Ten-plus years of war in the Middle East and Central Asia have resulted in high numbers of veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, most commonly referred to by its innocuous-sounding acronym, PTSD. Veterans’ organizations and Congress have helped direct efforts toward treating this war injury. It deserves all the investment it receives, and more.
Animal therapy, in particular canine therapy, used in treatment of PTSD shows great potential. In 2005, Dr. Joan Esnayra surveyed psychiatric-service dog handlers—patients using service dogs—and found that “82% of the respondents with PTSD reported a decline in symptom manifestation.” The therapy also has been successful in treating depression, a disorder associated with PTSD. Of those patients living with depression and using animal therapy, “54 percent [have found] it ‘extremely’ or ‘quite a bit’ helpful,” according to a 2009 report from the National Alliance on Mental Illness titled Depression: Gaps and Guideposts, discussed by Dr. Rick Nauert on psychcentral.com (“Canine Therapy for Military PTSD,” 9 July 2010).
These studies reflect promising results for treating combat veterans with PTSD, but treatment only helps the victims and their families after the injury occurs. Preventing PTSD—and thereby eliminating the symptoms that plague its victims and lessening the stress on treatment facilities and providers—must also be a focus.
Veterans’ Affairs treatment facilities have suffered from well-documented shortages of PTSD care-providers, and the number of patients may increase as the stigma of the disorder diminishes. Veterans from other wars may, and hopefully have, sought treatment for the wounds they continue to battle. The words of former Army medic Bernard Friedenberg remind us of how long some veterans battle PTSD. Even 68 years after the D-Day invasion, just like the scars on his body, the scars on his mind “will never heal” (“D-Day Medic Haunted by ‘The Boy on the Beach,’” Joshua Rhett Miller, foxnews.com, 6 June 2012).
Treatment is great, but can we reduce the occurrence of PTSD?
The photo on the cover of the June 2011 issue of Military Officer magazine suggests to me that canine therapy, even without dogs specifically trained for the role, may take place during combat and before PTSD sets in. The photograph shows Lance Corporal Brandon Tucker, a Marine Corps canine handler, sitting with his back against a building, his eyes closed, displaying a contented smile elicited by his working dog, Augie, licking his face.
Could a dog trained to sniff out improvised explosive devices and save Marines’ lives in fact reduce the likelihood that its handler returns home with PTSD?
Military working dogs (MWDs) themselves suffer from PTSD according to specialists who train them. As reported in a 2 December 2011 KTLA News article, about five percent of MWDs returning from combat zones suffer PTSD-like symptoms. What about their handlers? Do the companionship and bond between handler and dog reduce the occurrence of PTSD among these troops? Do those who suffer from PTSD have better treatment results and recovery?
Since many animal therapies rely on animals without specific training, another group worthy of study is troops who “adopt” dogs while deployed. Some forge such a bond that they have sought and won approval to return these pets to the United States. Similarly, what about troops who return home to a beloved pet or acquire a new one? Considering the success of dog therapy for sufferers of PTSD and depression, these questions are worthy of study in an effort to see if these enduring injuries can be prevented.
Treating veterans’ injuries and related symptoms for as long as they last is this nation’s responsibility. So too is preventing them. We invest much time, research, and money in the development of technology to make our troops safer and prevent physical injury and death. We should do the same with PTSD by identifying factors that reduce its occurrence or speed its treatment.
Treating PTSD is expensive and a strain on limited resources, and too many lives are lost or destroyed by it. Troops should no longer feel the need to suffer in silence, yet far too many cases continue to go unreported and untreated. As with any other war injury, we owe those who serve our best efforts toward its prevention.