Proto, a magazine-style publication out of Mass General, features a story on research into “attempts to understand what really occurs in the brains of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) sufferers, and a few drugs are showing promise in keeping damaging memories at bay.”
It begins with Dr. John Parrish’s return from Vietnam
A pioneer in his field, Parrish would go on to serve for two decades as head of dermatology at Massachusetts General Hospital and to become a leader in translating technological advances into new medical treatments. He has written six books and hundreds of journal articles, and has won national and international awards.
Yet like so many fellow Vietnam veterans—and like those scarred by experiences in other wars, past and present, or at home—Parrish was living a double life. Even as he moved further and further from his days as a battlefield physician for the Marines, the images and fears kept surging back. During his year in the war, 1967, Parrish had treated a stream of horribly injured soldiers and civilians, routinely making split-second decisions about which of the wounded to try to save and which to let die. He had also faced personal dangers ranging from frequent mortar fire to nearly losing his life in a helicopter that crashed behind enemy lines.
Through it all, he had barely flinched. “I was able to stay totally intact emotionally, because I had so much work to do and couldn’t react to all that was happening around me,” Parrish says. “But when I got home, I had difficulty letting go of some of the things I had witnessed.”
The story goes on to describe several MGH research projects aimed at helping returning vets who struggle with PTSD.
The military establishment, including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, now seems determined to anticipate and treat psychological wounds, after a long history of underplaying or even ignoring the problem. The Department of Defense and Congress have earmarked millions of dollars for studying and implementing new treatments for the disorder…
“The major thing that impedes our progress is the stigma associated with PTSD,” says Parrish, who eventually found help through CBT and medication, though he continues to struggle with memories of his time in Vietnam. “It’s very countercultural to admit you have a weakness or these symptoms.”
Click here for more about the “Home Base” collaboration between MGH and the Red Sox
dedicated to improving the lives of New England servicemen and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with combat stress disorders and/or traumatic brain injury through clinical care, innovative research, education, family support and community outreach.