Persuasive Policy Essay

Julianne Arcamone
Ben Henderson

Treatment Veterans Deserve

The policy stands that after war it is not mandated for soldiers to seek treatment for PTSD symptoms. The current
lack of and necessity of psychological help for veterans after war leaves the veterans and our community vulnerable. Since
50% of veterans who suffer from PTSD never seek treatment and consequently live troubled, sometimes even violent lives,
it should be mandatory to psychologically analyze them after returning from war and have periodic counseling to check on
their mental health. The government should require prospective soldiers to sign an agreement that they will comply with
therapy and testing post war and continue to seek treatment dependent on the severity of their issues.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a psychiatric disorder that can occur after a life changing incident such as war,
assault, accident, natural disaster or terrorist attack. Those who suffer from PTSD experience severe stress that typically
does not go away and can worsen over time. Their stresses
can include reliving the experience, being easily spooked or
frightened, significant mood swings, loneliness, and
difficulty sleeping. Many vets with PTSD feel weak, alone,
have suffered memory loss, cannot make commitments such
as a job, are frequently jumpy or nervous, and feel guilty.
The Nebraska Department of Veteran Affairs claims that
there are three main types of symptoms of PTSD. The first
is reliving the trauma in some aspect, generally because of a
specific reminder, but can also occur in everyday life. The
second is isolating yourself from family, friends, and your community, as well as avoiding things that remind you of your
trauma. The third symptom is feeling irritable where the smallest trigger could set someone
Make the Connection is a website published by the U.S. Department for Veterans Affairs for those looking to find
shared experiences and support. The website documents interviews with veterans discussing topics ranging from stories
about transitioning into everyday life to the guilt that they feel for returning home. The information below is a consensus
based off real testimony of veterans, whose names remain anonymous, who are suffering from PTSD from those videos.

PTSD is a serious disease that can change the entire dynamic of one's life. It affects the veteran, their family, their friends,
and their community, but only 50% of people with PTSD ever seek treatment, reported RAND corporation who conducted
a major study by the Congressional Research Service, the Veterans Administration, the Institute of Medicine, the US
Surgeon General, and several published studies. The reason that people never seek treatment is because they cannot accept
that they have a disease. People are ashamed and fear what other people may think of them; that they are weak, that it isn't
manly to ask for help or see a psychologist. They dont think that anyone will understand what they have been through or
they think that talking about it will not help, especially if they are talking to a civilian and not a veteran who has gone
through war themselves. Some people want to avoid talking about it all together; they can't bear to relive it and are afraid
of losing control. What these veterans dont understand is that they are hurting themselves more than doing any good. The
longer that people go untreated, the more damage this disease can have on a persons life. A popular opinion from many
veterans is how hard it is to come back and readjust to a privileged life. They find it confusing and irritating to hear the
complaints and see the stress that civilians face when they were just surrounded by cruelty and life or death situations.
They also feel unfulfilled with their lives when they return. They find it disappointing to go from being an American hero,
who did things that really make a difference, to a 9-5 job, which is far less rewarding and even boring to some.
When people feel helpless they tend to turn
elsewhere to help deal with the pain of their problems,
so when a veteran doesnt feel understood and cant
seem to find his place in society it often leads to self
medication to ease the pain. The National Institute on
Drug Abuse published that almost 30% of veterans
who have high combat exposure are considered to be
alcoholics. Alcoholism and drug addiction can increase
the likelihood of anomic suicide. DARA Rehab center
details that this type of suicide "happens because the rules in society are unclear and the individual is unsure about where
they fit in". It can also increase the likelihood of egotistical suicide which "occurs when people dont feel they belong
within society. The individual feels completely alone in the world." RAND Corporation found that 22 veterans commit
suicide every single day. They cannot understand why they are here and their best friend is not. They feel immense guilt,
depression, and think of themselves as a burden to others so they feel it is their only way out.
"While it is inaccurate to say that PTSD causes violence, the unfortunate truth is that there is a link between PTSD

