Master Sergeant: Research and Do Not Give Up on Getting Help for Invisible Wounds

Master Sergeant Aaron Tippett’s wife, a soldier herself, told her husband he needed help as he ex exhibiting the classic symptoms of PTSD – agitation, sleep issues, anger, outbursts, headaches.

He tried in 2005 but didn’t get the help he needed.

In 2008, after another deployment with cumulative effects, he did get the help he needed. Now he is taking part in the Real Warriors’ campaign of encouraging service members to get help for “invisible wounds.”

In a DoD’s Bloggers Roundtable discussion, when I asked about advice the master sergeant would give others, he said:

“Research and do not give up. I gave up [the first time]. But why give up when you don’t give up in other things? It is only going to get worse.”

The master sergeant also said, “Getting help is stronger than not getting help. It is a much stronger thing to do to reach out.”

And he added that there are service members and veterans who know him and have heard that he got help who have now gotten help themselves.

Also taking part in the roundtable was Nancy St. Claire, Chief Operating Officer of Real Warriors’ campaign partner Give an Hour, an organization founded by Barbara Van Dahlen, Ph.D.

Thanks to Give an Hour, psych professionals donate their time to service members and their loved ones in total anonymity with no records kept. At this point there are 7,000 clinicians donating their time, and a conservative estimate is of 110,000 hours of free counseling service already provided.

At www.giveanhour.org you can search for providers near you, and if you cannot find one, email info@giveanhour.org for help.

For the stories of other service members who have gotten help for invisible wounds, go to www.realwarriors.net

And if you are exhibiting signs of PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury, do get help. As Master Sergeant Tippett said, he is telling his story to help break the stigma about getting help.

P.S. For more info about PTSD see my site www.SolomonsJustice.com

Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semifinalist MRS. LIEUTENANT and the co-author of the Navy thriller LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Read her book-related posts at www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com

One Aftermath of 9/11: Need to Recognize PTSD in Deployed Troops and Others

On this day, the 10th anniversary of the horrendous attack on the U.S., it is important to also honor and commemorate the men and women of our military who have sacrificed their lives or their limbs or their minds to help protect us from terrorist attacks.

And it is because of incredible coordinated efforts between the U.S. intelligence community and the military community that, only a few months before this 10-year anniversary, the “architect” of this horror was killed in his compound in Pakistan.

But this victory – and the numerous foiled terrorist plots to date – come at a high price. And sometimes this price is not recognized until it is too late – until the person whose PTSD has been undiagnosed kills himself or herself.

PTSD can result from any personal trauma, not just military service.

People who suffered from the loss of someone in 9/11 or from watching on TV as the towers collapsed or from doing rescue work as first responders or for months afterwards may have undiagnosed PTSD.

AND THIS 10TH ANNIVERSARY WITH ALL THE TV SPECIALS AND THE ARTICLES COULD SEND PTSD SUFFERERS OVER THE EDGE.

Please be on the lookout for people displaying symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Learn about these symptoms now.

This past Tuesday I was privileged to be on a Department of Defense Bloggers Roundtable that featured Major Jeff Hall and his wife Sheri.

Hall repeatedly refused to get help upon the return from his second deployment even though something was terribly wrong. But when he seriously contemplated suicide, Sheri Hall took matters into her own hands and saved her husband’s life by going to his commanding officer.

Now husband and wife are part of the Real Warriors Campaign for active duty military personnel and veterans to get help before it is too late.

The Real Warriors Campaign was launched by the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE). Check out this source for help now at www.realwarriors.net/

And listen to the interview with the Halls or read the transcript for the 30-minute bloggers roundtable. Learning this information may save the life of someone you love.

Book recommendation:

I highly recommend Theodore Knell’s compelling memoir of his 22 years as a British Special Forces soldier. With narrative and poetry he expresses what this sacrifice does to a person’s soul. If you do not understand why PTSD can drive people to commit suicide, this book may help you. (You can read an excerpt now.)
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Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of the novel MRS. LIEUTENANT and the eBook novel LT. COMMANDER MOLLIE SANDERS. Phyllis is the co-founder of the marketing consulting company Miller Mosaic LLC, which works with clients to attract more business. Read her posts at the company's social media marketing blog.