PTSD No. 1 Injury Among Contractors in 2017

Hi this is Brian Wiklendt again with Garfinkel Schwartz Defense Base Act law firm. I’m located here in Maitland Florida in our main office. 

I’ve been traveling a lot. Hurricanes dodging them that kind of thing. We’re back up to speed here in Florida. We got lucky this time in central Florida.

PTSD No. 1 Injury Among Contractors in 2017

At any rate what I wanted to do is explain to you that I’ve that gotten some statistics that are somewhat troubling for the overseas contractor community in terms of PTSD. That PTSD No. 1 injury among contractors in 2017.

As of this year, 2017, PTSD is the most prevalent injury that has been reported out of all injuries that occur to overseas contractors mainly in Iraq and Afghanistan.

And the PTSD injuries are covered by the Defense Base Act which is what I specialize in. And I wanted to try to touch base with what to do when you come back and you’re starting not to feel yourself or your family says you’re just not the same person you used to be.

Your personality’s different. What’s going on? It’s a very troubling and very fearful type situation that requires help from a professional. And I understand that a lot of my clients and potential clients have problems and issues dealing with the reality that they might need some help.

Contractor PTSD Not Identified

No Exit Interview

One of the biggest problems that overseas contractors have that I deal with are that you don’t get an exit interview. Once something happens once an incident or something happens that’s horrific warlike military people get briefed they have to be seen by someone they have to be cleared they have to undergo testing and things like that to make sure that they get the help that they need now that PTSD is prevalent and has to be addressed by the VA.

Unfortunately overseas contractors get a plane flight home and that’s it. Or at least they think that all they get is to go to the airport and go home. So there’s really there’s no counseling that happens there’s nothing that happens so people are left out on their own to try to figure out how to deal with this.

Can’t Fight Through PTSD

A lot of my clients say "I’m going to try to fight through this thing I’m going to try to deal with this. I don’t want people to not hire me because I’ve been labeled as a person with PTSD or I don’t want people to take my guns away all kinds of issues that occur that a person just does not want to seek treatment.

Seek Treatment for Your Benefit

But the honesty of the situation is you need to seek treatment for your own benefit. And if it comes or it enters into your mind and you and you can say, “this thing is affecting me to such a degree that I can’t work in certain areas anymore. I can’t deal with crowds. I can’t deal with loud noises. I’m having issues at home with my family. I have angry outbursts,” you just have to go see somebody.

We Advance Medical Evaluations

Our law firm advances the costs to do medical evaluations if you don’t have the means to go do that yourself. We can facilitate that. We can’t pay for medical treatment but we can pay for an evaluation and advance those costs hopefully to recoup them in the future when a claim is filed. And so it’s really tough to say this is tough love but if you have issues and your family is telling you need some help you’ve got to listen to them.

Focus On Treatment Options

And don’t worry about your guns and don’t worry about your future employment. There’s treatment options. There are so many that are popping up every day new treatment option around the world. Very creative treatment options. Treatment options include:

K9s for Warriors programs that have dogs.

There’s equine therapy

There’s all kinds of memory eye movement therapy

There’s Tetris (playing the game Tetris tends to help people with PTSD)

New PTSD Treatments Every Day

There’s just so many different things that are coming out every day that are very helpful to people. There are new PTSD treatments every day. Most people don’t know about them. Most of them should be covered by your insurance company under the Defense Base Act down the road.

PTSD is Prevalent

And like I said this has become a very well-known prevalent problem. It it’s not called shell shock anymore it’s not something to hide from. And the treatment that you can receive will definitely hopefully be to your benefit through clinical trials through counseling through medications all kinds of different options that are out there.

And like I said this is this is a hot button issue this is no longer a taboo type situation. You shouldn’t be afraid of that label because hopefully you’ll get better and with treatment you’ll gradually get better and better and better and then obviously the jobs will be afforded to you in the future and things like that will go your way.

So don’t try to hide from the fact that you’re going to need professional help and try to and get it when you come to the resolution that I need some that I’m going to be limited in some way whether that’s work whether that’s home life I can’t do the things I used to do I I’m I can’t get out of bed in the morning I can’t sleep all those things combined could create a diagnosis of PTSD.

PTSD is From a Traumatic Event

And like I said PTSD is recognized as a disease. It’s not something to handle on your own accord. It wasn’t because of you. It’s something that you experienced a traumatic event and it caused you mental anguish and harm that you need to get taken care of.

So again I don’t want to beat a dead horse but please get treatment. Go to the resources on our website about PTSD and get help if you need it. And call me or call my staff anytime and we’ll help you get the resources that you might need or at least give you the options for you to choose from if you so choose in in the future. Be safe and take care. Thank you.