Monday, October 20, 2008

PTSD and Post Partum Depression: No Equal Defense before the Law?

The following a a guest column written by Bob Krause:

The Iowa Supreme Court's decision on the Heidi Anfinson case casts a new light into the shadows of mental illness and depression. The court ruled that the courts should have entertained evidence of depression and odd behavior that followed the birth of Anfinson's son. Anfinson allegedly drowned the child in Saylorville Lake a decade ago.

Although the tragic occurrence of the murder of Heidi's child by her was heinous, it has been recognized in medical circles and professional circles that an actual form of insanity sometimes occurs after child birth. It is called post-partum depression. The courts of Iowa will now allow evidence of the signs of it to be admitted in court during criminal proceedings.

But there are others in Iowa, some sitting in jail today without treatment, for an equally oppressive form of metal illness that they acquired often in the defense of America. That illness is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and it deserves a like legal review to post-partum depression.

Today in Iowa, PTSD cannot be used as a defense in an insanity or diminished capacity plea before a jury. Not even military medical records diagnosing a soldier or veteran with PTSD can be entered in defense. It is only after conviction that the court can entertain PTSD records – not to prescribe treatment, but for consideration in sentencing.

PTSD does not have the same sympathetic ring as post-partum depression. But it is with us, and it is common. 480,000 of those returning from Vietnam (15.2% of men and 8.1% of women) had it. 168,000 of those Vietnam vets still have it. Of those, according to the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study of 1988, ½ (around 240,000) were jailed at least once, 35% more than once, and 11.5% were convicted of felonies.

Today, some estimate that 20 percent of soldiers and 42 percent of reservists have returned from Iraq with some kind of psychological problem. Much of this is PTSD related. And the "canary in the coal mine" indicator of pervasive PTSD problems -- Army suicides -- more than doubled since 2001, hitting a 27-year high in 2007.

Many in my generation can relate to this as they saw friends and loved ones that served that bounced slowly down the razor-blade of life, not really quite fitting in after service. This generation will be "blessed" to see much of the same. And, with the high number of Guard and Reserve mobilizations in Iowa, the problem may be more significant.

I do not have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but as a retired Army Reserve officer from the immediate post-Vietnam era, I have learned about it well over the course of a career.

My eyes first opened to the phenomena as a young captain in the 1133rd Transportation Company, Iowa Army National Guard in Mason City. One of my soldiers, Louis, a Vietnam veteran and a capable sergeant, disappeared early one morning.

Louis had been a tunnel rat in Vietnam. For those of this generation, a tunnel rat was a person that crawled into narrow enemy underground bunkers. It was a death-defying feat for the practitioners, and it had obviously had an impact on Louis.

That day, several years after the fact, Louis flashed back when he crawled under one of our trucks to change the oil. In his mind, he was back in a tunnel in Vietnam in a stand-off with a Viet Cong soldier. In this mental vise, he could not move forward, and he could not move backward. So he froze – for about six hours.

When we found Louis, he was embarrassed by what had occurred, but obviously changed and un-nerved. He quit the National Guard shortly after that, and I am embarrassed that at the time I did not know enough about PTSD to get him proper referrals. But, I was not alone in my lack of knowledge.

That evening, after the troops had left for the day, I asked my recruiting non-commissioned officer, also a Vietnam veteran, what he knew about Louis. Ron was also a Vietnam veteran and had his own little hell to live. Ron's was a traveling flash-back. Once a month or so as Ron was driving down the road, the windshield would suddenly become covered with gore and blood. He would stop the car, take a deep breath, and then start driving again. These episodes came from a mortar attack where the body of a soldier had been smeared across the windshield of the truck he was driving.

But these are just two old events of another generation. We have many good examples that we will be able to point to for this generation. I can assure you that many of these cases will wind up in the courts. Untreated, PTSD symptoms can become more severe. Drugs and alcohol are often part of escape from the pain and insomnia, and these in turn can trigger more grief. Jobs are lost; marriages are ruined, and fear-response mechanisms can breed violence. I have been involved in the periphery of a legal case in northern Iowa regarding such a young man of this generation. He was formally an upstanding businessman prior to a short notice mobilization with his Guard unit. Unfortunately he fell into calamity upon return, in part because of the consequences of the mobilization, and in major part because of his own personal reactions to his own PTSD.

