Comments on: SENSITIVITY TRAINING FOR MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS: PTSD

By: barrie w.

barrie w. — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 12:26:18 +0000

carol, i appreciate the work and time you have put into this thesis. but, i must concur with harold somewhat on this. i still attend a group session at a vet center at least once a week simply because that is where i can mingle with and interact with other viet vets. it somehow seems easier to deal with those who may have walked some of the same areas i did. and we talk each other out of killing our wives or a neighbor. i consider it theraputic. we viet vets are fading fast. the VA system won’t have to deal with us much longer. i fear for the mental health of our returning iraq and afghan troops in 10 years or so. by then the VA system will have once again morphed into it’s old self, and all of our struggles and the few victories will be forgotten and erased from the books.
telephone triage is an idiot.

By: telephone triage

telephone triage — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:04:12 +0000

It is truly amazing how many people are traveling over seas for prompt and professional medical help. People that even have healthcare from well developed countries are still taking advantage of the many perks offered for medical tourism.

By: Carol

Carol — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:59:49 +0000

Harold,

First of all congratulations on being successful in receiving disability. This is a very hard process. I agree with you, that the best people for a veteran to speak with about PTSD and other veteran issues are other veterans. Hands down.

This sensitivity class is for people who interact with these veterans. I am not talking about treatment for PTSD. The veteran sees many people when visiting a clinic, hospital, or office for medical treatments. The RN or LPN who call the veteran back to the office for treatment or examination, office staff who make appointments anyone who interacts with a veteran should have a sense of how to behave in order to help the veteran to have a successful visit. No one needs to have their name yelled out and get the sense that they must respond at the speed of light.

With the return of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan it is essential that the process of diagnosing PTSD be successful and prompt attention is vital. Past history has more than proved that PTSD has been prevelant for veterans from any war.

What do you think would have been more helpful for you? You mention that tallking with other veterans would have been better for you. I believe that there are facilities where veterans who are inpatient do have veterans as counselors. It seems like the VA should also use veterans for outpatient treatments also. What else could have been changed to make any treatment more successful?

[ Reply to This ]

By: Carol

Carol — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:39:48 +0000

Harold,

By: Harold Reed

Harold Reed — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:05:26 +0000

I’m 100% thru the VA for PTSD… Are you kidding… Pscycosocial classes are the hardest for all vets taking classes for PTSD!
did your class help them… No not really… just mixed that stew pot of repressed emotions and made it a 10 week hell of not sleeping more then I already didn’t do.
Can they be more sensitive?
Lets see…. did they experience any combat? no
Did they ever encounter a situation where they might die? Umm probably not.

And did they ever have to readjust to life outside of the military after such trauma? No, left school to do this sensitivity crap! So no.

I fail to see where its going to help. It pissed me off the first time I heard “I understand” fall out of the theorpist mouth. so why would it not effect any other vet?
No they need to stop using fresh young people from school, and get some vets in there to help vets. It seems to be the only way we can relate to each other and get help.