Wounded Minds

A compelling look at one of the most pressing public health issues of our time. In this groundbreaking book, Dr. John Liebert, a psychiatrist who has treated hundreds of veterans, and Dr. William Birnes, a New York Times bestselling author, uncover the disturbing truths about post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans. Using scientific, historical, and anecdotal evidence, these two experts reveal why PTSD is on the rise, the threats it poses to society, and how the military is dramatically failing to give their men and women the help they desperately need. In addition, Liebert and Birnes detail the cutting-edge methods that have been developed to help soldiers heal the emotional wounds of combat. Wounded Minds also provides readers with fascinating analyses of several high-profile suicide and massacre cases, including Staff Sergeant Robert Bales's murder of sixteen Afghan citizens and Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who opened fire on a room full of defenseless American troops. Through these stories, the authors further illustrate the very real threat posed by post-traumatic stress disorder. They also explain how to diagnose and understand the brain abnormalities associated with post-traumatic stress disorder, the diagnostic problems confronting military medicine today, and what we can do now and in the future to curb this devastating epidemic.

John Liebert, MD, is a psychiatrist who specializes in complex neuropsychiatric diagnostics, advanced psychopharmacology combined with psychotherapy of patients exhibiting destructive behavior. Having served as a flight surgeon in the Vietnam War and then chief resident in psychiatry at Seattle VA Hospital, he has lectured, testified, and published on the topic of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatology of Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) since 1969. He lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. William J. Birnes, PhD, JD, is an editor, publisher, literary agent, and television producer. He's also a New York Times bestselling author and a guest host on several network television series. He is the coauthor of Hearts of Darkness: Why Kids Are Becoming Mass Murderers and How We Can Stop It with John Liebert. He lives in Lambertville, New Jersey.