Surely, he deserves the right to tell his case to the jury also, not just the judge, at sentencing.

Bob Krause is a retired lieutenant colonel in the US Army reserve. He is past state president of the Reserve Officers Association and past state chair of the Iowa Democratic Veterans' Caucus. He is currently roving ambassador for the Iowa Democratic Veterans' Caucus.

47 comments:

Unknown said...

I agree that we need to remember and care for our heroes and survivors of war. A friend from high school reached platoon leader status in the Army, winter of 2003. His involvement in Baghdad during that time period has been self contained since his return and dealt with mostly with large bouts of drunken escapades. His implication with a brutal bar fight a week after his return was the first signs that a psychological change had occurred. I constantly worried about how the legal system would fairly punish a clear victim of war.

I’m actually writing on behalf of the nonprofit, Survivor Corps , that is doing great work for survivors of tragedies (whether it be war, famine, etc.). Survivor Corps connects survivors to one another to encourage new survivors find hope, get jobs, and get on with their lives. We also equip survivors with the tools and experience to become leaders in their communities and advocates for change.

Thank you for the article!

Unknown said...

Very interesting post- I was so surprised at the numbers you gave for veterans with PTSD. I found another post about Vietnam Vets that I thought I'd share:
http://www.petermanseye.com/anthologies/perseverance/343-the-things-they-carried
Cheers!

Anonymous said...

It was very interesting for me to read the post. Thanks for it. I like such topics and everything connected to this matter. I would like to read a bit more on that blog soon.

Anonymous said...

gulf person proactive substituting folder question dies atwebsite reform groupings exacerbates
masimundus semikonecolori

Anonymous said...

dvd region+css free register code crack
microcal origin 7 crack
diskeeper crack v9
windows xp sp2 update crack
media recover crack
paint shop pro 4.12 crack
vmware esx 2.5 keygen
adobe acrobat professional 7.0 warez
topofusion crack
submitwolf pro crack




mobile music polyphonic v2.3 crack
free program serial dan crack
finale 2005 warez download
ms3d crack
lock folder xp 3.6 crack
allwebmenus pro 3.1 keygen
battle field 2 keygen
group mail pro crack
dictation 2004 keygen
style xp version 3.0 keygen
textbridge pro 11 crack
keygen wep
spy doctor 3.1.0 crack
hide files and folders crack
bwmeter 2.2.2 crack
password rar crack
hysys 3.2 crack
windows xp crack

Anonymous said...

Keep on posting such themes. I like to read articles like that. By the way add more pics :)

Anonymous said...

You have great blog and this post is good!
--

Anonymous said...

Nice post you got here. It would be great to read a bit more concerning that matter. Thanks for sharing this data.

Anonymous said...

buy bactrim f buy bactrim without prescription buy bactrim online buy bactrim without a prescription overnight buy bactrim es online without prescription buy bactrim
[url=http://bactrim.eventbrite.com/]buy bactrim without prescription [/url]
diabetes glucophage what is glucophage glucophage package insert glucophage dosage glucophage assisted hip growth glucophage and pregnancy glucophage xr
[url=http://takeglucophage.eventbrite.com/]glucophage xl [/url]
proscar false readings affect proscar side prostititis proscar proscar hair painful erection proscar proscar ejaculate proscar symptoms
[url=http://proscar.eventbrite.com/]canine proscar [/url]
temporary impotence apcalis levitra vs buy cheap levitra levitra users impotence drug levitra side effects libidus
[url=http://virb.com/yalevi]info levitra [/url]
http://proscar.eventbrite.com/

Anonymous said...

Money is so intangible, its almost like a promise and a piece of paper.

Anonymous said...

If anyone here truly feels fiat currency is worthless then feel free to give me all your money.

Anonymous said...

Hello. And Bye.

Anonymous said...

have nice and good love
loose diamonds

Anonymous said...

s cheap generic cialis , cheap generic cialis , order cialis , viagra on line , buying viagra , viagra sale

Anonymous said...

to soft cialis tabs , buy cialis no prescription , buy discount cialis , cialis for sale in uk , cialis daily cost , cialis for sale

Anonymous said...

