NIGHTMARES SEVERE ANXIETY. ONE IN THREE VETERANS LIVE WITH PTSD. CERTIFIED BRAIN INJURY
SPECIALIST CLINT PITTMAN JOINS
US NOW WITH MORE ON THIS TO
TALK A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE WE
KNOW JUNE 20 7TH TOMORROW IS
NATIONAL PTSD AWARENESS DAY.
CLINT, THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING
HERE. WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR
TIME. TALK ABOUT PTSD. WE KNOW
IT AFFECTS A LOT OF OUR
MILITARY VETERANS BUT THERE'S
SO MANY ISSUES INVOLVED WITH
THIS. TELL US WHAT IT IS AND
HOW PEOPLE CAN HELP OUR
VETERANS SUFFERING FROM IT.
EXCELLENT. THANK YOU FOR THAT
QUESTION. THANK YOU FOR HAVING
ME ALSO. SO PTSD WHEN YOU
UNDERSTAND THE DEFINITION IT
MAKES IT EASY TO UNDERSTAND
WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT AND WHAT IT
IS. SO A SIMPLE DEFINITION IS
PTSD IS A PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUE
COMPOSED OF A GROUP OF SYMPTOMS
THAT MADE THE VALOR AFTER A
PERSON HAS BEEN EXPOSED TO A
ACTUAL OR THREATENED DEATH,
SERIOUS INJURY SEXUAL ASSAULT,
A NATURAL DISASTERS. IN OTHER
WORDS, WHEN A PERSON IS EXPOSED
TO SOMETHING THAT THREATENS
THEIR LIFE ACTUAL OR THEY
ACTUALLY WITNESS IT CAN CAUSE
THESE TYPES OF SYMPTOMS WHERE
THEY FEEL THEIR LIFE IS
THREATENED. WHEN THAT OCCURS
ESPECIALLY IN THE VETERAN
POPULATION THIS CAN OCCUR DUE
TO COMBAT BEING DEPLOYED BEING
SHOT AT BEING BEING INVOLVED IN
BLAST BUT IT CAN ALSO A LITTLE
KNOWN PIECE OF INFORMATION
ABOUT THIS IS IT CAN ALSO OCCUR
IN THE CIVILIAN COMMUNITY
POLICE OFFICERS CAN EXPERIENCE
PTSD FIREMEN AND THE GENERAL
PUBLIC ANYONE THAT'S INVOLVED
IN SOME TYPE OF AN EVENT THAT
THREATENS THEIR LIFE CAN LEAD
TO PTSD SYMPTOMS. IT'S
IMPORTANT FOR VETERANS
ESPECIALLY IN THE SAN DIEGO
COUNTY AREA. RIGHT. WE HAVE
OVER 76 HOMELESS VETERANS
NATIONWIDE. AND SAN DIEGO RANKS
UP THERE IN THE TOP FLOOR,
THE LARGEST. WELL, FIRST OF
ALL, WE HAVE ONE OF THE LARGEST
COMMUNITIES OF VETERANS AND
SECOND WE HAVE ONE OF
THE LARGEST COMMUNITIES OF
HOMELESS VETERANS. AND MANY OF
THOSE HOMELESS VETERANS OF
THE ARTICLE BECAUSE WE DIDN'T
GET THEM BEFORE THEY WOUND UP
HOMELESS SUFFERING FROM PTSD
AND EVEN TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY
TYPES OF INJURY. YEAH, BIG
MILITARY TOWN. YOU'RE RIGHT
ABOUT THAT. CLINT, I KNOW
YOU'RE NOT ONLY A BRAIN INJURY
SPECIALIST BUT YOU'RE A VETERAN
YOURSELF, RIGHT? I MEAN HOW
DOES THIS PTSD AFFECT OUR
VETERANS WHEN THEY COME BACK?
IS THERE SOMETHING THEY CAN BE
DOING TO HELP WITH IT? YES. SO
YEAH, I ACTUALLY WAS I'M ONE OF
THE LUCKY ONES. I WAS LUCKY
ENOUGH TO SPEND 31 YEARS IN
THE MARINE CORPS AND I GOT OUT
OK. WELL, I THINK MOST PEOPLE
WOULD SAY O K WAS ABLE TO I'M
OK BUT BUT MANY OF OUR VETERANS
THEY DON'T HAVE THAT STORY.
THEY EXPIRE AND I SHOULD SAY
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH
THE INDIVIDUAL THAT GETS PTSD.
IT'S THE ENVIRONMENT THAT
CREATES IT. SO. SO I'M ONE
FORTUNATE ONES BUT THAT DOESN'T
OCCUR WITH MANY OF OUR VETERANS
AND THE BIG SQUAD MEMBER OF OUR
ORGANIZATION THAT I WAS HOPING
TO TALK ABOUT. HE HAD A GREAT
STORY. SO THIS YOUNG MAN
DEMETRIUS WEST, HE ACTUALLY WAS
A HUNDRED AND FIRST AIRBORNE
RANGER, JOINED THE ARMY, SPENT
EIGHT OR NINE YEARS IN
THE ARMY, WAS DEPLOYED. GOT OUT
STRUGGLING WITH POST-TRAUMATIC
STRESS DISORDER. WOUND UP
FINDING OUR ORGANIZATION
WOUNDED WARRIOR HOMES. WE WERE
ABLE TO CATCH HIM BEFORE HE
WOUND UP HOMELESS WHICH IS A
KEY BECAUSE HE TOLD ME THIS
YESTERDAY THE SECRET IS GETTING
BETTER ENDS BEFORE THEY WIND UP
HOMELESS BECAUSE ONCE THEY WIND
UP HOMELESS IT MAKES THAT IT
MAKES JOB OF HELPING THEM GET
BACK ON THEIR FEET THAT MUCH
MORE DIFFICULT PROBLEM. WE
CAUGHT HIM. HE'S ONE OF
THE EXAMPLES. WE CAUGHT HIM
BEFORE HE WENT ON A HOMELESS
GUY IN THE COLLEGE COMPLETED
HIS COLLEGE DEGREES TWO OF THEM
ACTUALLY AND NOW IS IN
THE PROCESS OF MOVING ON
FINDING HIS OWN PLACE, MOVING
OUT OF THE SYSTEM AND BECOMING
WHAT WE LIKE TO SAY GOING FROM
WOUNDED WARRIOR TO SUCCESSFUL
CIVILIAN. NOW WITH THAT STORY,
WE LOVE TO HEAR THOSE CLAIM. WE
GOT TO RUN HERE. BUT I WANTED
TO LET PEOPLE KNOW YOU HAVE
INFORMATION, RESOURCES, WORKING
PEOPLE GO TO LEARN MORE ABOUT
THE GREAT EFFORTS YOU'RE DOING.
ABSOLUTELY. VISIT OUR WEB SITE.
YOU CAN GOOGLE WOUNDED WARRIOR
HOMES OR THE . WELL, THAT'S
EASIEST WAY. JUST GOOGLE
WOUNDED WARRIOR HOMES. WE WOULD
LOVE TO LOVE FOR YOU TO VISIT
US. YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT US
AND SEE HOW YOU CAN HELP
ESPECIALLY OUR SAN DIEGO BAY
VETERANS. CLINT,