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Transcript: Reverend Dr. Michael James Oleksa, Ph.D.

Recognizing the differences between a young man before military service and after his return home

[Lindberg:]
How would one recognize PTSD in Alaska?
[Oleksa:]
Well, I’m no expert on it medically, of course, but as a pastor I can tell the difference between the young man before he left and the young man who has come back. The earlier symptoms are more pronounced, and in some cases of course there weren’t any of those problems. The guy was not using drugs or drinking before he left or—and he was getting along fine with his wife and kids, and now it’s a whole new level of problems that weren’t there before his departure.