[url=http://buydiazepamshop.webs.com/]buy diazepam valium[/url]
[url=http://www.formspring.me/bestsale]order diazepam europe[/url]
[url=http://dazepam.freeforums.org/]buy diazepam online eu[/url]
[url=http://bbs.chinadaily.com.cn/thread-831218-1-1.html]buy diazepam online uk[/url]
[url=https://ru.gravatar.com/diazepamshop]buy diazepam on line[/url]
[url=http://www.jetphotos.net/members/viewprofile.php?id=67498]buy diazepam next day delivery[/url]

Anonymous said...

[url=http://www.formspring.me/hmarket]buy lorazepam online with mastercard[/url]
[url=http://www.formspring.me/fshop]buy nitrazepam uk online[/url]
[url=http://www.formspring.me/nmarket]buy prozac usa[/url]

Anonymous said...

[url=http://www.formspring.me/sjshop]purchase Amlodipin[/url] buy amlodipine besylate [url=http://www.formspring.me/hjshop]buy ibuprofen powder[/url] ibuprofen 600 buy [url=http://www.formspring.me/kmarket]buy ultracod online[/url] buy ultracod online [url=http://www.formspring.me/hshop]buy dihydrocodeine online no prescription[/url] buy hydrocodone [url=http://www.formspring.me/llshop]buy piracetam powder[/url] buy liquid paracetamol [url=http://www.formspring.me/xcshop]buy azur online[/url] buy azur online [url=http://www.formspring.me/kshop]pill max order tramadol ultram online[/url] order tramadol online in canada [url=http://www.formspring.me/dshop]buy codeine linctus bp[/url] buy codeine over the counter

Anonymous said...

Me and ozzy fucked tougher, trying to show to my personal
god! FUCK YES!' right before cumming inside my warm pussy. were still fucking

Feel free to surf to my web blog ... hcg injections

Anonymous said...

[url=http://www.formspring.me/HeikkiBarry]buy claritine online[/url] [url=http://www.formspring.me/SuomalTyler]buy telfast gold[/url] [url=http://www.formspring.me/PontusRojas]buy clarinase repetabs[/url] [url=http://www.formspring.me/TiihonenBallard]purchase cetirizine[/url] [url=http://www.formspring.me/TimonenDoyle]buy tavegil uk[/url] [url=http://www.formspring.me/VeliHarrell]buy zyrtec online canada[/url] [url=http://www.formspring.me/TenoiWoodward]buy Anafranil[/url] [url=http://www.formspring.me/ViiniRasmussen]buy amitriptyline 10mg[/url] [url=http://www.formspring.me/ViljakainDavid]buy cheap prozac online[/url] [url=http://www.formspring.me/SulanderMercer]order zoloft no prescription[/url]

Anonymous said...

The post fеatuгes eѕtablished helpful to uѕ.
It’s extremely useful and уou are clеarly very knowlеdgeablе
іn this region. You haνe got popped our sight to be able to various thoughts about this particular
matteг tοgеthеr with interesting and
stгong content.

My blog; viagra online
Here is my web-site : viagra online

Anonymous said...

Good day! I simply would like to give a huge thumbs up for the good information you have got here on this post.
I can be coming again to your weblog for more soon.

My web-site; SEO

Anonymous said...

Howdy! I just wish to give a huge thumbs up for the good information
you have got here on this post. I will likely be coming
back to your weblog for more soon.

Here is my webpage :: canister sets flour sugar coffee tea

Anonymous said...

Hey! I just would like to give an enormous thumbs up for
the good information you could have here on this post.
I will probably be coming again to your blog for
more soon.

Have a look at my web page - cherished teddies club membership

Anonymous said...

Hey! I simply wish to give an enormous thumbs up for the good info you will have
right here on this post. I will likely be coming again to your blog for
more soon.

my web page :: google.com classifieds

Anonymous said...

Hello! I simply would like to give a huge thumbs up for the good information you might have right here
on this post. I can be coming again to your blog for extra soon.


my homepage - we got married seohyun eng sub free download

Anonymous said...

