Soldiers returning from war with a traumatized psyche (video)

1000 days of full-scale war in Ukraine: tens of thousands of dead and wounded, millions of refugees, destroyed cities, traumatized psyche of those returning from the war.

The latter problem is not often talked about or written about. But PTSD is a scourge that will last for decades. Soldiers return from war with a traumatized psyche, this applies to participants in the war on both sides. But in this material, the publication of Radio Liberty tells about Russian military personnel and how the Russian Federation is trying to cope with the problem. A few stories from those who have been diagnosed with PTSD. Names are hidden for security reasons. We learned about them from complaints from close relatives – mothers, fathers, wives.

Alexey G.

A man came under fire in the Lugansk region, which resulted in a contusion and concussion. He didn't hear anything for two days. I got to the unit on foot, alone, drinking water from puddles. Then severe headaches, vomiting and stomach bleeding began. In 20 days I lost 15 kilograms. Sent to the front again.

Bogdan M.

He came back from the front on leave, but could not eat or sleep, barely falling asleep, he screamed and raved. Hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital with a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. I couldn’t submit a report on my own that I was sick—I forgot how to write. Discharged and sent back to the front. In the epicrisis, the psychiatrist writes: “May pose a danger to himself and others.”

Yaroslav N.

He was a stormtrooper, participated in “meat assaults”, received a shell shock and a concussion. Cramps appeared in the neck, arms and legs. I began to stutter badly. He cannot sleep normally – as soon as he falls asleep, he jumps up and screams something inarticulate. Diagnosed with PTSD, he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. He was discharged with the wording “dangerous to himself and others” and again sent to combat positions with a weapon restriction (that is, he was not given weapons).

Russia is again facing the “Afghan syndrome” – hundreds of thousands of people returning from war with a traumatized psyche. Building Single center support for SVO participants and their family members is located in Moscow on Beregovoy Proezd. Both the decor and the service are designed in such a way as to make it clear to those returning from the war:

“That’s it, soldier! The war is over for you. You have returned home. You no longer need to kill anyone. You no longer need to be afraid of being killed. You don’t have to fall face down in the dirt when the shelling starts. You don’t have to carefully look at your feet so as not to step on min. That's it! It's all over. I have to look after the girls, help my mother in the garden, work, drink beer with friends on Fridays at billiards, go fishing, fix something in the house. garage, take my wife to the movies, play table hockey with my little son…”

But… Psychologist Mikhail Gorin-Galitsky, who previously worked in the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, explains that every fourth veteran cannot do all of the above. 20% of people involved in any major military conflict are susceptible to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For them, along the entire route that the veteran walks through the Unified Center, filling out useful documents, psychologists’ offices are scattered here and there, posters are hung here and there, small, A3 format, unobtrusive, but persistent: “What is PTSD?”, “How to get help for PTSD?”, “Psychological support group for people with PTSD.”

The establishment of the Unified Center is only part of a well-thought-out and proven technology for the rehabilitation of people with PTSD. The main point of the center’s useful services is to bring the client to a psychologist or psychiatrist. And there, if the veteran agreed to receive help, psychological and psychiatric protocols for returning people from war to civilian life come into play. The key here is if you agreed. What if not?

People returning from the front are sick, they need help, regardless of whether they are heroes or criminals. They represent a social problem and cannot control their tendency to deviant behavior. The city and country need to rehabilitate these people, regardless of whether rehabilitators share or condemn the goals and methods of the “military operation.”

“People with PTSD cannot be considered deliberately deviant or aggressive,” says a psychiatrist who wished to remain anonymous. “This is a psychiatric diagnosis, a serious illness. To explain, avoiding special terms, the brain becomes extremely excited in extreme danger, and then, when the danger passes, The brain cannot switch to normal operation.”

If we talk about what these patients are like, they are rather confused, maladjusted, and anxious. Their sleep is disturbed, they see no meaning in life. They have flashbacks, that is, just the smell of smoke can make them seriously believe that there is a war around again, and just a loud sound can convince them that they are being shelled again.

PTSD is treated in an inpatient setting, with a combination of serious psychotropic medications, EMDR, and group or individual psychotherapy. There is almost no psychology there. Pure psychiatry. “Talk about it” or “distract yourself” doesn’t work. Ancient survival patterns are activated, and they are not easy to turn off.”

Psychologist Mikhail Gorin-Galitsky says:

“Not all people who have gone through war are susceptible to post-traumatic stress disorder. Statistically, this is approximately 20-25% of participants in any war. Acute stress, stupor or uncontrollable hysteria can last for several days. PTSD can last for years, decades…”

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