Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - (Page 4) Veterans continued from page 1 “Too few of those with PTSD and depression were getting help, and among those that were getting help, too few were getting even minimally adequate care,” Jaycox says. “If left untreated or under-treated, these conditions can have negative, cascading consequences and result in a high economic toll.” “There’s this myth that people with brain injuries are hypersexual, but the reality is most people [with brain injuries] have diminished libido after these injuries. It takes years to recover from relatively minor brain injuries.” — Stanley Ducharme ‘Some of these guys get blasted’ As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan grind on, U.S. soldiers are returning home with injuries unlike those seen in previous conflicts. Improved body armor and medical techniques are keeping more wounded soldiers alive, but when they resume civilian life, they sometimes face a myriad of physical and mental health challenges. “Some of these guys get blasted,” says Mitch Tepper, PhD, associate director at the Center of Excellence for Sexual Health at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. “They might lose their eyesight, lose their arms and get a brain injury all in one shot.” In 2003, a roadside bomb nearly killed Robert Jackson. The explosion severely burned Jackson, a member of the Iowa National Guard, and ripped up his legs, both of which were later amputated below the knee. Jackson, now 27, is the father of three children and married to Abby Jackson, 25. His injuries didn’t dampen Abby’s enthusiasm for him. “I knew that I wanted to be intimate again,” said Abby, speaking at a Wounded Troops and Partners conference about what it was like when her husband returned from Iraq. “I knew that I definitely wanted to have more children and I knew that he was not interested in me and so a big red flag to me was, ‘Well, what do I do? Why does he not want to have sex? Why does he not want to touch my hand or why is he not asking me to get in bed?’” As an anxiety disorder, PTSD affects people both physically and cognitively. Veterans with the ailment may have sweaty palms and heart palpitations. They may also have difficulty communicating with partners and family members about the trauma they experienced. “They wonder how much to talk about it and not talk about it,” says Linda Mona, PhD, a clinical psychologist at the VA Long Beach Healthcare System. “Sometimes talking about it brings the memories back even more.” Sexual desire often plummets due to the pervasive anxiousness. Sleeplessness is common because the veteran feels he or she must always remain alert. Soldiers are “trained to perk up at any time and be ready to fight, so we have to help them reorganize their sleep patterns,” say Mona, who is also an AASECT member. When that happens, Mona uses cognitive behavioral exercises with exposure techniques that include having the couple take a break from sleeping together. As PTSD symptoms decline, the couple starts taking steps toward spending an entire night together in bed. Brain injuries and sexuality Another medical condition that affects sex lives is traumatic brain injury (TBI), which can happen if the victim doesn’t immediately respond to resuscitation after getting knocked unconscious. Roadside bombs placed by insurgents have injured thousands of American soldiers in this manner. The Pentagon estimates that 1 in 5 soldiers who spent most of their time outside the safety of the Iraq’s Green Zone have been shaken at least once by a powerful blast or something else that caused a concussion. A single blast or multiple concussions can cause TBI or mild TBI, a less severe condition that often goes undiagnosed until the soldier returns home. These veterans may have memory lapses, difficulty connecting thoughts and actions and other problems. When someone with TBI engages in Linda Mona 4 Contemporary Sexuality www.aasect.org | October 2008 Vol. 42, No. 10 http://www.aasect.org
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 Contents President's Column Member Profile Quick Hits: Sex in the News News of Members Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - Contents (Page 1) Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - Contents (Page 2) Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - President's Column (Page 3) Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - President's Column (Page 4) Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - President's Column (Page 5) Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - Member Profile (Page 6) Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - Member Profile (Page 7) Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - Quick Hits: Sex in the News (Page 8) Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - Quick Hits: Sex in the News (Page 9) Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - News of Members (Page 10) Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - News of Members (Page 11) Contemporary Sexuality - October 2008 - News of Members (Page 12)
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