The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1944-11-30

There is a home problem coming,
fpiling up as the men and women OF
the services come home.
In some cases solution will come
easily; in others not so easily.
We have two main types of home
comers, those who come back through
what are known as administrative
channels, the other through medical
channels.
The medical cases are cared for IN
service hospitals. Already the psy-
chiatric facilities are over-taxed.
But there are among those who
look well and seemingly are well,
percentage of men and women who
are somewhat out of tune, or off key,
mentally.
The strain of service has done it;
and they are unaware of what has
taken place within them. Mostly those
around them at home are similarly
unaware.
That's where the rub comes.
One eminent psychiatrist points out
that something of the same nature
has happened to great numbers of
civilians. Many have been sent far
from home; they have been under the
long strain of steady rush work; they
have accumulated worries. They, too,
are off key.
| So we have two major groups, each
! 10, of
tai maladjustment
Nothing like it has ever happened
before.
Unions, being orranized bodies
with facilities for reaching larfc
numbers of individuals, can help meet
the needs of the time in this very i'm
portant field.
If you ask a good doctor what's to
be done he probably will say that, for
the great masses of people the things
to be done are few and simple.
But they are extremely important.
First in order is that vague thing
called understanding"
To use more than just that one
word, let us call it patience, toler-
ance, and very high and keen re-
gard for the wishes of others.
The returnee is not to be regarded
as either a freak or hero.
If he doesn't want to talk, let him
remain quiet If he wants to be alone,
at least appear to permit him to be
alone.
Let HIM be the guide to YOUR
conduct.
That's a pretty safe rule for the
average civilian to follow. And it
goes for the returning worker just as
it does the returning service man, or
woman.
One doctor tells us the returnee
likes to find his own quarters as they
were. Familiar things seem to have
great Importance.
1t would be a good idea for unions
to have talks by psychiatric author
tiles, where they are available.
We are told that it is possible for
us to have a considerable volume of
permanent mental unbalanced unless
the situation is handled with some
degree of intelligence.
That makes it important for all of
US.
Where men are injured so that the
injury is visible, there is another kind
of situation, in the sense that it re-
quires more tact and more self con-
troll on the part of the home folks.
Don't be too darned curious-and
don't stare. A person can be very
much on edge about something that
sets him apart as not like other folks,
or not like he was before his injury.
All in all, we have something to be
concerned about - and to do some
thing about. We may be thankful that
today we have doctors who know
more than has been known in any
other war about how to care for the
mental vagaries of men, as well as
for their physical injuries.
Unions, being more nearly of the
people than any other organized
groups, have an opportunity that they
must not fail to meet.-CMW.