MILWAUKEE — The week before the 4th of July and the week after is a tense time for military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, some of whom might be startled by the celebratory fireworks.
“Some of the veterans I treat say it’s ironic that we have a holiday celebrating the freedoms they helped fight for, but parts of it can be terrifying for them,” Catherine Coppolillo said.
Coppolillo is a psychologist at the Clement J. Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Milwaukee. She works on a team counseling mostly combat veterans with PTSD, a condition that develops after exposure to severely traumatic events.
