PTSD Support Groups: Hope for Veterans with Invisible Wounds

Photo credit: US Army, Master Sgt. Jonathan Doti (USAF)

by Jeremiah Raymo

Social Work practicum student

Wichita State University Center for Community Support and Research

In 2004, I was deployed to Baghdad, Iraq, as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  I served as a squad leader in a light-infantry platoon which completed over 300 combat missions. Unbeknownst to me, 2004 would be the second deadliest year (846 killed in action [KIA]) for American soldiers in Iraq. Fortunately, I survived and returned home in 2005. In 2007, I was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army and returned to civilian life. However, this transition would become equally as frightening as my experiences in combat. 

 

After my discharge, I began to suffer from depression, anxiety, and other debilitating symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I found myself in and out of employment, destroying personal relationships, and contemplating suicide. In the spring of 2009, a clinical social worker who had diagnosed me with PTSD suggested I attend an Iraq and Afghanistan PTSD support group. It was an experience that would change my life and aid in my path to recovery.

It was a cool Tuesday evening the night of my first meeting. Anxious and skeptical, I entered the meeting room at the Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital. There were seven other Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in attendance. Robert, the facilitator, welcomed me and the meeting began.  Within twenty minutes, I felt my anxiety melt away. This was the first time in two years I felt at peace. The sharing of stories and experiences were comforting, and I no longer felt isolated. There was a strong sense of camaraderie in the room which could only be shared by people with similar struggles and pains. After sharing my story, the group embraced me with compassion and understanding. I left the support group that night with a sense of hope that had been absent for so long. I could finally say to myself, “It’s going to be okay.” I went to every meeting for the next several months and each time I left with positive feelings and experiences that I did not receive anywhere else. That support group played an integral part in instilling a sense of hope in my life and was a key factor in returning me back to society as a functioning member.

In Kansas, more than 2,000 community support groups, national organizations and websites provide help for a broad range of specific issues. Contact information for support groups can be accessed through the Kansas Health Solutions website at www.kansashealthsolution.org/Shn1.0 or by calling 800.445.0116 in Kansas.