PTSD: The Hidden Costs of War | Jonathan Hancock

In 2004, Jonathan Hancock was assigned to the Second Battalion Fourth Marines, also known as the “Magnificent Bastards.” He was sent to Ramadi, then a stronghold for Saddam Hussein's followers and Al Qaeda leadership. Five years after deployment, Jonathan fell into a depression — a dark hole that he couldn’t get out of — and attempted to take his own life.

PTSD or post traumatic stress disorder is a mental health issue developed after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event like combat, a natural disaster, a car accident, or sexual assault. In the general US population alone, an estimated 6.8% will experience PTSD at any point in their lives. That number is much higher among veterans, between 13 to 30%.  

In this episode, we’ll unpack PTSD as it relates to veterans of war. How does one move past the guilt of hurting innocent lives? Is there such a thing as ‘just war’? Does traditional masculinity in the military impact the severity of PTSD symptoms? What can be done to provide more support to people impacted by war?

Featuring policy and advocacy insights from experts: Army Col. Dr. David M. Benedek, Professor & Chair, Department of Psychiatry at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and Dr. Elizabeth Neilson, PhD, Assistant Professor at Morehead State University.

In conversation with Hazami Barmada, Activist & Founder of the Humanity Lab Foundation.

FOR ADDITIONAL LEARNING ON THIS TOPIC, view our free educational toolkit and "policy deep-dive" document. We invite you to use this episode/toolkit for continued learning, advocacy and activism.