Thousands of service members every year are diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – a diagnosis that labels one as having either experienced or witnessed some sort of traumatic event. Often with PTSD comes a number of physical and psychological symptoms along with a social stigma that the individual has a mental illness – or in other terms, is broken.
Nobody wants to be characterized as “being broken” and nobody wants to hire someone who is labeled as such. As a result, many service members are hesitant to even seek help.
When help is sought, the “cure” is often an ever-expanding list of prescription drugs. The Department of Veterans Affairs’ national formulary, a catalog of drugs and supplies prescribed by VA doctors, contains more than 1,500 items, ranging from band aids to all sorts of prescription drugs – mainly opiates.
The “cure” is often doctors relying on trial and error to figure out what works for an individual patient. Meanwhile, the veteran can experience a number of symptoms and reactions from the drug cocktail.
As a result, many veterans are beginning to seek treatment that doesn’t involve being prescribed medication.
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