Schofield Soldier’s Family Questions Military PTSD Treatment

KITV.com

Schofield Soldier’s Family Questions Military PTSD Treatment

Tripler Officials Defend Patient Policy

Brent Suyama, Managing Editor TheHawaiiChannel.com

POSTED: 8:39 pm HST July 11, 2008

TRIPLER ARMY MEDICAL CENTER, Hawaii — An Alabama woman says her son, a Schofield Barracks soldier, is slipping through the cracks after a stand-off with Honolulu police last month.

The Army responded on Friday by saying it requires soldiers to undergo Post Traumatic Stress Disorder screenings throughout the deployment cycle. After the mandatory screenings it falls on the soldier and the community to reach out to the Army for help.

Last month, Sgt. Jesse Kerry barricaded himself in his Royal Kunia townhouse. After an 18-hour standoff with Honolulu police, the 23-year-old surrendered.

During the ordeal Kerry’s mother, Stephanie, was home in Alabama.

“Anybody with PTSD is tormented. It is something they can’t get out, they can’t drink it out, they can’t drug it out, and they feel ultimately, many of them, the only way get rid of this pain and this torment is to kill themselves,” Stephanie Kerry said.

Jesse Kerry was admitted to Triple Army Medical Center, where he underwent treatment.

Stephanie Kerry is questioning the Army after she was informed her son would be discharged this week.

“You’re going to release this soldier after a 16-hour standoff brought him to your hospital and you are going to release him 10 days later after studying his personality traits,” Stephanie Kerry said.

The Army can not comment on Sgt. Kerry’s case.

“A rather large treatment team will assess the patient and the patient is an active member of developing their treatment plan,” Col. CJ Diebold said about PTSD patients in general.

The Army defended its procedures for admitting and releasing patients.

“The purpose of inpatient treatment is to stabilize, is to assess and stabilize. The work of therapy and treatment goes on in an outpatient basis,” Diebold said.

Dr. Kenneth Hirsch of Veterans Affairs at Tripler said it is the individual’s choice to maintain outpatient treatment. The major obstacle the military faces in treating patients with PTSD is the stigma surrounding mental illness.

“We have to reduce stigma. We have to make it easy not only for people to access the care, but easy to make the decision that I will get care,” Hirsch said.

Symptoms of PTSD include problems with eating, concentrating and becoming easily irritable.

The Army hopes is to help soldiers understand the disorder so they can get the proper care they deserve.

Source: http://www.kitv.com/print/16860884/detail.html

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