These harrowing photos tell the story of post-traumatic stress disorder in a way no other medium could. Photographer Craig Walker won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for this mesmerizing series on Scott Ostrom, a former Marine suffering from PTSD after serving 4 years in Iraq. These photos were taken in December of 2011.
Scott Ostrom cups his hand over his mouth as he tries to calm a panic attack at his apartment in Boulder, Colorado. Scott says it's been hard to find meaning in his life since 2007, when he was honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps.
(AP / Craig F. Walker, The Denver Post)
Scott counts the stitches in his wrist a few days after he attempted suicide. Scott said many times he should have died overseas, and during a fight with his girlfriend, she agreed. 'I just grabbed a pair of scissors tried jabbing them into my neck, but they were closed,' Scott said. 'So I grabbed a nice kitchen knife and cut my wrists.' He said he believes every combat vet struggling with PTSD has a contingency plan. 'Every one of us has a suicide plan. We all know how to kill, and we all have a plan to kill ourselves.'
(AP / Craig F. Walker, The Denver Post)
Scott is comforted by a friend during an argument with his girlfriend over the phone. Sitting on the bed, he started crying. He said the anxiety he experienced that day was brought on by her moving all of her belongings out. Scott said she also took his anti-anxiety and sleep medication. 'I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight - I'm not going to get over this panic attack.
(AP / Craig F. Walker, The Denver Post)
After punching a hole in his bedroom door, Scott panics in his living room. 'My PTSD comes from long exposure to combat trauma,' Scott said. 'I think it comes from the fact that I survived. That wasn't my plan. It's an honor to die for my country, but I made it home.' Scott said that being diagnosed with PTSD 'means I have nightmares every night. It means I'm hyper-vigilant -- It means I have no fuse and if I get attacked, I'm going to kill. 'I don't want to feel this way.'
(AP / Craig Walker, The Denver Post)
