Enemy Unseen

Veterans living with post-traumatic stress disorder find comfort through CrossFit.

Twenty-two veterans will kill themselves today, according to the nonprofit group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).

Officially added to the third edition of the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” in 1980, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a relatively new name for a condition that’s been around as long as war. Unfortunately, its popular image is one of weakness—picture a crazy old shell-shocked uncle in wartime comedies—and few seek help.

Left untreated, PTSD is devastating. A 2012 report by the Department of Veterans Affairs shows almost 25 percent of all suicides in the United States are by veterans. Female veterans are more likely to attempt suicide; male veterans are more likely to succeed.

After battling a visible enemy, many veterans return home to find they’ve brought an unseen foe with them. Can coached fitness supply an ally in the fight on the home front?