PTSD and Other Stories
First, let me preface this by saying that nothing is surprising. Soldiers, police, and emergency services have a higher rate of post-traumatic stress than most civilians. So, reading this reminds me of those of the stories we have had about returning combat troops.
There is another constant: this piece is just part of that pattern. This is the unwillingness of soldiers to seek help. They are warriors first, and going to talk to a shrink is a sign of weakness. There is another aspect to this. I know this from experience with my paramedics, there is a belief that unless you have been there, done that, there is no way you are qualified to talk to me.
This is ten times as bad with soldiers and police officers. However, I suspect Russia will have a harder time with this for cultural reasons. Ukraine does better in this department, too. So here is the story via MO:
“Something broke in him, he was always funny, but now I’m scared just by his look.” How Putin’s niece’s foundation does not help war veterans who returned home with mental disorders
The Russian authorities are not coping with the consequences of post-traumatic syndrome (PTSD) among those returning from war, the “We Can Explain” project found out . The staff of the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, which until recently was headed by Vladimir Putin’s niece Anna Tsivileva, does not have enough specialized specialists, and those that exist are not in demand among returning fighters. Here’s what we learned from the study.
◾️ There are no psychologists or psychiatrists on staff at the Tsivileva Foundation branches. Invited specialists from local mental hospitals provide consultations to military personnel and their families. A psychologist from the region, who freelances with Tsivileva’s foundation, told MO about this. “PTSD is a real disease, it will not go away on its own, it will not resolve, here you definitely need the help of a psychiatrist who will prescribe the necessary medications,” says Elena.
◾️ The military themselves also do not seek treatment for mental disorders received during the war. “Former military personnel categorically refuse a psychologist; our culture of seeking psychological help is too low and this is a very big problem. Moreover, the participants of “SVO” are men, fighters, warriors, heroes, and they are convinced that they have no problems, and if they do, they can cope without us,” the psychologist says.
◾️ The state “helps” soldiers restore their health by sending them to mental hospitals. “In the psychiatric hospital they stuffed him with pills, conducted tests and tried to get rid of him as quickly as possible, the third time they pushed him there through connections. He had constant suicidal thoughts, it seemed to him that he was being watched, that someone was coming down from the roof onto the balcony, constant panic, tears,” the wife of the mobilized Anton (name changed) told MO.
◾️ Military personnel with PTSD dream of returning to the front line again because they pose a danger to their loved ones. “I’m aggressive, I get into fights. Overwhelming evil, you don’t understand how it happens. The trigger can be a word, a sound, a picture in memory. Breathing, overwhelming, heart beating wildly, anger in my soul, and I understand that if I had a weapon in my hands, I would have used it,” Russian Armed Forces officer Oleg Vdovenko told Moscow Region.
We have gotten much better. We have mental health available for troops. We also use emotional support animals. There was a time we did not. There was also a time when we feared returning vets. It was a few generations ago. Remember the movies about Vietnam vets? The Deer Hunter dealt with this as well.
Russia is probably there. It does not help that some returned troops have beaten families or killed neighbors. Some of these troops went back to the war zone. I am sure more than a few have met their ends during a meat wave attack.
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