VA anticipates PTSD

By Andrea Domaskin, Associated Press Writer | Sunday, July 04, 2004

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SIOUX FALLS — South Dakota soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are already being treated for ailments as varied as dental woes and sand fleas.

But it is the emotional trauma yet to come that worries the head of the Sioux Falls Veterans Affairs hospital.

"What personally frightens me the most when the troops come back is the post-traumatic stress disorder," Joe Dalpiaz said.

"A lot of these reserves had not seen live military action until they went overseas. That's a pretty big transition if you are working at a bank on a Friday, and three weeks later, you're in the middle of the action," he said.

A recent Army study of the mental health of troops who fought in Iraq found that about one in eight reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

But symptoms may not show up for months or years afterward.

Experts believe the emotional trauma levels in returning soldiers with those of Vietnam veterans. A nationwide, long-term study of Vietnam veterans concluded that one-third of combat soldiers returned emotionally wounded.

"VA's kind of an old hand at treating PTSD, but I'm not sure we're prepared for the numbers that we could see," Dalpiaz said.

Jerry Muhs, a therapist at a VA Readjustment Services center in Sioux Falls, said he has already worked with a few veterans who returned from the war in Iraq.

"For some folks, they're going to run into some trauma-related adjustment," Muhs said.

Once called shell shock or combat fatigue, post-traumatic stress disorder can develop after witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event. Symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, feelings of detachment, irritability, trouble concentrating and sleeplessness.

Two physicians at the VA Black Hills Healthcare System spent three months in a military battalion in Iraq. One of them, Ashok Kumar, now gives presentations about what to expect from returning soldiers.

Kumar said he treated soldiers for sprains and strains and trauma such as mortar and bullet wounds, but he also saw the emotional distress they go through.

In addition to facing the possibility of death, the soldiers also must cope with separation from family and friends and uncertain prospects when they return.

"There are so many things that go through the mind, and that has to be dealt with," Kumar said.

Active duty, reserve and National Guard soldiers are eligible for two years of free VA care when they return from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As of May 31, about 120 National Guard, reserve and active duty soldiers who returned from Iraq and Afghanistan were signed up at the Sioux Falls VA hospital, and about the same number had signed up at VA Black Hills Healthcare System at Fort Meade and Hot Springs.

Nationwide, about 15 percent of eligible veterans enroll in VA care, but the number is higher in South Dakota, Dalpiaz said.

"In South Dakota, we might serve between 25 and 40 percent of the eligible veterans. Whether that's an indication of how many of the returning soldiers might come, I'm not sure," he said.

Sgt. Mike Semmens of the National Guard's 200th Engineer Company of Pierre, Mobridge and Chamberlain hasn't filled out an application yet, but he plans to.

The Mobridge elementary school teacher, who returned uninjured from a year in Iraq on March 30, said he quickly settled back into a routine.

"It's been good," he said. "I haven't had any problems at all."

Still, Semmens said he plans to sign up for VA care.

"I should just take advantage of the benefits that are out there," he said.