THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

INTRODUCED BY MURT, BOYD, BRADFORD, BROOKS, CALTAGIRONE, D. COSTA, DeWEESE, DONATUCCI, J. EVANS, EVERETT, FARRY, GEIST, GEORGE, GIBBONS, GINGRICH, GOODMAN, GROVE, HARHART, HARRIS, HENNESSEY, HESS, HORNAMAN, M. K. KELLER, W. KELLER, LONGIETTI, MAJOR, METCALFE, MILLARD, MUSTIO, O'NEILL, PAYNE, READSHAW, REICHLEY, ROSS, SONNEY, STERN, SWANGER, TALLMAN, VEREB AND VULAKOVICH, MAY 3, 2011

INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, MAY 3, 2011  

A RESOLUTION

Designating the month of May 2011 as "Military Service-Related

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month" in

Pennsylvania.

WHEREAS, The month of May has been designated by the Congress

of the United States as National Military Appreciation Month to

remember those who gave their lives in defense of freedom and to

honor the men and women of the United States Armed Forces who

have served and are now serving this country; and

WHEREAS, Beginning with the ravages of the Civil War, a war-

related syndrome has been identified and called various names:

in World War I, it was "shell shock"; in World War II, it was

"battle fatigue"; and since the Vietnam Conflict in the 1960s

and 1970s, the syndrome has been known as post-traumatic stress

disorder (PTSD); and

WHEREAS, Veterans currently returning from service in

Afghanistan and Iraq are experiencing a high incidence of PTSD;

and

WHEREAS, A study published last year in the American Journal

of Public Health revealed that more than one-third of returning

soldiers from Afghanistan and Iraq received a diagnosis of

having a mental health disorder, of which nearly 22% were

diagnosed with PTSD; and

WHEREAS, Caused by the horrors experienced during war, PTSD

has an insidious effect on the health of individuals; and

WHEREAS, PTSD causes emotional, social, physical, spiritual

and communication challenges for both the veterans suffering

from the disorder and their loved ones; and

WHEREAS, Persons with PTSD have difficulty sleeping and

experience all the tangential mental and physical effects of

sleep deprivation, feel more irritable and are prone to

unexpected or inexplicable outbursts of anger, have difficulty

concentrating, expect the worst, feel that danger is lurking and

are easily startled; and

WHEREAS, Families of persons who have PTSD experience more

unhappiness, marital strife, anxiety and childhood and

adolescent behavioral problems than families that do not have to

cope with this disorder; and

WHEREAS, The National Center for Posttraumatic Stress

Disorder within the Department of Veterans Affairs aims to

advance the clinical care and social welfare of United States

veterans through research, education and training on PTSD and

stress-related disorders and provides educational resources for

veterans and also for health care providers, researchers and the

general public through its Internet website; and

WHEREAS, It is fitting, during this month in which VE Day,

Military Spouse Day, Loyalty Day, Armed Forces Day and Memorial

Day are observed, to reflect on this serious disorder that

affects many of our veterans and their families, so that we may

renew and increase our awareness of PTSD; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the

month of May 2011 as "Military Service-Related Post-Traumatic

Stress Disorder Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.