Over the past several years military families have found themselves unwittingly on the front lines of a dangerous battle- the increasingly widespread battle against “invisible wounds”. The term invisible wounds refers to a several vastly different injuries, like post-traumatic stress disorder, mesothelioma, and traumatic brain injury, that are ailing soldiers and their families.  These wounds, which have been increasingly commonly in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, are called invisible wounds because physically they have little to no distinct symptoms, and as a result far too often go undiagnosed and untreated.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), for example, can be extremely difficult to diagnosis and treat despite being a very serious medical condition that affects thousands of soldiers each year.  Furthermore, PTSD can be deadly- last year VA estimated that an average of 18 veterans suffering from PTSD committed suicide each day.  Although PTSD is not exclusive to soldiers, they are at high-risk for developing the anxiety disorder because they commonly face life-threatening situations. Worst of all, because some of the symptoms of PTSD include emotional numbness and hyperarousal undiagnosed PTSD often tears apart military families, separating veterans from the support that they often to help get over the trauma.  Although the treatment for PTSD, most commonly cognitive behavioral therapy which works to change the way you think about your trauma, can be a long and difficult process veterans who undergo therapy often are available to recover.

Like PTSD, the biggest problem with mesothelioma is that it often doesn’t get diagnosed until it is too late.  Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lungs, stomach, and heart caused by exposure to asbestos, and it is far more prevalent among veterans than civilians because up until the late 1970’s the military used asbestos as insulation and fire-proofing in the majority their barracks and ships.  However, even current soldiers have a chance of being exposed to asbestos, as recently as 2008 dangerous levels were detected in Fort Braggs in North Carolina and it is commonly still found on older Navy ships, especially aircraft carriers. Mesothelioma is extremely difficult to diagnosis because the main symptoms of mesothelioma, heavy breathing and a fluid-build up in the lungs, are so similar to several other less serious diseases.  It’s extremely important for soldiers and veterans to get tested for mesothelioma regularly because with early detection the mesothelioma life expectancy increases greatly from the average of about a year or two after diagnosis.

The most easily diagnosed of soldiers’ invisible wounds is Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). TBI, which has been called the signature wound of the War on Terror, is the bruising of the brain tissue and can be the result of a violent collision. TBI can particularly be dangerous if a soldier does not realize that they have experienced a TBI but some of the symptoms of TBI include headaches, confusion, changes in sleep patterns, blurred vision, and troubles with concentration or attention. Severe TBIs are characterized by pounding headaches that only get worse. It’s extremely dangerous for a TBI to go untreated because ruptured blood vessels and bruised brain tissue can obstruct blood and oxygen flow to the brain and exacerbate the damage.  Because TBI can also affect soldiers and veterans moods and attention, it can be difficult on military families as well.