Polina Shats, DO, an adult psychiatrist talks about the causes and stigmas that surround PTSD and how it’s impacting our veterans.
Interview conducted by Ivanhoe Broadcast News in April 2018.
I want to talk a little bit about PTSD, it’s something our viewers may have heard of but may not have the ins and outs. Can you tell me what PTSD is? What are we talking about?
Dr. Shats: Sure. PTSD is post-traumatic stress disorder. It can develop after a traumatic event in someone’s life. Traumatic events can include an accident such as a car accident, natural disasters, sexual trauma, rape, or somebody getting injured or hurt.
So it could impact just about any one at any age?
Dr. Shats: Yes, when somebody sees or witnesses a trauma, it can make them feel helpless and hopeless and very fearful.
What kind of symptoms would somebody have?
Dr. Shats: Some symptoms of PTSD can include re-experiencing the trauma. This might present itself as very intrusive thoughts, the event is always on their mind, or it can mean having flash backs or nightmares. As a result they can have avoidance. They avoid anything and any situation that will remind them of that trauma.
Why is this a problem for a lot of our military veterans?
Dr. Shats: Historically, it’s always been a problem for military veterans for as long as we’ve been at war and sending our troops overseas. Now, we’re finally talking and raising awareness about it and hopefully doing something about it. Sending our troops to a new environment with more explosions and injuries causes them to see people getting hurt in front of them. They see a lot of trauma and there is also sexual trauma. There also isn’t a lot of time to process what they’re going through. They just have to continue doing what they’re doing and it’s hard.
There’s not a lot of time to process while they’re doing their jobs, but when they come home, what are you finding?
Dr. Shats: We are finding that many of them are experiencing symptoms of PTSD.
So it’s when they get back home, in what ways are these symptoms are starting to show up? How is this manifesting for some of the patients you work with?
Dr. Shats: A lot of patients tell me that they keep re-experiencing that event as if they were still there. And that one event is having a huge impact on their life. They also try to avoid crowded and loud places where they might hear a boom. It really limits the kind of job they can do, if they can work at all, because PTSD limits your concentration and focus. You’re also not able to enjoy positive emotions; you can’t experience love and happiness. So that really has an impact on their loved ones and their kids. It really affects every aspect of their life.
How do you help someone who is struggling with this?
Dr. Shats: If you see your loved one coming home and feeling detached, not being their usual self. If they’re not able to enjoy things, experience things, their relationships are struggling, their work is suffering, and they’re not able to function, please reach out to them and suggest seeking help. There is help and there is treatment. Sometimes it can be hard to take the first step and get the treatment.
As a medical professional, what are the steps that you can take to help people who are struggling with PTSD?
Dr. Shats: We would do a full evaluation and assess their symptoms. And then there are different medication and therapy options. It really depends on what the main symptom that they’re suffering with is. That is the focus of the treatment. So it’s really tailored to each individual.
Is there still a concern by some members of the military about speaking up about this problem? Is there still stigma when it comes to mental health issues or as a country are we getting better at recognizing that this is a disease?
Dr. Shats: I think we’re talking about it more but I think for anyone, military and non-military, there’s still definitely a stigma to talk about it, to seek help, or to say that you’re seeking help. I think there’s still a lot of work we have left to do to educate people on mental illness.
So it’s still a very important and passionate area for you to talk about?
Dr. Shats: Absolutely, I think there are a lot of people who would still benefit from treatment.
And they’re not getting it?
Dr. Shats: Not always. Sometimes it’s hard to find treatments, sometimes they don’t have insurance, and sometimes it’s just being afraid of having a mental illness diagnosis that’s stopping them. So there are a lot of factors involved.
By sublingual can you describe what the pill is?
Dr. Shats: It dissolves in your mouth.
Is it a once a day?
Dr. Shats: It’s a once a day at night, yes.
Are there patients for whom this might be a really good option, who down the road would benefit from this?
Dr. Shats: The patients that the study is recruiting are eighteen year olds to seventy five year olds, who were in the military area. It includes those who were in active duty, reservists, and contractors who have had experience among serious trauma after the year 2001.
Why is it important that we keep looking for these other options for people?
Dr. Shats: The treatment we have now are the therapies and the medications. They help reduce the symptoms but there’s still much more work to be done to help treat our veterans who are returning home.
Is there anything else I didn’t ask you that you would want people to know about PTSD and veterans?
Dr. Shats: Just that if you see someone struggling, reach out to them, you can help them and make a difference.
END OF INTERVIEW
This information is intended for additional research purposes only. It is not to be used as a prescription or advice from Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. or any medical professional interviewed. Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. assumes no responsibility for the depth or accuracy of physician statements. Procedures or medicines apply to different people and medical factors; always consult your physician on medical matters.
If you would like more information, please contact:
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