and postwar homicide, and its far more than just a passing correlation." says author and former Marine infantry officer
David J. Morris. Hearing about the shootings at the hand of veterans is heartbreaking because many people do not
understand how they could do such terrible things. People cant fathom how they could have been put into these disturbing
situations and have seen and done things that many people cannot imagine; war changes a person. On April 2nd, 2014 Ivan
A Lopez killed 3 people and injured 16 others at fort Hood before killing himself. Although he had many issues; it was
reported that he had undergone treatment the year before for medical and behavioral health-related issues. It was never
disclosed whether PTSD was the reason for this extreme act of violence, but his behavioral issues could have had an effect
on his actions. This tragic event wasnt the first and it also will not be the last.
Veterans Affairs (VA) is responsible for administering programs for veterans and their families with their 90
billion dollar budget. Not to say that VA isnt helping; their work is making a significant difference but more can be done
to reach all veterans. There are still people who can't seek out help for themselves and might not have anyone to turn to.
Some people can live an unhappy 30 years with PTSD before they realize they have to undergo treatment and come to
understand that there is a better way to live. With the 90 billion dollars that the VA is given, trained medical professionals
would be able to diagnose these veterans directly after returning home and avoid serious damage. In some cases, PTSD
symptoms dont occur until months or even years after combat. An initial report done by the National Vietnam Veterans
Readjustment Study in the 1980s found that 15% of men had PTSD and 30% had it in their lifetime but in their more
recent study in 2003, they found that 4 out of 5 reported symptoms 20-25 years later. If we continue to see them then we
can diagnose them if their symptoms occur later in life. It may be argued that this budget is not big enough to cover the
need but the Recent Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Administrative Trends Regarding Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD) Disability say that Only about half of those veterans who apply for PTSD disability [benefits] are seeking
psychiatric care at the time of their disability application submission. If this policy is implemented then we can be sure
that those who need the resources for PTSD are getting the help they need and that the money is going to the right place.
Currently the Vietnam Veterans of America report that if the following symptoms are found, they will cover 100%
of the expenses; "Total occupational and social impairment... gross impairment in thought process or communication;
persistent delusions or hallucinations; grossly inappropriate behavior; persistent danger of hurting self or others;
intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living... disorientation to time or place; memory loss..." The severity of
the symptoms lessen as the coverage goes down to 70%, 50%, 30%, 10% and 0%. The DSM-5 the currently determines
the severity and diagnosis. Therefore, if your results coincide with the symptoms in the 100-50% coverage range, then
their medical bills will be covered 100% and counseling will be mandatory. If their symptoms are below this, their initial

testing will be covered, as well as their anual testing, which will eventually increase to every 3 years or even more
depending on their life situations. The reason that these time frames were chosen is because of the fact that as many as 1 in
3 older vets may experience late-onset PTSD. One of the veterans who was interviewed on the Make the Connection
website provided by the VA admitted that he used to lie to get out of testing and avoid dealing with his problems. That
could be an issue that this policy will face, but it is not possible to help everyone. By giving the vets the resources, making
it mandatory that for the rest of their lives whether they are diagnosed or not to get testing, is all the VA and government
can do. Under the ninth amendment the government cannot further require that veterans do or say anything beyond what
will be written in their contract prior to enlisting, saying that they will cooperate with testing and counseling. They cannot
force someone to be honest and get help if they do not want it, but rather than focus on those who will not comply, the
focus should be on how greatly the number of people suffering will decrease. If 50% of veterans with PTSD right now are
not being treated, the act of making treatment mandatory will increase their quality of life and the quality of life of their
family, friends, and community substantially.
A problem that many psychologists face is gathering statistics on PTSD. The stats on PTSD can often be wrong
because of the little contact with veterans and the many cases that go unreported. This can all be avoided with more
dedication and effort put toward treating veterans immediately and by keeping up the relationship with the veterans. They
should also be connected with other people going through the same struggles so that they also have friends who understand
their situation and can act as a second outlet. Attacking the problem this way can greatly lessen the amount of soldiers who
suffer from PTSD and hopefully in turn decrease the disturbing number of suicides each day. In making this policy
mandatory, it eliminates the chance of people not going because they feel that it isn't manly or "macho" of them to seek
treatment. This shows people that everyone has to do this not just them- and that if they do have a problem they are not
alone.
RAND corp. found that 8,000 veterans commit suicide due to PTSD and related issues each year, but we have the
opportunity to drastically change these numbers. Organizations such as Veterans Affairs can do a lot for the veteran
community but there are still so many people that we are never able to help. No one likes being told what they can and
cannot do, but for the safety of these people and our community in general, we need to make it mandatory for veterans to
get psychological help immediately following war and throughout their entire life. The feelings that veterans have toward
psychological help is understandable, but it is also misinformed. They can be helped and this policy will greatly decrease
the number of people suffering as well as the number of lives lost due to this disease. The veterans of the United States
have put their lives on the line to protect ours; now it is our time to protect theirs.