VETERANS ORGANIZATION WARNS OF PTS DANGERS FROM “CALL OF DUTY” & OTHER WAR VIDEO GAMES

VETERANS ORGANIZATION WARNS OF PTS DANGERS FROM “CALL OF DUTY” & OTHER WAR VIDEO GAMES

Stay Strong Nation Says War Video Games May Be Trigger of Severe PTS Symptoms

MAUI, HAWAII – (February 9, 2011) – Stay Strong Nation, a non-profit organization working to help veterans cope with Post-Traumatic Stress/Traumatic Brain Injury (PTS/TBI), today said popular war-simulation video games pose a bigger threat than people think to veterans with PTS. Exposure to popular games like “Call of Duty: Black Ops” serve as dangerous and sometimes volatile triggers for veterans suffering from PTS.

Among the best-selling video games during 2010, “Call of Duty: Black Ops” is engineered as a real-life simulation of war-like scenarios based in different combat zones. It’s been reported that violent video games may pose a danger to children, but often lost in that conversation are the millions of veterans who lived the real thing and today are left trying to put their lives back together.

Experts at Stay Strong Nation say the bigger danger resides within veterans who have PTS but fail to admit or identify the symptoms. “The scariest part of PTS is when a veteran experiences symptoms such as flashbacks, or feelings of panic and depression, yet unknowingly brushes it under a blanket of machismo,” said Gresford Lewishall, vice president of the organization. “Veterans either play or have exposure to the games and subsequently feel like they’re back in Afghanistan or Iraq in life or death situations. Their heart beat accelerates and they feel a sense of unease come over them.”

Veterans coping with PTS/TBI endure daily reminders, often unintentional by most Americans, that serve as triggers causing emotional flashbacks that are sometimes severe. Games like “Call of Duty: Black Ops” act as a trigger whereby veterans think back to the realities of some of war’s darkest moments, from a blown out tire on a jeep to carrying a deceased fellow soldier back from enemy territory.

Stay Strong Nation urges all veterans to realize the inherent dangers involved in playing or having exposure to war-simulation video games. The organization is currently on a mission to educate private citizens on these dangers, as PTS affects family, friends and loved ones of veterans. Stay Strong Nation is also preparing a study involving veterans on a possible new treatment for PTS, as well as planning the development of a $20 million treatment facility and program based in Hawaii.