Inside the Team Room Episode 9: Combat Stress

Interesting enough as Buttercup3 mentioned, the guy that originally coined PTSD was named Dr. Wlliam Reeves and he became head of the CDC. Bill Reeves ignored an Army Colonel (and a Medics) plea for help for their platoon down ion Nicuaragua. Reeves had his own agenda and instead of following the medics "advice" that a virus and bacterial infections were at play, he said the soldiers had Psychological stress. Reeves made MANY trips to Nicuaragua and became Noriegas Personal Physician. He enjoyed dressing in black, wearing a black beret and strutting around in Black aviator type glasses, smoking cigars with Noriega. Reeves passed suddenly and unexpectedly of a heart attack within the past 4 days, just as a story was about to break regarding PTSD and Reeves involvement in the oppression of this disease, which may has now been proven to be liked to biological pathogens as well as combat stress. The pathogens trigger a reaction with cortisol and testosterone.

On a more interesting note, many TBI's and PTSD involving Brain Dysfunction can be easily detected by 3T magnet MRO machines. This technology has been out for 30 years. Doctors in Incline Village pointed out descrepancies in Blood-Oxygen flow in these patients to the CDC and other agencies (NIH,DoD, etc) in the early 1980's. The high resolution scanners were not made available to help diagnose these patients because the machines were being used for national security purposes. (See Jack Murphys article on the new MRI machines used for lie detector tests).

Now, PTSD has a fighting chance at better treatment options. The machines are going to be available, Reeves story is coming out and new studies on PTSD are in the works. This illness has stayed in the dark ages far too long. I am horrified at what our active duty and veterans have endured. I believe treatment is very close. I am sorry Army Wife. God Bless You.

my husband suffers from ptsd and for a long time they kept telling him he was fine and after he gave up trying to get help i had to keep him going and finally they realized that he has a problem these military doc that set behind a desk and spend 5 10 min with a service member and want to say yes or no to if they have a problem well they need to tlak to the family to we are the ones who sleep eat and breath with them we are the ones that know them

Combat Stress is totally different than PTSD.

PTSD can actually be traced to one guy that went down to an Army Platoon In Niguragua where Noriega was. The "Dude" in charge knew something was wrong with the soldiers as the entire platoon was showing symptoms consistent with neurological and brain abnormalities. Under a microscope, am Army Colonel pointed out "to the dude" that hepatic popping was occurring in the red blood cells. For reasons we may never uncover, That "Dude" coined the mass illness as PTSD. That "dude" (an american worker with the CDC)  also became Noriegas personal  physician.

PTSD is a mixture of combat stress, A reactivated brain virus attacking the brain and CNS and a TBI or MTBI; which can be seen best on 3T Magnet MRI's. These patients need A) specialized MRI's B) Infectious disease tets and antimicrobial treatments if necessary (They have viruses and pathogens affecting the brain and C)Nuropsychology to help heal their injured brains.

So far, NOT ONE GWI/PTSD center is doing these 3 steps.

This discussion is so very important.  I live near JBLM and so the incidents they talked about are very 'local' for me as they were about our neighbors in a sense.  Local media handled it very differently than did national media.  The big invisible elephant in the room, however, is the suicide rate of those who survived combat but did not survive the coming home.  And although there is lots of talk at the top, the solution must start at the bottom with soldiers watching out for each other in peace as well as war - and that can't happen until there is a major attitude adjustment at the very top that the invisible wounds and scars merit the same respect and care as the visible ones.  I'm not smart enough to figure out what to do or how to do it, but I'm smart enough to know that something must be done. 

Best.Episode.Yet. Good frank discussion guys.

Neuropsychology thankfully has come very far in a short time. Over the last 10 years the sample size has provided them with a trove of info. It has never truly been studied en masse with modern techniques until the last few years. Now all of the Top 10 Neurological Hospitals and Institutes have studies on TBI's and Neuropsychology, the VA as usual lags way behind. PROPELLER Technology and new MRI,MRA and transcranial Doppler ultrasonography tech will open new paths for treatment that even a few years ago was impossible.

PEO just reported on the new Gen 2 Helmet sensor which will give better insights into causitive effects of TBIs caused by concussive events which is a great tool to give your brain Docs.

Volunteer at a VA Outreach group. When the talking stick is passed around you will hear some absolutely tragic stuff, humans are programmed to see a room redecorated with grey matter only so many times before its a mind fuck and Chris thankfully hints at that.

Somewhere I read a study that REMFs suffer PTSD at a greater rate. Not sure how the study was done but I think Jack mentioned it awhile back.

BW props to you guys for bringing it to the forefront. You guys carry way more thunder then some VA hack reading a prepared statement. And Props to you because you were one of the few who pointed out right away that we broke SSgt. Wuterich and didnt fix him.

