Special Encore Presentation: Survival on the Front Lines of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Addiction with guest Sharlene Prinsen

Summary: Sharlene Prinsen shares what her husband and her family endured, and how they had to find their own answers in the face of a medical system that is ill-equipped to handle mental illness. Sharlene’s husband Sean had served in the military in Bosnia. For seven years Sean fought a battle with depression, pain killers, and alcohol. Then after many trips to doctors and facilities—including jails and hospitals, they discovered the root of their problems—Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is still a disorder that lacks support and apparently many doctors do not recognize it or consider it when diagnosing their patients. Once a soldier, always a soldier, and for Sean this means he is always battle ready whether the behaviors that go along with that are appropriate for civilian society or not. It is perhaps this conflict that rages inside some ex-military personnel, that leads them down a path of depression and addiction to kill the pain.