AHERO Summer 2021 | Page 21

A Soldier ’ s Dream Sometime she driveth o ’ re a soldier ’ s neck . And then dreams he of cutting foreign throats . Of breaches , ambuscadoes , Spanish blades , Of healths five fathom deep ; and then anon Drums in his ear , at which he starts and wakes , And being thus frighted , swears a prayer or two , And sleeps again . ( from Shakespeare ’ s “ Romeo and Juliet ”)

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PTSD : DENIAL AND A DESTRUCTIVE LIFE- ALTERING MEDICAL REALITY
Within six months after his second yearlong tour in Iraq , 23-year-old SSgt Christopher Shane Riordan had a dozen medals on his uniform , a Defender of the Month award from his squadron , and a first DUI .
As his mother , and having limited knowledge of post-traumatic stress at the time , I remember that the following four years were a continuous flow of doctors ’ visits for both physical and mental health . My son was prescribed an assortment of opiate-based drugs for chronic pain , severe insomnia , and anxiety . By age 27 , he was in group therapy .
At 28 , Shane endured a military administrative hearing . In his testimony on Shane ’ s behalf , forensic psychologist Dr . Tye Hunter said , “ SSgt Riordan has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder , a Severe and Complex type , and elements of his psychiatric treatment have been not only ineffective but are likely to have worsened his PTSD condition .” Dr . Hunter then concluded , “ SSgt Riordan would likely die within a year without proper help .”
The Air Force physician who had prescribed the drugs was not present . However , a group counselor who had met Shane twice testified that he did not have a drug problem . Then Shane ’ s superior officer , a major , testified . Asked about PTSD , the major said that “ PTSD was not a real thing .” The board discarded Dr . Hunter ’ s testimony based on two facts : he was not a military doctor ; and more than five years had passed since Shane ’ s deployment . Shane served in the United States Air Force for nine years and seven months .
Several months later , though , the VA , acknowledging his PTSD , found Shane eligible for disability , and provided him with more medications as part of his treatment .
In a letter to the hearing board , Shane had written : “ It was a mistake to believe I could handle my own problems , but I thought if I admitted I had PTSD it would mean I was weak . So , although I was experiencing chronic pain , anxiety and extreme insomnia , I thought the medications would resolve [ these ].”
My son died of an accidental overdose on September 2 , 2015 , fourteen months after separating from the Air Force , leaving behind many people that loved him . Including a wife , two young daughters , parents , brothers , a sister , and eight foster dogs , to name a few . He was three months shy of his 30th birthday . DR . HUNTER HAD BEEN OFF BY TWO MONTHS . A VERY REAL “ THING ” INDEED
While Veterans of previous wars endured intense and brutal battles , the “ War on Terror ” soldiers have been subjected to unprecedented multiple tours in combat areas . With extended periods of 18 to 24 months away from families and a far greater likelihood of being in combat , they are always on high alert for violent confrontations throughout their tour .
“ In the history of the Republic , never has so much been placed on the shoulders of so few for so long ,” said Brigadier General Loree K . Sutton , director of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury . As a result , we have no reference population with which to compare the health problems facing today ’ s military personnel .
In 2015 the VA and the US Dept . of Defense revised opioid dependency treatment to require the use of effective medications such as methadone or buprenorphine , called opioid agonists . But lack of education and the stigma toward addiction have limited this treatment to less than 35 % of those who could benefit from it .
Fifty years after the Vietnam War and one hundred years after the “ War to End All Wars ,” the understanding of the physical and mental impact of PTSD continues to evolve every day . However , these invisible wounds cause consistently high rates of suicide and fatal overdoses in our Veteran community day after day . PTSD remains a chronic reality for many service members and their families . Clearly , we still have a long way to go .
A Soldier ’ s Dream Sometime she driveth o ’ re a soldier ’ s neck . And then dreams he of cutting foreign throats . Of breaches , ambuscadoes , Spanish blades , Of healths five fathom deep ; and then anon Drums in his ear , at which he starts and wakes , And being thus frighted , swears a prayer or two , And sleeps again . ( from Shakespeare ’ s “ Romeo and Juliet ”)
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