB gets new perspective about PTSD

Published March 14, 2011
By Airman 1st Class Kenneth W. Norman
97th Air Mobility Wing

ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- According to the American Psychological Association more than 30 percent of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have post-traumatic stress disorder.

Dr. Edward Tick, author of War and the Soul: Healing Our Nation's Veterans from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and director of the nonprofit organization Soldier's Heart, gave a presentation about how to begin healing from PTSD, Mar. 10 during an Armed Services YMCA luncheon at the Freedom Community Center.

"[This presentation was used] to introduce a different understanding of the invisible wounds of war, to demonstrate that they are inevitable from the combat experience," Dr. Tick said. "And to help people think differently about how to tend to our troops upon return, so these invisible wounds don't become chronic."

PTSD is a psychiatric disorder affecting both adults and children that can occur following the experience or witnessing of life-threatening events such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, and physical or sexual assault.

"What we now believe about PTSD is that it is the universal form of breakdown that any conscious being, human or animal, will go through when they have been exposed to enough life- threatening violence," Dr. Tick said.

Dr. Tick has been working with veterans and PTSD sufferers for three decades. He and his partner, Kate Dahlstedt, founded Soldier's Heart in 2006. The organization offers hope to veterans with a new perception of PTSD as a "soul wound" and an identity disorder, which could be healed by nurturing a positive warrior identity.

"We call it an invisible wound of war, and as long it stays invisible it is going to be insidious and get worse and worse," Dr. Tick said. "We are working to help alter military culture so that it is alright for any servicemember to say 'I'm in spiritual or emotional pain.' The most important step is admitting that we are disturbed, we have been carrying it in secret and we are reaching out for help."

There was no diagnosis for PTSD until 1980.

"Until 1980 there was no name for the psychological wounds from war," Dr. Tick said.
"Vietnam vets advocated fiercely that we pay attention to their pain and suffering and they really helped the mental health field learn about and create the diagnosis."

According to Dr. Tick, PTSD cases have increased in percentage and severity.

"The symptoms or nature of the wound has not changed, but the severity, frequency and intensity have gotten much worse," Dr. Tick said. "I say this because ... we know of more than 80 names for this condition that different cultures have had since ancient times till present. We can read descriptions of people with PTSD in the bible, ancient Greek and Roman literature and those PTSD sufferers look just like ours. They had the same symptoms of rage, loss of morality, acting out in violence and anger, taking out their anger on the wrong people, losing trust in authority - all of this is found in ancient stories that are thousands of years old."

Dr. Tick spent an hour and a half speaking to both servicemembers and civilians about PTSD. He then had a short question and answer session for the audience.

"Thank you to Altus Air Force Base for inviting me. From what I have seen over the past few days, this is a community that is working very hard to provide a full family and community environment for everyone - the troops, the families and the children," Dr. Tick said. "And [the base] seems to be in solidarity with the surrounding civilian community, so I honor and thank the entire Altus community for that."

For more information about the Soldier's Heart organization, visit www.soldiersheart.net .

If you or someone you know is suffering from PTSD symptoms you can contact the Base Chapel at 580-481-7458 or Mental Health at 580-481-5376

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