During memorial day meeting with veterans Barack Obama was making an important point that there was a time in history when traumatic disorders related to post traumatic-stress disorders (PTSD) were not well recognized. For a change, it's about time to seriously address the condition of PTSD-- as Barack Obama is advocating-- rather than engage in political distraction as national republican party has chosen to do.
Briefly, PTSD is an anxiety disorder also known as an emotional illness due to life threatening experience such as military combat, sexual abuse, violent assault, rape, car or plane crash, kidnapping. The condition causes adverse psychological as well as biochemical changes such as change in cortisol (low secretion) and in catecholamine (high secretion) in urine, and morphological changes such as reduction in hippocampus. The hippocampus part of limbic system in the medial temporal lobe plays significant role in ailments such as Alzheimer's disease. The role of hippocampus in memory is well documented. Any condition including PTSD causing adverse psychological, biochemical changes, and reduction in hippocampus needs serious short term as well as long term medical and psychological remedies.
If it is true that Barack Obama's great uncle served in military and that he was involved in liberating concentration camp and that he had manifested post combat symptoms described by Obama, then Obama had every reason to be proud of his uncle's role in liberating concentration camp and equally concerned about his post combat condition to share with veterans to address the issue of PTSD among veterans.
PTSD is not a laughing matter, or a game for political diversion as national republican party (NRP) has chosen to do. Republican party needs to focus on addressing issues related to traumatic-stress disorders and other medical conditions including traumatic brain injury(TBI), and for a change truly support troops in times of their psychological and medical needs.
A time to ponder.......................
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