Operator Syndrome

Operator Syndrome looks at the hidden struggles of elite military personnel such as Green Berets, Navy SEALs, Air Force PJs, and Marine Raiders. After years, sometimes decades, of fighting in the Global War on Terror, many of them live with a distinctive cluster of injuries. The book describes the deep effect that this long period of extreme sacrifice has had on special operators and their loved ones.

Clinical psychologist Chris Frueh, Ph.D., draws on thirty years of clinical trials, historical epidemiology, and neuroscience research, plus a decade of applied work with special operators from every branch of the US military. He identifies a pattern of interrelated problems: traumatic brain injury, hormonal dysregulation, sleep apnea, chronic pain, depression, anger, insomnia, addiction, and existential angst, among others.

Frueh explains where the syndrome comes from and how it affects every biological system in the body, as well as the social systems of family, work, and a society that is indifferent to these veterans on their return. He argues that modern healthcare systems, the Veterans Affairs system in particular, have too often relied on the PTSD 'easy button' and failed a generation who have carried most of the fight since 9/11.

The book also sets out practical solutions, lifestyle changes, and step-by-step treatment strategies that the author says have worked for hundreds of operators.