For the last few years, veterans and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been hot and heavy topics in the headlines. The media is all too quick to tell us about these dangerous madmen in our midst, probably because it attracts readers. It seems it’s been one incident after another with veterans in the news, and it is all too easy to follow with pointing the finger at PTSD. The perception is out there that veterans have now turned into crazed monsters. It is a stigma that is running rampant in this country. The media is doing nothing but feeding that frenzy, which is apparent with the latest eye-catching headlines, “White House intruder was an Army vet with PTSD, family says.”
The facts of this story are tucked in bits and pieces of this news story and that. To grasp the complexity of this situation you have to go back a few years from his return from deployments. At home, Omar Gonzalez, an Army veteran, went from a jokester who would break into antics to make people laugh to being a haunted figure who became excessively paranoid according his former wife, Samantha Bell, who left him when she said she couldn't take it anymore. According to court documents, Gonzales told Secret Service agents after being apprehended that the “atmosphere was collapsing” and that he had to tell the president so he could warn the public. Gonzales’ record reveals his military occupation was Cavalry Scout, which the Army calls the “eyes and ears of the commander during battle.” The President is called “Commander in Chief.” Therefore, if the perceived threats were valid and Gonzales was still in the military, he would be trying to warn his commander. Since he was out of the military and without any other chain of command, it is reasonable to think that he was trying to warn the President, not attack him.
Another aspect of the situation that bears closer inspection is the fact that delusions are usually not a feature of PTSD. However, delusions have been found to be a feature of in the less talked about mefloquine toxicity which is known to mimic PTSD symptoms. Mefloquine (previously marketed in the United States as Lariam®), given to all branches of the military, is an antimalarial medication with potent psychotropic potential. Severe psychiatric side effects due to mefloquine intoxication are well documented, including anxiety, panic attacks, paranoia, persecutory delusions, dissociative psychosis, and anterograde amnesia. Exposure to the drug has been associated with acts of violence and suicide. It is impossible to know whether a veteran's unusual behavior is from mefloquine toxicity for certain without doing an autopsy. However, Gonzales' behavior is more in keeping with the effects of that drug than from commonly observed behaviors in PTSD patients.
Family and friends were seeing big problems years before this incident. His brother was quoted as saying, "Omar himself never thought his condition was all that bad, but we knew. He's so sick, he's not thinking rationally." As most of us living with someone with PTSD have learned the hard way, unless someone is a threat to themselves or others or commits a crime it is almost impossible to get them the help they need. Our hands are tied, and we are helpless to do anything unless the veteran decides to get help themselves. The problem lies in perception and the veteran recognizing that their thoughts and behaviors are not normal. The symptoms are not as easy to identify as, say, that of the common cold or flu. PTSD does not present body aches, fatigue, or nausea that would alert a patient to a problem. PTSD feels like a normal way of thinking from the inside unless a veteran is taught to recognize the symptoms. With mefloquine toxicity, that can exist either alone or as a layer on top of PTSD, delusional thinking can complicate the situation even further.

Lastly, Gonzalez faces charges of entering a restricted building or grounds while carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon. Federal Prosecutor called the intruder a danger to the president. Gonzales had a small knife in his front pocket. Many men carry a pocket knife, yet headlines read, “Man who charged into the West Wing 'had a KNIFE in his pants and is a veteran with PTSD'” and “Knife-Wielding Veteran Sniper Rushes White House" And today’s latest headline, “White House intruder had 800 rounds of ammunition, 2 hatchets and a machete in his vehicle” The veteran was homeless and had been homeless for two years. Everything he owned was in his vehicle, but the headline makes it sound like he was preparing for some atrocity, even though he didn’t take the bullets or blades into the White House with him. Nor did he have a gun in his possession or in his vehicle. A three-and-a-half inch serrated blade that was not even out of his pocket is not indicative of a full-scale assault.
As a result of Gonzales' fence-jumping and a couple of other incidents, the Secret Service is talking about setting up check-points a couple of blocks away from the White House. While I agree that keeping the President and the White House safe are very important, once again we are not discussing the real issues. We are not asking the hard questions, nor are we talking about the barriers to care. These are the stories that need to be told.
• Why can family members not get help when there are obvious signs someone is not thinking rationally?
• Why is PTSD always blamed when mefloqine toxicity is known to be associated with violence and suicide?
• Why is the military not being questioned and held responsible for making sure the military members that were given the anti-malaria medication are getting help before it gets to this level?
• The VA scandal was in the headlines for a few weeks; why are we not putting pressure on them and following up to make sure veterans are receiving proper care?
The real check-points we need are proactive and stand a chance to help those with mental health issues before they are a threat to themselves or others or commit a crime. We as a society seem to be more set on punishing than actually helping people. The media has the power to help this situation rather than feed the fears of the masses. What choice will responsible newscasters make?