Videos
About this project
This series uses the experiences of several troops suffering from PTSD to delve into the biology of the disorder; substance abuse among victims; the stress that the disorder places on spouses and children; treatment options and availability; the specter of suicide among PTSD sufferers; what current research may mean for the future, and many other issues.
This project was funded in part by The Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism.
Staff contributors:
Reporting by Kelly Kennedy
Videos by Rob Curtis
Other resources:
VA National Center for PTSD Home
PTSD information from the National Institutes of Health
Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health & Traumatic Brain Injury
More PTSD News
A chance to heal
Pfc. David Anderson, 25, deployed to Taji, Iraq, in 2007, serving as a gunner in an infantry unit even though he’d been trained in communications.
Chapter two: 'How did I miss the signs?'
This service member had a suicide wish. By the time most people caught on, it was almost too late. Continued from chapter one, Sgt. Loyd Sawyer struggles to get the care he needs. Read more »
Chapter one: A former sergeant’s personal hell
Sgt. Loyd Sawyer joined the Army to bring honor to death. For years, he had worked as a funeral home director, and his children learned that death was part of the normal cycle of life. Read more »
PTSD: An Army colonel’s quest for answers
Army Col. Rich O’Connor does not mince words when he talks about the amount of mental health training he had before he took a squadron in the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment to war in Iraq’s Diyalah province in 2006. Read more »
Dream therapy a coping tool for combat stress
For 1½ years, Cmdr. Beverly Dexter’s husband gently shook her awake when she screamed in her sleep. But one night, even as she begged him to wake her up in an unusual case of sleep-talking, he let her continue her nightmare. Read more »
No combat necessary
The Department of Veterans Affairs is moving closer to simplifying the process for many veterans to link post-traumatic stress disorder to their military service, whether in a war zone or not, which opens the door for disability benefits. Read more »
