<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	>
<channel>
	<title>Comments on: Army in denial about PT-drug abuse link?</title>
	<atom:link href="http://psychoanalystsopposewar.org/blog/2007/12/16/army-in-denial-about-pt-druga-abuse-link/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://psychoanalystsopposewar.org/blog/2007/12/16/army-in-denial-about-pt-druga-abuse-link/</link>
	<description>Thoughts by Stephen Soldz on war, peace, politics, psychoanalysis, and research methods</description>
	<pubDate>Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:14:14 +0000</pubDate>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7</generator>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
		<item>
		<title>By: Rhonda Blair</title>
		<link>http://psychoanalystsopposewar.org/blog/2007/12/16/army-in-denial-about-pt-druga-abuse-link/comment-page-1/#comment-169649</link>
		<dc:creator>Rhonda Blair</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 May 2008 00:36:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://psychoanalystsopposewar.org/blog/2007/12/16/army-in-denial-about-pt-druga-abuse-link/#comment-169649</guid>
		<description>&lt;em&gt;"She said, “That has not been my experience. My psychiatrists and social workers who see soldiers report to me of their experiences with soldiers all the time, and none of them are seeing that particular explanation.”&lt;/em&gt;

I have to add, the reason she claims the Army has not seen it is because the "professionals" the V.A. and the Army train to treat our soldiers, are trained NOT to see it. My son kept telling me the V.A. counselors were asking him the same questions over and over. These questions were from non-trained laymen, and involved my son relating to them some "incidents" that he thought might have caused him to have PTSD. This was very painful for my son, as this is the LAST thing a soldier wants to do fresh from a war and without medication. I went to his first and only appointment to the V.A. psychiatrist and was appalled. She repeated this same request to verbally relate any "incidents" that he felt might have "bothered him". He didn't hold back. The whole session was a nightmare. She berated my son for telling her he would drink to pass out several times a month, and told him he had an alcohol problem. Really? What about the demons in his mind problem? Not a word.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>&#8220;She said, “That has not been my experience. My psychiatrists and social workers who see soldiers report to me of their experiences with soldiers all the time, and none of them are seeing that particular explanation.”</em></p>
<p>I have to add, the reason she claims the Army has not seen it is because the &#8220;professionals&#8221; the V.A. and the Army train to treat our soldiers, are trained NOT to see it. My son kept telling me the V.A. counselors were asking him the same questions over and over. These questions were from non-trained laymen, and involved my son relating to them some &#8220;incidents&#8221; that he thought might have caused him to have PTSD. This was very painful for my son, as this is the LAST thing a soldier wants to do fresh from a war and without medication. I went to his first and only appointment to the V.A. psychiatrist and was appalled. She repeated this same request to verbally relate any &#8220;incidents&#8221; that he felt might have &#8220;bothered him&#8221;. He didn&#8217;t hold back. The whole session was a nightmare. She berated my son for telling her he would drink to pass out several times a month, and told him he had an alcohol problem. Really? What about the demons in his mind problem? Not a word.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Rhonda Blair</title>
		<link>http://psychoanalystsopposewar.org/blog/2007/12/16/army-in-denial-about-pt-druga-abuse-link/comment-page-1/#comment-169634</link>
		<dc:creator>Rhonda Blair</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 May 2008 23:30:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://psychoanalystsopposewar.org/blog/2007/12/16/army-in-denial-about-pt-druga-abuse-link/#comment-169634</guid>
		<description>My son has recently returned from a deployment to Afghanistan, and it doesn't take much knowledge of combat related PTSD to observe the correlation between illicit drug use and soldiers self medicating for their PTSD. My son never had a drug problem before he deployed, and now we are watching him deteriorate right before our eyes because of the hell he lives in his mind, and we are helpless. He has been smoking pot because he says it's the only thing that helps him cope, and he was arrested a month ago for misdemeanor possession of marijuana.  He has had numerous episodes of flashback and violence that he doesn't recall afterward. The V.A. made him wait 3 months before addressing this issue, and when he finally got an appointment with the V.A. psychiatrist, she told him he needed to be referred to a substance abuse program, and prescribed sleeping pills. That's it. I am outraged. Why in the hell does she think he is abusing marijuana?!!! Because he isn't being treated for his PTSD. The Army wants to deny this tragic phenomenon, and the V.A. turns our veterans away to deal with it on their own. There are physical issues too, that when combined with the mental disabilities, makes working virtually impossible. So much for being grateful to our soldiers for their willingness to lay down their lives for our country. Something has to be done. This is a travesty of justice.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>My son has recently returned from a deployment to Afghanistan, and it doesn&#8217;t take much knowledge of combat related PTSD to observe the correlation between illicit drug use and soldiers self medicating for their PTSD. My son never had a drug problem before he deployed, and now we are watching him deteriorate right before our eyes because of the hell he lives in his mind, and we are helpless. He has been smoking pot because he says it&#8217;s the only thing that helps him cope, and he was arrested a month ago for misdemeanor possession of marijuana.  