Argument with a Military Mental Health "Professional"

Things like this piss me off ...

by CJ Heck

A Special Caution:  If you go to a mental health professional to get help for PTSD, or any other military service-related issues, make sure they are experienced in helping veterans, specifically Vietnam veterans ...

The following is a conversation between myself and a so-called "professional" in a national military mental health group where I post to foster awareness of Vietnam veterans and what they deal with now, as a direct result of their military service.  For obvious reasons, I will not use his name.

The specific post the conversation was about:  My Experiences In Country: by Dannie Watkins

MH "Professional" [directed to Dannie about his blog post]:

Dannie, you say, "The mind never heals from the trauma of war." -- That's bullshit.

Your words are false. Your scars mean nothing. Being wounded should have been expected. It was no big deal.

You can't go about trying to help others, until you help yourself. Give your mind permission to release those negative thoughts and emotions.

CJ:

 

With all due respect, (name omitted), each person is different. These things may be true for YOU, but not for someone else. The mind can and does recall the trauma of war and it reacts to that trauma by flashbacks, survivors guilt, and night terrors -- this is PTSD, sir.

Dannie's scars may mean nothing to you, but they do mean something to Dannie.  They are a constant reminder; however, Dannie was NOT complaining about his scars, or anything else, in his post.

The only negative thoughts and emotions that I see being expressed here are yours ...

MH "Professional":

CJ, I understand every word in the post, completely. War does, and always has, returned home. Today 1 in 3 people who return home will suffer from PTSD. It was once 1 out of 4 who had, or developed, a mental illness coming home from war.

An aggregate total of those who commit suicide from being in a war equals the casualty count during the war. It doesn't matter which war in the past 110 years is referenced, or what side is being studied. Only 6% of these people are in treatment, recovering. The others go untreated or cannot overcome their emotion, with recall of trauma by flashbacks and night terrors, just as you say.

Triggers, such as looking at your scars, creates a crisis. Once we had 600,000 beds for those in crisis. Now there are less than 40,000 beds nationwide with a greater need than ever before.

I discourage all memoirs, especially when promoted as a good read. Yes I am extremely negative on remembering the 'bad old days', as you explicitly noted. We have an unseen pervasive epidemic where no cure has been found and even less research to find one.

CJ:

What?  Who the heck is promoting the writing of memoirs as a "good read"?  I'm certainly not, and I resent your implication, as well as your pompous attitude.

Writing is therapeutic and that, sir, is a fact.

It's obvious you haven't read the blog, so stop going on and on about it. Read any of the posts these men have written and shared with each other, or don't. That is your choice; but you are out of line to say what he wrote was "bullshit", or that his words were "false".

It is obvious you were never in Vietnam, nor in any combat situation, so there is nothing to be gained by taking a self-righteous stance and spouting facts and figures

I suggest in the future, you make sure your brain is in gear before putting your mouth in motion ...

**I checked a few minutes later, and I'm glad I saved what he had to say to my computer, because his comments were removed from Dannie's blog post in the group.  Only my answers to him appear.

I don't know for sure, but he may have been removed from the group, comments and all.  After sharing this conversation, I may be booted, too, but I thought this was important enough to share with you.

Please be sure, if you go for help for PTSD, that the person you're going to see is familiar with Vietnam veterans and their particular issues.  

I don't ever want you to be subjected to someone like this ...

“I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do, and by the grace of God, I will.” ~Everett Hale


Do you have an opinion, or a comment, you would like to share about this post? Click on the comment button.