MMT 2009 Volume: 13 Issue: 8 (December)
In what is now approaching a decade since the United States first went to war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the military medical community has found itself hard pressed to handle those with injuries to the most important piece of the human body, the brain.
Wars always create mental strain on those who fight them, as well as their families and their communities. But the demand on mental health experts as a result of the current conflicts has been unprecedented, in part because civilian and military commanders better appreciate now the importance of both physical and mental health for individuals and the fighting force overall.
Virtually every military medical conference these days includes at least one presentation or panel discussion on traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. The causes of these two conditions are different, but many of their symptoms are the same. In fact, some servicemembers may suffer from both simultaneously, making the detection, diagnosis, treatment and recovery that much more complicated.
Fortunately, researchers are finding that detecting such injuries can increasingly be done not only through observation of behavior, but also with emerging technology such as functional magnetic resonance imaging. Technology has helped the wounded survive in unprecedented numbers and led to amazing developments in prosthetics and reconstructive surgery. Now it’s also helping better understand injuries to the brain.
The problem that appears to be emerging is knowing when soldiers who receive concussions can return to the field, if at all, without an additional concussion creating damage that won’t ever heal. Improvised bombs need not physically damage warfighters to create casualties; the blast pressure alone of such bombs can be enough.
Like football players eager to get back in the game, warfighters may flat-out lie about how they feel to get back into the fight. Better tools to understand how they really feel, at war or at home, could save everyone a lot of future grief.
Ted McKenna, Editor This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it |
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