GENERAL SPEAKS OUT ABOUT HIS PTSD

(I think what is interesting about this article is that the mentally wounded soldier was a General.  He got help from a psychiatrist and a psychologist - while Pat was assigned to a Nurse Practitioner and a Social Worker.  Perhaps if Pat had been a ranking officer instead of a Staff Sergeant - he would have received better care.

I do appreciate the General speaking about PTSD and hope that it brings greater awareness to the plight our Veterans and their families are facing.)


From Military.com
November 15, 2010
Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer

While everyone else danced at a New Year's celebration to start 2008, Maj. Gen. David Blackledge couldn't stop picturing a suicide bomber blowing up the ballroom.

After nearly losing his life twice during consecutive deployments, Blackledge rarely felt safe.

He couldn't shake the nightmares. He couldn't control his temper. He couldn't focus.

"I started to think, well, this is just the way it's going to be," Blackledge said. 

But later that year, after his routine physical, he described his symptoms to a doctor. 

Classic post-traumatic stress disorder, the doctor said. He sent Blackledge to behavioral health, where he saw a psychiatrist and a psychologist. 

They confirmed the diagnosis and told the general they could help.
(click below for the complete article)http://www.military.com/news/article/general-speaks-out-about-his-ptsd-battle.html?ESRC=eb.nl