Vandita Bajaj
The year 2018 marked the centenary of the end of the First World War, the occasion was marked by remembrance events and speeches across the world. In a bid to valorize war efforts, soldiers, past and present, were lauded for their efforts; but the trauma of a life in the trenches barely found mention, yet again. The release of The Guardian’s documentary, “Fight or Flight: The Veterans at War with PTSD”, came at an appropriate time and shed light on the prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among veterans. It gave viewers a rare chance to listen to veterans talk about their experiences with PTSD as opposed to just having “experts” comment on the subject or seeing a dramatic portrayal in a Hollywood movie.
The documentary traced the story of veteran Andy Price, a former member of the United States Military. He was deployed on a combat mission to Afghanistan, upon his return, he just wasn’t the same person. He described what he saw over the course of his mission as well as how he was never able to get rid of the visuals, smells or noises; all of it continued to haunt him long after his supposed return to civilian life. Hearing him made one thing very clear—no matter how rigorous the selection process and the training, I doubt that there is anything that can prepare soldiers for what they have to go through when they partake in wars. They have to keep a brave face and carry on fighting, not just with weapons but also with their own feelings of guilt, unchecked anger and undisclosed sadness They are expected to fighting for the greater good. But the guilt of the lives they take, the friends they lose and the constant pressure they are under creates the breeding ground for mental illnesses; most of which go unaddressed and untreated due to a lack of policy measures and stigma to seek help.
The biggest hurdle to the treatment of PTSD is perhaps the gap between the theoretical and the ground-reality of experiences of deployed soldiers. The challenge is to bridge the chasm of understanding between the soldiers and clinical/ counselling psychologists. Theoretically, we know that the environment where they are expected to be on their guard 24x7 brings with it high levels of stress, but the on-ground reality is hard to understand. The lack of immediate on-ground help, in terms of counselling and therapy available to deployed units, means that the stress just goes unchecked and the issues unresolved. Darren, a former soldier featured in the documentary served in Iraq, Kosovo and Afghanistan and lost his leg during combat expressed his concerns about the denial on part of the institution to admit the problem let alone provide help for it. The lack of policy measures only feed into the stigma that exists within the ranks, seeking help is seen as being weak-willed. Darren admitted that in hindsight he would not sign up for service again, he laughed at the recruitment commercial which claimed that joining the military brings with it a sense of “belonging.” This is a side we rarely see or talk about. It forces us to re-think the glory and pride that is associated with the uniform. In their selfless service, self-care takes a back-seat until the situation gets to a point where the trauma of war hinders their daily functioning. Most of the veterans interviewed for the documentary discussed their inability to work regular jobs, the stress that they saw their family go through because of their condition and the feelings of “worthlessness” that drove many of them to consider taking their own lives. I rarely saw the pride and honour that people talk about in conversations surrounding military service, helplessness and anxiety radiated through the conversation. While it gave me a glimpse into how rampant the problem of PTSD is and how little we know about it.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a reality for many men and women in uniform. The denial of its existence poses a grave threat to not just individuals but to institutions. Over the time period covered in the documentary, Andy’s disdain towards the government for not doing anything was replaced by a strong desire to simply help as many people as he could, which is what led him to start the Veterans Hub—a support group where former soldiers and their families could talk about what they were going through, knowing that people understand. WWI brought with it the recognition of war-related psychological conditions, terms such as shell shock, traumatic war neurosis and combat exhaustion were used to refer to PTSD. A regimented lifestyle in the military dictates the way people function when they are on duty, “switching off” from that is not easy especially if one is not given the necessary support to cope with the trauma.
The need of the hour is a change in the way stress and its implications are perceived in the military. It is not just the stigmatic attitude that needs to be done away with, but also policies and practices that feed into that stigma and the repeated attempts to brush the issue under the carpet. The honours and medals bestowed upon veterans don’t mean anything if they feel helpless and worthless after serving the country. Seeking help, and providing help, doesn’t bring out the weak links of an institution such as the armed forces but rather ensures the strength that they pride themselves in having.
References:-
Price, A. (2018, November 08). Spare a thought for Britain's veterans left to battle their demons alone | Andy Price. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/nov/08/britain-veterans-armistice-day-mental-scars
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