Are the wounds one can see worse than the ones that are often invisible to others?
Current military policy says so. Physical injuries merit the awarding of the Purple Heart, while mental trauma can bring on misunderstanding from brothers and sisters in active duty and a pile of claim paperwork for veterans.
That's why it was so good to hear the announcement Monday that veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder now will have an easier time accessing federal benefits.
Veterans no more will have to prove what caused their illness. They simply will have to demonstrate that their time serving could have factored into it.
It's a tremendous step because, as President Barack Obama said in his Saturday radio and online address, troops in battle shouldn't have to "take notes to keep for a claims application."
The news also was heralded by Rep. Gerald E. "Gerry" Connolly, who has worked on such veterans' mental health issues.
He issued a statement calling the move "long overdue."
"It is our duty to care for all who have answered the call to defend our nation, including those with wounds that may not leave physical scars, but are debilitating, nonetheless," said the Democrat, who represents most of Prince William County.
The change also comes as Dale City resident Shannon Shy prepares to be the keynote speaker later this week at an international conference on another mental illness: obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Now a civilian lawyer with the Department of the Navy, Shy first encountered the malady in 1997 when he was on active duty in the Marine Corps.
His OCD became so bad that he could barely function. But, with treatment, he has prospered. He wrote a book called "'It'll be Okay.': How I Kept Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) from Ruining My Life," and he will address the annual gathering of the International OCD Foundation in Crystal City.
The government's policy change and Shy's success story are important, and word of them needs to be spread widely to help demystify mental illness.
Mental health issues can cause major life complications every day, and they can easily go undiagnosed.
Someone with OCD who constantly locks and re-locks a door is suffering from a medical problem just like someone who breaks a leg in combat.
So, no. The wounds one can see aren't necessarily worse than the ones that are unseen.
What is worse, though, is the ignorance of those who don't even believe the latter are cause for concern.
