Advertisement

Human psyche under attack in war

Share via

Re “Iraq vets often delay mental reactions,” Nov. 14

As a mental health clinician, I am pleased that The Times is featuring articles about the effects of war on the human psyche. We send young adults to a war who are physically able to cope with the demands but not necessarily psychologically resilient. It’s possible that our nervous system and psyche are not equipped to cope well with the stress and terror that war creates.

Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder do not show up on a certain timetable, nor do the same treatments work for everyone. If anything good can come out of this war, I hope it will include a greater sensitivity, understanding and effective treatment of trauma.

Evelyn Goodman

Culver City

Advertisement