From Heroes to Monsters???!!!!!

In the past few months PTSD has been getting a lot of attention in the media. Between talk shows (Dr Phil) and the situation with Sgt. Bales, PTSD seems to be something that everybody is talking about. As a wife of a disabled Veteran who suffers from PTSD I am always excited at the idea that the public at large is being educated on such an important topic. I have to say though that I have been less than thrilled with how the media has portrayed those who suffer from PTSD.

In a recent episode of Dr Phil the topic of PTSD was tackled, but it lacked any real substance other than to portray our Veterans as abusive, out of control, drug abusing monsters. How can you sit there and call anyone with a disease a monster? I have watched many shows where Dr Phil has been trying to help addicts and never once have I heard him call those people monsters! Fact is that neither an addict or a Veteran suffering from PTSD is a monster. These suffering individuals need our LOVE and SUPPORT not the media’s misrepresentation of their disease!

After reading many articles concerning the current situation with Sgt. Bales I am truly scared for his family. The more I dig into the articles, the more I am left with this nagging concern that something is not right about what Sgt. Bales is being accused of doing. My biggest concern was did Sgt. Bales already have PTSD before he went on this last deployment? And if he did, why on earth did the US Army still send him?! As a wife who struggles constantly to make sure her Veteran husband is being treated correctly by the military, I worry about Sgt. Bale’s wife and how she is dealing with this situation. Does she have support? Are those people who are supporting her doing it without already convicting her husband in there opinion?  

No matter your circumstance, it is important for us all to stick together especially in a time of crisis. Dr. Phil owes the military community and all those suffering from PTSD a HUGE apology! I cannot even begin to understand who in there right mind would title a story “From Heroes to Monsters?”, nothing about this show made any sense to me. Why would you bring a veteran suffering from PTSD whose long time girlfriend flat out says she knows very little about PTSD?! Does this seem like a good couple to pick to help demonstrate how it is to live with PTSD?

I am completely lost at how the media has chosen to portray those suffering from PTSD as horrible, abusive, alcoholic, drug abusing violent people. PTSD does not make a person, but it can be part of a person. The same goes for anyone suffering from a mental health disease. Dr. Phil and all other media you should be totally disgusted with yourselves! The military community and all others suffering from PTSD deserve to be treated fairly and not condemned for their ailments. Ailments that I might add NONE of them asked for!

War is ugly. Horrible things happen. Spirits are broken. Hearts are forever scarred. But at the end of the day PTSD does not make a person who they are, it is just a part of them. To all that I love who suffer from PTSD, know that no matter what you struggle with, I will ALWAYS LOVE YOU and ALWAYS SUPPORT YOU!! To those who struggle with PTSD who I do not know, please try not to listen to the media and know that there are people out there that truly care about you!