A Letter to General Barry McCaffrey: Concerning Your Troubling Remark About PTSD

5/10/2012

Dear Gen. McCaffrey,

First, sir, let me preface my remarks by telling you I have the utmost respect for you and your continued service to our country. You are a no nonsense leader. You aren't afraid to speak your mind, no matter how difficult the position you take. Your advocacy efforts on the part of service members and veterans everywhere are laudable. That being said, I do have a major point of contention that I need to address: The recent view you expressed on PTSD.

During the 'After the Uniform' Panel Discussion on May 8 at the National Press Club, you asserted that, in most cases, PTSD can be cured within a year. By stating this, I feel you demonstrate a disturbing lack of understanding of the issues facing veterans and service members who suffer from PTSD. In the public arena, you are perceived as a material expert on military and veterans' issues. What you say informs many people's opinions on pivotal issues like PTSD. I am concerned that the view you recently expressed on PTSD is dangerously outdated and uninformed. These kinds of comments could have the potential to do a lot of damage to PTSD advocacy in the military and in the country at large, which is why I am reaching out to see if you would be willing to clarify your stance on this issue.

I do not intend to sound alarmist, but I felt the need to impress upon you the importance of this issue. As a combat veteran with PTSD, blogger, and PTSD advocate, I hear every day about the struggles facing our veterans, many of whom still suffer in silence. I hear the discouragement and the disillusionment in the establishment. The negative stigma and public misgivings about PTSD keep many men and women from pursuing treatment for a serious and potentially life-threatening disorder.

My first impression of you at the panel indicated that you are a man who values directness and productive discourse. It is a sign of a strong leader to surround himself with people who will challenge his opinions and positions on issues. I hope you understand that I am taking the time to write this letter because I am confident you are the type of man who will recognize this criticism as an opportunity to learn and grow. I invite you to contact me directly so that we can candidly discuss this issue and work together to better advocate for those who suffer in silence, before they become a statistic.

Respectfully,

Max Harris

*NOTE: This is the body of the letter that was sent directly to General McCaffrey via email. The full document can be found below.*

mccaffrey_ptsd_clarification_letter.docx
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2 Comments

Rod Deaton link

5/10/2012 06:56:56 am

Max,

What an excellent letter: deeply respectful of General McCaffrey and his service, yet quite willing to speak candidly about a topic that is so important to both of you.

For the most part, the current psychological treatments that are approved for treatment of combat PTSD (including EMDR) are quite helpful for the emotional dysregulation that arises out of combat trauma. Through these well-researched techniques, therapists can help combat veterans learn to manage their emotional storms much more effectively. To a certain extent--and for some combat veterans--medications, when judiciously used, can also help create a more even emotional life.

As you and many of your fellow combat veterans know, however, emotional regulation is only part of the issue--an important one, yes, but only a part. Combat trauma/PTSD is not just about emotional dysregulation and nightmare/flashback control; it is also about a complete emotional/spiritual/existential/moral "body blow" that dramatically--and every day, every hour--affects the combat veteran's sense of who he or she is and what, if any, place he or she should have in the world. I fully agree with Dr. Edward Tick, who in his excellent book "War and the Soul" argued that after combat we should not call it posttraumatic stress disorder, but rather posttraumatic identity disorder.

Long after the combat veterans whom I work with have learned solid emotional regulatory techniques, many continue to struggle with the most basic questions of life: who was that who fought over there? Where is the "me" that used to be "me" before deployment? Am I so changed, I am no longer the same? After all that I've seen, all that I've done, will there ever be a place in the world for me? Do I even deserve to be loved?

As you and your fellow combat veterans well know, these are not just idle philosophical questions. Quite the contrary: each of you feels each of these questions right smack down to your guts and bones.

Don't let any of us forget that, Max. Keep up the good work.

As always, best,

Rod
www.ptsdandcombat.com

Max Harris link

5/10/2012 09:15:51 am

Thanks for the comment, Rod. I tried to make sure that it was tactful but blunt. I wanted to make sure it caught people's attention - that people would talk about it. I think I succeeded.

Living with PTSD:
Every Day is a New Day