The Role of Government in Helping Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Veterans - Research Paper Example

The Role of Government in Helping Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Veterans Introduction Veterans with PTSD undergo lifetime struggle to leave the traumas of war behind and regain their once at ease lives. Even though many veterans suffer from PTSD, some of them do not seek medical treatment just as they struggle with PTSD symptoms during their lifetime. Thus, in Louise Erdrich’s short story, “The Red Convertible,” Erdrich offers an illustration of the effect of PTSD on Veterans and their family members. This section of the story is about Henry, Native American army personnel from Vietnam War. Henry story is being told from the point of view of his younger brother called Lyman (Erdrich 3). Henry re-experiences the trauma and subsequently his symptoms become ambiguous. Consequently, the symptoms of PTSD that Henry returns from war with take a toll on his life and he finally kills himself (Erdrich 7). The aim of this research paper is to find out what the government did to help the Vietnam war veterans suffering from PTSD, and how such measures are different from the ways in which returning veterans, especially from Iraq and Afghanistan are treated today?. Discussion By probing Henry behaviour all through the course of the narrative, it can be recognized that Henry is without a doubt suffering from PTSD. Hence, according to Bisson and Andrew, post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms are divided into three distinctive classifications (2). Firstly, there is the persisting avoidance followed by an amplified arousal, and then the re-experiencing of the trauma (Bisson and Andrew 3). For that reason, most of Vietnam War veterans with PTSD were initially thrown back into the community with no form of help. The shortcomings in treatment of Vietnam veterans with PTSD reflected the downshift of their personal lives, specifically, those represented by Henry and who were impoverished and belonging to minorities groups. Thus, they lacked appropriate mental evaluation care as well as medical help. Therefore, the outcome was certainly death or at utmost an extensive battle with alcohol and substance abuse. Consequently, a congressional authorization made the government to conduct the “National Vietnam Veterans Study”, so as to better comprehend the advancement of PTSD and other related problems among the Vietnam War veterans (Scott 110). Even though, the Department of Veterans Affairs boosted the operations of its mental health system, many of its hospitals did not possess special PTSD programs which are of the essence. Hence, the government allowed former military personnel to return unnoticed into their former lives without some form of mental health monitoring by the Department of Defence or the veterans affairs agency. Furthermore, the former military personnel with PTSD had to wait for long periods, in order to get appointment to be assessed and treated at medical centres run by the veterans’ affairs department (Scott 111). According to Williamson and Mulhall, the repercussion of Vietnam War veterans’ psychological issues, showed the federal government how to take care of its future veterans, in particular the state of their mental health after their wartime incident (6). Moreover, it resulted in the government to rethink the intensity of psychological causalities when it comes to future wars. As a result, medication, counselling as well as the distribution of benefits has became a central theme in the entire process of treating PTSD. In recent years the government has privatized maintenance of most of veterans’ affairs hospitals responsible for treating PTSD, such as the Walter Reed Army Hospital. Nevertheless, the government has not made greater effort in expanding benefits for veterans. This is mainly due to the government facing a massive budget crisis, and as such, the expenditure of treating as well as paying disability reparation to veterans suffering from PTSD is becoming high, as more and more veterans are seeking mental health services (Williamson and Mulhall 7). Although, the government give veterans suffering PTSD compensation comprising benefits and disability compensation, a number of practitioners like Sally Satel question the diagnosis of PTSD (2). For instance, the inspector General report which showed that 25% of PTSD claims by veterans do not possess sufficient proof of stress, and which is categorized as a precondition for post traumatic stress disorder diagnosis (Satel 3). Furthermore, the government is not conducting accurate analysis of the state of PTSD veterans since the “Veterans Health department” is faced with systematic delays, and consequently denies the PTSD veterans medical care through imposing strenuous documentation procedures (Williamson and Mulhall 8). However, in some measures the government is committed in helping the veterans, especially those from Afghanistan and Iraq through provision of free and in some instances subsidized medical treatment. Moreover, the government has entitled them to obtain definite education, training and housing benefits funded by federal government agencies outside the scope of the veterans’ affairs. For instance, they can obtain assistance from auxiliary disability compensation given by “Social Security Administration” especially when their mental state makes them not to be eligible for work (Williamson and Mulhall 6). Furthermore, the government through the veterans’ affairs has lengthened the “benefits delivery at discharge program”, in addition to “quick start program” which is meant to increase number of instances which are presumptive in support of the veterans (Committee on Veterans' Compensation for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder 5). The government has also eased up the post traumatic stress disorder stressors definition, and this has augmented some grouping of benefits as well as outreach offered to be five years rather than two years. Additionally, more medical plus claims personnel have been incorporated in PTSD treatment and the IT upgrade has enhanced claims processing Conclusion Based on the above findings it is highly likely that incidences of PTSD will augment the long-standing PTSD treatment expenditure even beyond the phases of previous war like the Vietnam War. Hence, in the story “The Red Convertible,” by Louise Erdrich, readers get an accurate description of PTSD, and the fact that the government did not take subsequent measures of the Vietnam War veterans initially resulted in Henry suicide. Henry story acts as an instance of the devastation of PTSD when the government does not take action in treating the war veterans’ mental illnesses. Even though, currently the government is facilitating the treatment of veterans with PTSD than during the immediate return of Vietnam War veterans, there are still some bureaucratic challenges standing in the way of helping them, such as strenuous documentation. However, unlike the way the government treated PTSD from Vietnam War, the current group of PTSD veterans are provided with mental and non-mental health care services like primary care, counseling and diagnostic tests. This is mostly attributed to enhanced outreach programs and capacity within the veterans’ affairs facilities. Additionally, the greater access of information especially from the internet and via numerous veteran affairs organizations has made it possible for government to assist the veterans presently. Works Cited Bisson, J and M Andrew. "Psychological treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)." Cochrane Database Syst Rev 18.2 (2005). Committee on Veterans' Compensation for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD compensation and military service. National Academies Press, 2007. Erdrich, Louise. The Red Convertible: Selected and New Stories, 1978-2008. Harper Perennial, 2010. Satel, Sally. "Stressed Out Vets:Believing the worst about post-traumatic stress disorder." 2006. Scott, Wilbur J. Vietnam veterans since the war:the politics of PTSD, agent orange, and the national memorial. University of Oklahoma Press, 2004. Williamson, Vanessa and Erin Mulhall. Invisible Wounds Psychological and Neurological Injuries Confront a New Generation of Veterans. 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