Comments on: PTSD

By: David Matheson

David Matheson — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 02:34:00 +0000

Hello Dr Jan ,
You may care to have a look at a web site that I administer http://www.covvhs.org.au/ for the ‘Children of Vietnam Veterans Health Study Inc’ or just click on my post name.
Further;
No body wants to know or think about Toxic Brain Syndrome, I.E my daughter is a clinical psychologist and says to me that the evidence for dioxins / TBS link is not there, my response is that nobody is looking for the link because it is not fashionable due to pressure from the major chemical companies.
And certainly, it would appear, the major ESO’s don’t want to know about it because at this point TBS is just a syndrome and not an identifiable disease thus there is no Repatriation Medical Authority Statement of Principle to make a claim with DVA.
Sadly, I believe, this is in part why the Repatriation Commission is doing all in its power to confound the ‘Children of Vietnam Veterans health Study’.
Kind regards,
David Matheson
anne@netcon.net.au

By: Dr Jan

Dr Jan — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 05:20:27 +0000

Hi. I am clinical psychologist specialising in the treatment of trauma-related syndromes.I have been reading your site with interest and compassion. I recognise the anger and pain, as I work everyday with veterans with PTSD and other trauma-related symptoms (PTSD is not the only response to trauma, some people respond with depression, a range of anxiety disorders, acohol and other substance abuse and obsessive-compulsive symptoms amongst others and often more than one diagnosis is present). Dave asks about toxic brain syndrome. I am both a therapist and a clinical neuropsychologist and so have a strong interest in the neurobiology of PTSD. While it is true that PTSD affects the brain biochemistry and in some cases the volume of certain brain structures, the evidence does not suggest that this relates to exposure to toxins so much as the the chronic effects of the biochemical imbalance that occurs with PTSD. Hence many veterans experience significant alterations in memory and concentration and in some higher order executive functions like planning and multi-tasking. They also tend to have a susceptibility to stimulus overload which contributes to the reduced tolerance for noise, crowds etc (there are learned responses in this as well). This is not to deny that many veterans were exposed to toxins but this needs to be considered on an individual basis. The majority are likely to be experiencing cognitive difficulties as a result of the biological effects of PTSD itself. Hope this helps.
Dr Jan

By: Black Jack 59er

Black Jack 59er — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 15:59:15 +0000

God Bless the Aussies. I worked with them out of a little village called Buria, as I remember between Vung Tau and Long Thanh near Bear Cat. We lost some team guys in a helicopter crash near Bay Loc and were unable to locate the crash sight in the jungle and we were prevented form insertion by a higher authority because of heavy enemy activity in the area. Today, I guess that they figured we were worth more alive than the risk taken to recovery our team mates and the air crew. Then, we were all pissed.
But God bless the Aussie’s and their SAS Dog Tracker Team. They were not controlled by our higher ups. They volunteered and deployed via fast rope and with the Black Labradors skills found the crash sight and bagged all our people and extracted them through tripple canopy jungle. No easy feet. Just think how long the recovery chopper had to hold a hover. Exposed to enemy fire as a sitting duck. But they did it with no casualties, then they walked to a secure pick up zone. These men never went on the MIA list and their families were spared the horrible years wondering where their loved ones were, dead or alive? Those men like most soldiers of all branches went the distance for those unknown to them, American Service men and women of Vietnam are forever in their debt. I wish Australia and America were closer together so our communities could socialize and do what I remember the Aussie’s doing best. “PARTY” God Bless and thanks.
Please remind people that Saddam had WMD’s just ask a Kurds! The world needs to remember that if we had gotten rid of Saddams predesesors, Hitler, Stalin, Herohito, Mao tse tung, Mussolini, ect. The world would be a much different place. Dictators would walk softly fearing that golden bullet or bomb. But the problem in Iraq and Afghanistan NOW is tribal, clan warfare, and loyalties centuries old. We all forgot that the same was true in Vietnam. Tha Montangyards were eager to fight with us because they hated the Vietnamese an ancient constant battle, when we left the vietnamese went on a program of genocide and tried to eradicate the tribal people. These conflicts only stop when one side doesn’t have the will or the people left to resist, then they become subjigated and are turned into slaves. Is that what we want in the middle East another dictatorship by race? Iran Is just waiting and hoping to see us leave. Let people with common sense think about the out come if we lose and leave. If you worry about the aussie people just think how We feel about the cowards in our Government the Democrats, just remember the Democrats under Kennedy and Jiohnson screwed up the war in Nam and 59,214 Americans died along with hundreds of our allies. And finally. We are doing it because we don’t need a Middle East like the former Soviet Bloc in Europe, When banded together they become a formidable foe. Providing they can get along. in thet scenerio we may be lucky ther will always fight amongst them selves for more of the pie and who’s going to be the top dog, Sunni, Shiite, I’ll tell you who will be top dog. The guy with the bomb and the guy with the most religeous clerics who arn’t bashfull about killing theri own kind and everyone else in the name of ALLAH!!!!!!! Glod Bless!! BJ59er

By: Black Jack 59er

Black Jack 59er — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 15:26:39 +0000

God Bless the Aussies. I worked with them out of a little village called Beria, as I remember between Vung Tau and Long Thanh near Bear Cat. We lost some team huys in a helicopter crash near Bay Loc and were unable to locate the crash sight in the jungle and we were prevented form insertion by a higher authority because of heavy enemy activity in the area. Today, I guess that they figured we were worth more alive than the risk taken to recovery our team mates and the air crew. Then, we were all pissed.