Veterans' mental health issues are back in the headlines following the recent shooting at Fort Hood — the second fatal incident at the base in five years.On April 2, 34-year-old Ivan Lopez opened fire at the base, killing three and injuring 16 before turning the gun on himself. On November 5, 2009, U.S. Army major and psychiatrist Nidal Hasan fatally shot 13 people and injured more than 30 others at the base.
Last week, the White House declined a request from a survivor of the 2009 massacre there to meet with President Obama so the veteran could explain face-to-face how he believes the government has disrespected the victims of that attack.
Staff Sgt. Alonzo Lunsford was shot seven times in the 2009 shooting. Despite Nidal Hasan’s admission that he carried out the attack on behalf of the Taliban, the Department of Defense has refused to classify the shooting as “terrorism,” which survivors claim in legal proceedings against the government has meant they’ve been denied combat-related benefits afforded to victims of other terrorist attacks.
Thousands of veterans on the First Coast struggle with benefits claims, PTSD, and finding work once they return home.
Tina Jaeckle, Ph.D., associate professor, of sociology and criminology in the Department of Social Sciences at Flagler College and Shari Duval, president of K9s for Warriors, a local initiative that matches shelter dogs with veterans suffering from post traumatic stress, joined Melissa Ross to discuss these issues.
Jaeckle said one of the challenges that mental health professionals face in treating post-traumatic stress in veterans is getting the public to understand the nuances of the condition.
"We have to be very careful not to automatically assume that everyone diagnosed or in the process of being diagnosed with PTSD is necessarily homicidal," she said, citing reports that Ivan Lopez was undergoing screening for PTSD, and that he also had a history of mental illness.
It's more likely, Jaeckle said, that veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress will become isolating or suicidal.
"We have to move away from the idea of fear towards individuals with PTSD," she said.
One treatment approach being tried by groups like K9s for Warriors is to pair veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress with service dogs. Shari Duval said that since the organization began about three years ago they have matched 115 service dogs with local veterans at a 95 percent success rate.
Jaeckle said that in 25 years working in the field, this approach is among the most powerful and effective she has seen.
"We have seen soldiers come in, and three weeks later they are coming back off meds... and coming back and living relatively normal lives," Jaeckle said. "The symptoms of PTSD definitely reduce with the interaction with the dog."
You can follow Melissa Ross on Twitter @MelissainJax.
