EVIDENCE BASED REVIEW BY SARAH REED

The article I read was entitled Occupational Performance Needs of Young Veterans. The framework discussed in this article is post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, major depression, and alcohol abuse/ dependency. The clients were young Veterans (aged 20-29 years of age) who served in the Iraqi war. While some former soldiers did have physical disabilities, a majority of the former soldiers suffered from psychological disorders. The main reason that I chose this article is that I have two cousins (Nick and B.J (Lyman)) who served in the Afghanistan and Iraqi war so this article really hits home from me.
It’s estimated that 1.64 million US troops have been deployed to Iraq since 2001. And while most of the soldiers return to civilian live without incident, it’s estimated that one-third of these veterans will struggle with Post-traumatic stress disorder and major depression. Another aspect affecting our troops is alcoholism. Due to the unfathomable horrors witnessed by our veterans, many turn to alcohol to cope.
In addition to post traumatic stress disorder, most life challenges fell into the area of self-care. As to be expected, the top five occupational performances that need to be addressed by an occupational therapist include: are engagement in relationships, school physical health, sleeping and driving. It’s easy to imagine that driving, eating, and sleeping would be problematic. For the soldiers with PTSD, driving and sleeping may cause flashbacks to the war. My B.J is a disabled vet due to PTSD and a back injury and he has confided to me that he still is unable to sleep through the night due to flashbacks. Another thing I found interesting is that a lot of soldiers enlist into the military due to patriot...

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...o be near family.
During the war BJ worked as a sniper and as frontline infantry. He once confided to me that one of his biggest flashbacks is having the bombs go off around him and watching a good friend of his “explode into pieces right in front of him.” Originally he was not able to be around fireworks without having a flashback to war. Because fireworks were so important to him, his occupational therapist helped him condition himself to think of family, friends, and celebrations whenever he hears them. Now he is able to partake in Fourth of July celebrations with ease.
To conclude, most former service members return to civilian life without the need for an occupational therapist. But it’s important for civilians and family members to know that this is not always the case. Luckily, occupational therapists, along with a strong family support system, can help.