Returning vets may feel
irritable and detached

Answer: Posttraumatic-stress disorder is a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of life-threatening events, such as military combat. People who suffer from PTSD often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and feel detached from others.

In the first weeks and months following a war-zone trauma, many returning veterans continue to feel an unexpected sense of detachment, irritability, and other symptoms of stress. Veterans may also experience a loss of interest in social or sexual activities; they may feel distant from others and emotionally numb.

However, such stress-related symptoms are usually temporary. Only a small portion of veterans with symptoms goes on to experience PTSD.

Trauma memories, trauma flashbacks, and the avoidance of such memories can make living with a veteran feel like he is living in a war zone. Friends and family members may feel hurt, alienated, or discouraged because the veteran has not been able to let go of what he experienced and they may become angry or distant toward the survivor.

Supportive relationships with family and friends are extremely beneficial for war veterans. These relationships provide companionship, a sense of belonging, and support for coping with life stressors.

If you feel your husband continues to isolate from friends and experience the symptoms of PTSD after a few months in country, you may want to seek advice from the VA Medical Center at 433-0600; the Pacific Center for PTSD at 566-1935 or the Honolulu Veterans Center at 973-8387.

Q: Is the VA involved in any new studies of Alzheimer's disease?

A: Dr. Michael Weiner, director of the Center for Imaging of Neurodegenerative Disease at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, will lead a $60 million, five-year study to identify brain changes linked to Alzheimer's disease.

The effort is funded by the National Institute on Aging and an alliance of federal, academic and private partners.

The study will enroll 800 adults at up to 50 sites, including VA centers. Of the participants, 200 will have a diagnosis of Alzheimer's, 200 will be cognitively normal, and 400 will have mild cognitive impairment, often a precursor to Alzheimer's.