Wounded Minds

A compelling look at one of the most pressing public health issues of our time. In this groundbreaking book, Dr. John Liebert, a psychiatrist who has treated hundreds of veterans, and Dr. William Birnes, a New York Times bestselling author, uncover the disturbing truths about post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans. Using scientific, historical, and anecdotal evidence, these two experts reveal why PTSD is on the rise, the threats it poses to society, and how the military is dramatically failing to give their men and women the help they desperately need. In addition, Liebert and Birnes detail the cutting-edge methods that have been developed to help soldiers heal the emotional wounds of combat. Wounded Minds also provides readers with fascinating analyses of several high-profile suicide and massacre cases, including Staff Sergeant Robert Bales’s murder of sixteen Afghan citizens and Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who opened fire on a room full of defenseless American troops. Through these stories, the authors further illustrate the very real threat posed by post-traumatic stress disorder. They also explain how to diagnose and understand the brain abnormalities associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, the diagnostic problems confronting military medicine today, and what we can do now and in the future to curb this devastating epidemic.