He has had numerous episodes of flashback and violence that he doesn&#8217;t recall afterward. The V.A. made him wait 3 months before addressing this issue, and when he finally got an appointment with the V.A. psychiatrist, she told him he needed to be referred to a substance abuse program, and prescribed sleeping pills. That&#8217;s it. I am outraged. Why in the hell does she think he is abusing marijuana?!!! Because he isn&#8217;t being treated for his PTSD. The Army wants to deny this tragic phenomenon, and the V.A. turns our veterans away to deal with it on their own. There are physical issues too, that when combined with the mental disabilities, makes working virtually impossible. So much for being grateful to our soldiers for their willingness to lay down their lives for our country. Something has to be done. This is a travesty of justice.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Zachary</title>
		<link>http://psychoanalystsopposewar.org/blog/2007/12/16/army-in-denial-about-pt-druga-abuse-link/comment-page-1/#comment-167843</link>
		<dc:creator>Zachary</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 May 2008 07:19:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://psychoanalystsopposewar.org/blog/2007/12/16/army-in-denial-about-pt-druga-abuse-link/#comment-167843</guid>
		<description>I was in the Marine Corps stationed in Washington D.C., before and after 9/11, and let me tell you, there is ALOT of drug use going on where I was stationed at, Marine Barracks 8th &#38; I.  Lots of alcoholics too.  I think our military really needs to get its act together and offer drug/alcohol treatment and counceling instead of jail time and getting kicked out.  Its a disgrace, whats going to happen to the person afterwords?  I say we need to offer treatment, because it should say alot that someone would risk their career and future just for such a short term fix, that they need our help, god bless our sons and daughters!!!</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I was in the Marine Corps stationed in Washington D.C., before and after 9/11, and let me tell you, there is ALOT of drug use going on where I was stationed at, Marine Barracks 8th &amp; I.  Lots of alcoholics too.  I think our military really needs to get its act together and offer drug/alcohol treatment and counceling instead of jail time and getting kicked out.  Its a disgrace, whats going to happen to the person afterwords?  I say we need to offer treatment, because it should say alot that someone would risk their career and future just for such a short term fix, that they need our help, god bless our sons and daughters!!!</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Angela</title>
		<link>http://psychoanalystsopposewar.org/blog/2007/12/16/army-in-denial-about-pt-druga-abuse-link/comment-page-1/#comment-165986</link>
		<dc:creator>Angela</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:59:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://psychoanalystsopposewar.org/blog/2007/12/16/army-in-denial-about-pt-druga-abuse-link/#comment-165986</guid>
		<description>No matter how strong are those two are related I thing the problem is serious and it should be held under control. We are talking about the army here, there is no place for finding excuses when it comes to drug abuse.
&lt;a href="http://www.krissy.nu/drug-rehabilitation-narconon-vista-bay/ " rel="nofollow"&gt;Narconon Vista Bay&lt;/a&gt;</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>No matter how strong are those two are related I thing the problem is serious and it should be held under control. We are talking about the army here, there is no place for finding excuses when it comes to drug abuse.<br />
<a href="http://www.krissy.nu/drug-rehabilitation-narconon-vista-bay/ " rel="nofollow">Narconon Vista Bay</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	<item>
		<title>By: Roman Frankel Ph.D.</title>
		<link>http://psychoanalystsopposewar.org/blog/2007/12/16/army-in-denial-about-pt-druga-abuse-link/comment-page-1/#comment-137320</link>
		<dc:creator>Roman Frankel Ph.D.</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:33:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://psychoanalystsopposewar.org/blog/2007/12/16/army-in-denial-about-pt-druga-abuse-link/#comment-137320</guid>
		<description>I,m assuming that the powerful stigma associated with substance use disorders is creating such denial.Nothing else makes sense.I am stunned that no major proffesional body (Counseling Associations,Psychologists,Psychiatrists) has come forth to uncover the truth.There is also a strong corollation of Traumatic Brain Injury and Drug Use that has not even begun to be explored.In all fairness the proffesionals understading the intricate dynamics of multi diagnosis (TBI,Psychiatric and substance Use disorders) is very limmited,those wounded woriers deserve all our efferts to now protect and provide their rehabilitative processes the best that they deserve.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I,m assuming that the powerful stigma associated with substance use disorders is creating such denial.Nothing else makes sense.I am stunned that no major proffesional body (Counseling Associations,Psychologists,Psychiatrists) has come forth to uncover the truth.There is also a strong corollation of Traumatic Brain Injury and Drug Use that has not even begun to be explored.In all fairness the proffesionals understading the intricate dynamics of multi diagnosis (TBI,Psychiatric and substance Use disorders) is very limmited,those wounded woriers deserve all our efferts to now protect and provide their rehabilitative processes the best that they deserve.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
</channel>
</rss>
