Marine Corps veteran, Eddie Ray Routh is on trial for the murder of Chad Littlefield and
former Navy Seal Chris Kyle.
The trial is now in the national spotlight thanks in part to the the release of a 2014
blockbuster film based on Kyle’s life as a military sniper.
Routh is pursuing an insanity plea, based on his PTSD diagnosis.
So what is PTSD?
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD, is a mental health condition that's triggered
by either experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event.
This is why it’s a common disorder amongst war veterans.
In the US, around one in five Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are diagnosed with serious PTSD
symptoms.
These include flashbacks, avoidance, isolation and anger outbursts.
For family and friends it can be a challenging disorder to understand.
There are an estimated 500,000 veterans who have PTSD, however less than 40 percent actually
end up pursuing help.
For those that do seek help, many of will leave care programs before they are completed.
While it is unknown exactly what PTSD treatment Routh received, news reports have indicated
he checked out of a psychiatric hospital in Dallas just five months prior to the murders
of Kyle and Littlefield on an open shooting range in Texas.
So why do so many veterans go untreated for PTSD?
Well, there are literally hundreds of programs available to veterans, but the military has
not yet endorsed a specific treatment that works efficiently.
This means that there are many avenues where a veteran can get help, but the lack of standardization
results in varying levels of care.
Another challenge to PTSD treatment are the stigmas that surround the disorder.
PTSD support organizations have noted that veterans often avoid dealing with the problem
because the disorder is seen as a sign of weakness.
Discrimination is also a factor, and many former soldiers believe that a PTSD diagnosis
can prevent them gaining employment.
While many former veterans hope that Routh’s trial will shed light on the stigmas, others
fear that Routh’s murder charges could bring undue prejudice against those suffering from
the disorder.
Routh’s mental health status won’t be fully known until the trial is over and psychiatric
experts stress that PTSD on its own is not commonly associated with extreme violence
and those who are suffering from it should not be discriminated against.
Believe it or not, soldiers on the ground are not the only ones who can be affected
by PTSD.
To learn about drone pilots and the psychological issues they can face, check this video out.
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