{My dad’s USAF retirement ceremony}
Though I enjoyed looking at all of the thoughtful, commemorative posts to acknowledge Veterans Day (I also posted a happy photo on instagram of me and my dad, who served in the Air Force), I felt a sense of suppressed, sad emotions as well. It was hard to pinpoint because I believe a part of me did not want to acknowledge the fact that behind several of the smiling faces could be a lot of pain, especially with the harsh statistic that 22 veterans commit suicide every day.
One of the most difficult patient cases I ever participated in was as a medical student doing psychiatric consultations on the medical floor. I was paged to see a man in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), who was on a ventilator for over a week after he survived a suicide attempt jumping off of a highway bridge. He would likely never recover from the damage of his injuries and would stay in a hospital on a ventilator for the remainder of his life. I reviewed his history: he served in the Army, fought in the Vietnam War, was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and alcohol addiction, and never had psychiatric issues until he returned home from Vietnam. And there he lay in the ICU — he could not talk, move, nor write. He was essentially a vegetable. Family never came — I don’t think he had any. Yet, I sat there next to him and dedicated at least 10 minutes per day, whether he knew I was there or not, because I felt he deserved to be acknowledged and cared for, at the very least for his service and sacrifice for his country.
Reflecting on that moment, I realize how much our system needs to prioritize support services for the men and women who protect our country. I currently see patients who have served in the military and are diagnosed with PTSD, but I can’t help but think of the majority of veterans who are limited in resources or ashamed to seek help due to the stigma attached to such diagnoses. I hope that some day soon all of our veterans will be able to receive the psychological services they rightfully deserve and need.
Image credit: www.army.mil