PSAD Post Service Adjustment Disorder
A Different Perspective on Why a Veteran Falls Apart
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
It’s not trauma, it’s not Hyper Activity, nor lack of Attention. It starts with an adjustment issue. The adjustment of trying to make a military lifestyle fit in a civilian setting that has yet to be identified or thoroughly researched as the deeper problem that is causing so many problems for veterans.
Currently in the DSM-5, the ICD 10, and various peer reviews on the APA, there is little to no data or research on this concept. Whenever a patient is diagnosed with the various mental issues stated before, their entire regiment of therapy, medicines, counseling and psycho social therapies are centered around that main diagnosis. But from personal experience, and from interviewing hundreds of veterans over the years, a lot of them liked what they did in service and/or really never had the problems that start to happen when they got home. What happened? Why do things go so badly for so many veterans when they get home?
Simply put—think of it this way. When a civilian enlists in the Armed Forces, the military goes through very extensive training to take the civilian out and put the Marine or Soldier in. Well how do we take the Marine or Soldier out and put the civilian back when the veteran comes home permanently? Unfortunately, many service members are thrown back out into the sea of civilian life and are expected to have all they need to survive. But all they know how to do is military…how can they possible know what to do?
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Many veterans come home from service excited and ready to conquer the world. They return to their families with a drive to move their lives forward. It feels good for a while. Everyone is happy to see them, and they’re proud of their service. Then something odd happens. Everything they thought would materialize doesn’t quite take shape. They go from hero to zero.
In PSAD Post Service Adjustment Disorder, author and former Marine Daniel E. Valdez addresses and identifies specific adjustment issues all military personnel and their families experience upon release from active duty. He offers a basic, step-by-step map showing how an individual can serve their country, succeed in the military, and then have their life fall apart when they come home, a component of veteran transition often overlooked by professionals. He also identifies ways both veterans and civilians view each other that often leads to divide and miscommunication.
Formulated from more than fifteen years of collecting and recording various forms of testimonies, interviews, therapy, counseling, group discussions, rehabilitation, recovery, ministry work, and Faith-based retreats, Valdez gives meaning to the phenomenon of Post Service Adjustment Disorder and offers solutions. Insightful and practical, PSAD Post Service Adjustment Disorder is filled with sober wisdom regarding issues military veterans have upon reentering civilian life.
About the Author
Daniel E. Valdez is a former Infantry Marine who endured more than twelve years of intense hardships including homelessness, substance abuse, financial difficulties, and various mental health issues upon return home from service in the US Marine Corps. A psychology major at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas, he helps veterans address the epidemic of veteran hardships, failures, and suicides.