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Helping vets combat an unseen enemy By PAUL FATTIG WHITE CITY - For years, the veteran with the mop of dark hair over a neatly trimmed white beard has battled bouts of depression. And the horrific events of Sept. 11 only increased his sense of despondency, he said. But the Vietnam War-era Navy veteran, a resident at the Department of Veterans Affairs Domiciliary, can now turn to the Day Treatment Center that has opened at the facility. The center's mission is to help veterans, domiciliary residents as well as outpatients, with chronic psychiatric problems. "What I've learned about depression is that when I get up and show up - have activity to do - then I feel better," said the veteran, who requested anonymity. "Once I get my day started, I do fine." The center will provide that opportunity, he said. "It'll bridge a gap between being here and the community," he said. "When I get out into the community again, I'll be able to come back to participate in this treatment center." Another domiciliary resident, age 40, who served in the Army, agreed. "This will help me get back into the community, to help give back what it has given me," he said. "It's helping me to learn to deal with things." Helping those veterans who need assistance dealing with things to have a fuller life is the principal goal of the program, explained Dr. Andrew Mebane, acting chief of staff at the domiciliary. "This broadens our intensity of service as well as our scope of services," he said. "We can now handle patients who need more intensive rehabilitation activities in the domiciliary as well as bring people in from the community who are not as active or structured as they need to be. "This will help them develop the skills to handle day-to-day living in the community, to become independent," he added. Although the treatment center, which has been in the planning for more than five years, was not created as a response to the terrorist attack, its opening is timely, said Jim Smith, chief psychologist at the domiciliary. "A number of our patients have had an exacerbation of their PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) symptoms," he said, noting the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. "A lot of stuff that has been dealt with and put away has now resurfaced with the flames and ground zero film and the body bags," he said. "It's all very traumatic and literally refreshing a lot of memories. We've got our work cut out for us." Although the program is new to the domiciliary, it was first offered in the Department of Veterans Affairs more than a quarter of a century ago, he said. Until now, the domiciliary only offered a general mental health program without the center's intense focus on the problem. "This is a very, very good social learning model," he said. "We can help inpatients or outpatients acquire skills so they can have a fuller, more rewarding life." The program is timely, not merely because of Sept. 11, but because it will help more veterans get on their feet, observed Dr. Charles Moore, a psychologist and center coordinator. "The need has been recognized for a long time," he said. "But it was slow to get off the ground. It took a lot of resources and work on the part of our staff to get where we are today." Although the center just opened, participants are already taking steps to participate, said Carol Lafferty, an occupational therapist at the center. Veterans involved in the program have launched a project to send "thank you" cards to rescue workers in New York, she said. "It gave them a sense of contributing," she said. "In addition to teaching them skills, we want them to feel like they are part of the bigger community." Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.