Hey! I simply want to give a huge thumbs up for the great data you could have right here on this post.
I might be coming back to your blog for more soon.


my blog: bigen semi permanent hair color black

Anonymous said...

Hiya! I simply wish to give a huge thumbs up for the
good info you could have right here on this post. I will probably be coming back to your weblog
for more soon.

My webpage: semi automatic bushmaster 223 rifle

Anonymous said...

Howdy! I just would like to give an enormous thumbs up for the nice information you’ve got
here on this post. I can be coming back to your blog for more soon.


Here is my weblog seoul weather in end december

Anonymous said...

Hey! I just would like to give a huge thumbs up for the great info
you’ve here on this post. I shall be coming back to your weblog for more soon.


Also visit my blog post: watch we got married seohyun eng sub

Anonymous said...

Hello! I simply would like to give a huge thumbs up for
the great information you have right here on this
post. I might be coming back to your weblog for extra soon.



Feel free to visit my website ... daegu south korea map seoul

Anonymous said...

Hiya! I simply would like to give an enormous thumbs up for the
great info you’ve gotten right here on this post. I will likely be coming again to
your weblog for more soon.

Also visit my homepage ... celebrity plastic surgery gone wrong before and after pictures

Anonymous said...

Howdy! I simply want to give a huge thumbs up for the
great info you will have right here on this post. I can be coming back to
your weblog for extra soon.

my blog post :: semak saman pdrm online myeg services

Anonymous said...

Hello! I simply would like to give a huge thumbs up for the good information you
may have right here on this post. I shall be coming back
to your weblog for extra soon.

my web blog: marina semyonova wiki

Anonymous said...

Good day! I just wish to give a huge thumbs up for the great
information you’ve got right here on this post.
I might be coming back to your weblog for
extra soon.

My page ... we got married seohyun eng sub ep 35

Anonymous said...

Hello! I just wish to give an enormous thumbs up for the good
info you could have here on this post. I might be coming
again to your weblog for extra soon.

my site ... seo tools free trial

Anonymous said...

Hello! I just want to give a huge thumbs up for
the great data you may have right here on this post. I will be coming
back to your blog for extra soon.

Here is my site :: country music singers death

Anonymous said...

Hi there! I just wish to give an enormous thumbs up for
the great information you have right here on this post.
I will likely be coming again to your weblog for extra soon.


Also visit my website: repo semi trucks for sale zero down

Anonymous said...

Good day! I just want to give a huge thumbs up for the nice info you’ve right here on this post.
I shall be coming back to your blog for extra soon.

Look into my page :: seoul survivors naomi foyle

Anonymous said...

Good day! I simply want to give an enormous thumbs up for the great
data you could have here on this post. I will be coming back to
your blog for more soon.

My website - growth accounting approach

Anonymous said...

Good day! I just wish to give a huge thumbs up for the nice information you’ve right here
on this post. I will probably be coming again to
your blog for more soon.

Here is my web blog; best hotels seoul south korea

Anonymous said...

Hi there! I just wish to give a huge thumbs up for the great data you’ve
here on this post. I will probably be coming again to your
weblog for extra soon.

my web blog: semi automatic 22 magnum rifles

Anonymous said...

Hiya! I simply would like to give an enormous thumbs up for the
nice information you could have right here on this post.

I shall be coming back to your weblog for extra soon.

Here is my web-site: stem cell therapy for autism

Anonymous said...

Hello! I just want to give a huge thumbs up for the good data you’ve got right here on this post.
I will be coming again to your weblog for more soon.

Here is my website semaphore tremolo catalinbread

Anonymous said...

Whats up! I just want to give an enormous thumbs up for the nice information you could have right here on
this post. I can be coming back to your weblog for more soon.


Take a look at my blog: semi truck salvage yards in southern california

Anonymous said...

Whats up! I simply want to give a huge thumbs
up for the great data you might have here on this post.
I will likely be coming again to your weblog for extra soon.


Here is my webpage; semantic or syntax error

Anonymous said...

Good day! I simply would like to give an enormous thumbs up for the nice
information you’ve here on this post. I will probably be coming again to your weblog for extra soon.


Visit my homepage: semester at sea blog summer 2007