Republicans like Jim Banks don't care about Ilhan Omar's PTSD — and they clearly don't care about American troops either

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) got vulnerable, admitting that the idea of the US instigating a war with Iran was making her feeling "a little bit" ill.

"Every time I hear about—I hear of conversations around war, I find myself being stricken with PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder]. And I find peace knowing that I serve with great advocates for peace and people who have shown courage against war," Omar said.

One reaction to Omar’s remarks was swift and cruel. Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) tweeted:

But many came to the Congresswoman’s defense, expressing outrage at the insensitive (and inaccurate) remark.

Among her defenders was the veterans group Common Defense:

Common Defense — which later said it had received a deluge of racist messages for its tweet — is right: PTSD isn’t a condition reserved for soldiers. Although people in certain occupations may experience higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder, veterans and active duty service members are not the only ones who suffer from this condition.

According the DSM-5 — regarded as the “bible” of psychological disorders — PTSD is caused by exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. In no way does the DSM-5 suggest PTSD is only legitimate if present in soldiers.

In fact, sexual violence survivors experience some of the highest rates of PTSD. According to RAINN, 94 per cent of women who are sexually assaulted experience symptoms of PTSD within two weeks after the assault. And almost 70 per cent of sexual assault survivors struggle with moderate to severe distress, more than any other violent crime.

PTSD can happen to anyone, regardless of their identity, occupation, or status. All it takes is experiencing trauma, and feeling the impacts of that trauma long after it has occurred.

In the case of Omar, who fled a civil war in Somalia at eight years old and lived in a Kenyan refugee camp for four years, that trauma will likely stay with her for the rest of her life. Other survivors of genocide and civil war will live with the same trauma. A 2009 Conflict and Health study of Somali and Rwandan refugees found that 48 per cent of Somali refugees and 32 per cent of Rwandan refugees were suffering from PTSD symptoms.

It’s clear that victims of violence struggle with the lasting effects of trauma, as much or more than combat soldiers. But they are so often denied validation and support, because to acknowledge their pain would be to acknowledge their humanity. And the war machine depends on dehumanizing massive swathes of the global population — most often the marginalized and colonized — so that it will be more acceptable to enact violence upon them and wreak havoc on their homelands. Denying their trauma is a useful tool when advocating for endless war.

Veterans with PTSD are also used as pawns, even as those using them proclaim their undying support for their mental health issues. While politicians like Banks claim to care for the troops above all others, they do not provide adequate funding and resources for their care, especially when it comes to enlisted members. A 2017 article in The International Journal of Mental Health Systems found that lack of access to mental health care was often a substantial factor contributing to high suicide rates among veterans with PTSD and depression. While the Veteran Affairs Office remains sorely underfunded — even after several allocations bills — about 20 veterans die by suicide each day, according to a 2016 study by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Furthermore, if Banks’ main concern was the wellbeing of service members and veterans, he would be vehemently against the war with Iran; he would not be enthusiastically supporting it. PTSD among veterans and active duty service members would reduce drastically if the military-industrial complex were downsized, or better yet, dismantled. But going to war with Iran will only exacerbate the issue, destroy a region, and leave so many Americans with lasting trauma.