Post traumatic stress disorder, Tiffani's dad, and John McCain

By GottaLaff

As some of you may know from older posts, one of my dearest students, Tiffani, now 15, has had a very tough year (I'd link you, but our archives aren't available). Her father, 33, was sent to Iraq. His job? He drove the vehicles that escorted other vehicles to and from Baghdad.

I spent the past year comforting Tiffani as best I could, knowing full well he had been assigned one of this fraudulent, bloody occupation's deadliest missions. She knew that, too. There were so many days that I'd see her dissolve into tears, terrified that she would never see her dad again. She'd hover over her cell phone waiting for a pre-arranged call, and when it didn't come, she'd worry herself sick until she got word that he was still alive. Recently, his Humvee got hit by a roadside bomb, but he made it out alive. His friend didn't.

Tiffani coped by writing a heart-wrenching monologue about her fears, and about her bitterness over his missing that very piece when she performed it brilliantly in a show we did back in November. She coped by sharing her feelings and accepting support.

Finally, finally... her dad came home, and in one piece. He arrived last Friday, and made it to our next show, on closing night this past Saturday. Tiffani was literally overcome with joy and relief... until today.

This afternoon she told me that her dad has PTSD. Last night someone in their neighborhood set off fireworks. Tiffani's father fell to the floor, covering his head, and shook. And shook. He's also started drinking heavily.

He's not alone:

Newly diagnosed cases of post-traumatic stress disorder among U.S. troops sent to Iraq and Afghanistan surged 46.4 percent in 2007, bringing the five-year total to nearly 40,000, according to U.S. military data released on Tuesday.

The statistics, released by the Army, showed the number of new PTSD cases formally diagnosed at U.S. military facilities climbed to 13,981 last year from 9,549 in 2006.

The numbers rose as President George W. Bush poured extra forces into Iraq to try to quell sectarian violence and extended Army tours from 12 to 15 months.

I found myself gently warning Tiffani to expect a long, difficult struggle as he tries to deal with this.

Symptoms range from irritability and outbursts of anger to sleep difficulties, trouble concentrating, extreme vigilance and an exaggerated startle response. People with the condition can persistently relive the traumatic events that initially induced horror or helplessness.

The Pentagon has come under mounting political pressure in recent years to enhance treatment for PTSD amid criticism that initial programs were inadequate.

Tiffani was excused from school early today to go to a meeting at a veterans' group with her father to start the painful process of teaching the family to cope, and to hopefully convince her dad to begin treatment. She told me just before she left for that meeting that he refuses to speak to anyone.

Army officials on Tuesday emphasized that the data do not reflect the actual number of troops and war veterans who suffer from PTSD, many of whom do not seek treatment or have been diagnosed at civilian facilities where records are confidential.

A recent study by the RAND Corp. estimated about 300,000 troops, or 18.5 percent, of the more than 1.5 million troops sent to Iraq and Afghanistan exhibit symptoms of either PTSD or depression.

All I can do is give Tiffani hugs and words of encouragement. All she can do is hope her dad returns to someone who resembles his old self... and offer him every bit of love and encouragement a terrified 15-year-old can.

Thank you, George W. Bush. Anyone who feels anything for Tiffani should remember that John Sidney McCain promises her, and the rest of us, more of the same.

Note: I just added John McCain's name to the title. He should be linked to this story in a more obvious way.