A-Dub

Another good episode, guys! I really appreciate your making the point of distinguishing Combat Stress from PTSD. I think it's important to note that the mainstream media seems to have forgotten that PTSD is not exclusive to those who serve... but the general public hears it with such regularity now that it's becoming something people automatically associates with the military. Anyone who suffers a traumatic event (or series of events) can develop long lasting effects from their experience. It's a real condition that requires treatment in order to manage the symptoms, and the DoD would do well to take an active interest in better understanding it... telling people to "man up" is a disservice to all. 

Keep up the good work!

"Burning of the Koran" wasn't Combat Stress. Muslim prisoners were using the books to write messages to each other and plot. Allowing the Koran in the jails was a "compassionate gesture" made by the higher ups, that our enemies exploited. Orders were given to burn these documents (in my opinion which weren't even Koran's since its purpose was a smoke screen) which should have never even been given to them to use. The Muslim community obvious became outraged like they always do, and America gets bashed. Like may other things that get reported about our troops, this was not because of them being stressed or psychologically exhausted. In fact they were doing the right thing, and get labeled as the bad guys.

The pressure in any combat force to bury feeling, injuries and stress is overwhelming.Chris put into simple terms "man up" . I personally remember hiding injuries to the point of self destruction just so I would not be considered weak. this ideology needs to change although I do not know if it ever will. I only hope that we can recognize these symptoms sooner so that more good soldiers will not be lost and have their lives ruined. Thanks for the insight Chris.

wow, these episodes are eye openers. the media portrays SOF folks as super human guys that dont have hearts. the reality is that just like all combat vets and any other human being, SOF guys do suffer from PTSD and combat stress. it takes alot for a man to admit he has problems and it must take even more for a Navy SEAL thats percieved as "being a tough guy" to admit to having problems. I hope to the world watches this and learns about how much all combats vets have to go through in order to protect this nation.... great job Brandon. keep those episodes coming!

I like how Chris K. separates combat stress from PTSD.  They're 2 totally different monsters.  In fact they run at right angles to each other.  Combat stress is just stress, it's "holy shit things went sideways and I'm 1 minute from dying."  PTSD is a very very different monster. 

I'm not a psych guy so I can't really comment on the PTSD bit.  I've lost friends, none of them in front of me bleeding out like a lot of you guys have.  I always got word after the fact so I don't have first hand experience.

I HAVE been shot at.  It's a wee bit stressful but it doesn't take more than 1 minute to get over, provided you don't get shot.  it just pisses you off.

I'll defer to the more shot-at guys at this point...

I think @jeffreycarr is right, write up an outline get Marcus, Chris O, Chris K, Ranger Murphy, Don Shipley, John Stryker Meyer and any others you care to mention, like Recon6, to sit down and talk about this subject from the outlook of a new veteran to an old war horse.  All of us who have serve know the drill, suck it up!  But a guy can only take so much.  Great episode 

Fantastic, Brandon.  You guys could have done an hour on this.

In Chris' comments, I'm reminded of Eddie Adams (the late photographer who took the famous "Saigon execution photograph, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1969.  

Here, in part, is his obit from the New York Times:

"Torn up by regret, Adams penned a moving eulogy in Time magazine. It was part remembrance, part mea culpa for his 1968 picture. "Still photographs are the most powerful weapon in the world," he wrote. "People believe them, but photographs do lie, even without manipulation. They are only half-truths. What the photograph didn't say was, 'What would you do if you were the general at that time and place on that hot day, and you caught the so-called bad guy after he blew away one, two or three American soldiers?' General Loan was what you would call a real warrior, admired by his troops. I'm not saying what he did was right, but you have to put yourself in his position."

Adams also sent the Loan family flowers and a card. "I'm sorry," he wrote. "There are tears in my eyes."

Photographs, video, and the like capture a moment in time.  What they fail to capture and never will, is context.

This needs to be discussed more.Man to see the looks on Mr kyle and Mr Osman makes you understand the seriousness of this subject.I a big city Paramedic and  thought I have seen some stuff.. But I would say the face of WAR makes big city paramedic stuff seem  insignificant.In my opinion the media never gave the Military a fair shake. Whether  it was prisoners wearing underwear or waterboarding it seemed way more negative. Heck now NAVY SEALS are the media favorite toy,wasn't so when a few SEALS got charged with slapping a prisoner. The media coverage made me sick. Because in my mind it was AMERICA newest Greatest Generation fighting and dying for us.And the media owed you guys and girls more

I was mentioning the Army soldier that snapped and killed those Afghans outside of Kandahar. Everyone was keen to hang this guy out when he clearly needed psychological help...

This episode was terrific but way too short. And cutting it at the most provocative point; i.e., the military frowning on PTSD sufferers, was just mean-spirited. :-)

If I'm not mistaken, Chris Kyle has seen a huge amount of combat and his insight into combat stress and PTSD along with additional insights by Brandon and Chris should really be the focus of a stand-along full-length video that can be sold to the general public. This is such an important topic. Kudos to SOFREP for this outstanding series.