Oliverio Calls for Congressional Action on PTSD Treatment for Veterans

Press Release

State Senator and Northern West Virginia congressional candidate Mike Oliverio today said Congress should as soon as possible open a congressional inquiry into why so many U.S. soldiers are being ineffectively treated for Post-traumatic stress disorder, a severe anxiety disorder believed responsible for an overwhelming number of veterans' suicides nationwide.

Oliverio, a U.S. Army Reserves veteran, cited U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reports that say as many as 18 veterans and active-duty soldiers per day commit suicide. Post-traumatic stress disorder, more commonly known as PTSD, is cited as the base cause in the majority of the suicides.

"Studies indicate that more than 300,000 soldiers who have returned from Iraq or Afghanistan during the past six years have PTSD. That's 20 percent of ours soldiers. Last week, there were four deaths at Fort Hood, Texas, and the apparent cause was suicide. Admiral Mike Mullen has said that as thousands of soldiers return home from multiple deployments in Iraq, he believes that number of suicides is going to increase," Oliverio said.

"The statistics are similar for Vietnam veterans, and many of them have been struggling with PTSD for decades. This is a problem beyond what we want to believe. We, as a nation, cannot let this continue."

There is a nationwide shortage of doctors and counselors to treat PTSD, Oliverio said. Beyond that, many veterans' and family support groups say that PTSD is often misdiagnosed and that medication given to veterans is not appropriate.

"My purpose is not to accuse anyone of misdiagnosing or mistreating our veterans, but clearly something is going wrong. And the problem absolutely should not continue. It's time to get to the bottom of it," Oliverio said.

During a news conference at his Morgantown campaign headquarters, Oliverio introduced Stan White, a Charleston resident whose son, Andrew, died recently after what was classified as "accidental intoxication" following treatment for PTSD. Stan White also lost another son, Bob, who was killed in Afghanistan by a rocket explosion.

White and other West Virginia veterans, family members and friends have formed a national network that seeks action on the treatment of PTSD.

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