UW-Madison seeks war veterans for PTSD research

GREEN BAY - Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are being asked to take part in a Wisconsin study designed to help soldiers adjust to life after combat.

The goal is to assist them in battling Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD.

Researchers want to see if alternative treatments can help those returning from war.

"We pushed into Baghdad in 2003. We were a front-line combat unit," said retired Army Sgt. Isaiah Pasterski.

When asked if he saw some pretty terrible things, Pasterski simply nodded his head.

Soon after he returned from Iraq, where he was wounded by a roadside bomb, doctors diagnosed Pasterski with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

"It's a day to day thing. A lot of things can trigger like flashbacks, things like that," Pasterski said.

According to the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, about 75,000 veterans are enrolled for care in Wisconsin.

Twenty-six percent, or 19,500, have been diagnosed with PTSD.

UW-Madison researchers say about half of those with the disorder do not respond to conventional treatments, like psychotherapy and medication.

As part of a wellness study, scientists are working on new strategies for treating PTSD.

"Some active stretching, and some physical movement, some discussion, some practicing of different types of meditation techniques," explained the study's principal investigator, Jack Nitschke.

The university says these sorts of programs are cost-effective and free of side effects, and veterans can practice the techniques on their own.

"We just want to see if these newer interventions make a difference in these people's lives. Do their PTSD symptoms get better, does their depression get reduced, do they start to sleep better," said Nitschke.

"A lot of them have experiences that are very difficult to deal with," said Jeremy Galica, a veterans advisor at NWTC.

Galica says the research is important. He adds the group discussion technique is in the works at the college.

"One of the things we have planned is a general studies class, specifically for veterans, and I think that goes along those same kind of ideas, you know, that group dynamic can be very therapeutic for people," Galica said.

Pasterski said the wellness study can only benefit those like himself.

"Anything that we can do to help other veterans like myself that suffer with this is going to be greatly appreciated," said Pasterski.

The study's week long sessions will take place on the UW-Madison campus in March. Interested veterans can call (608) 263-0803. Those who participate could be paid up to $380 and reimbursed for gas.