After losing her son, an Iraq War veteran, Jeri Reed is striving to educate others about the dangers of an anti-psychotic drug he was prescribed.
Army veteran Cody Camacho was among the American troops who were part of the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003. During his time in Iraq, he was assigned to duty at the Abu Ghraib prison.
“They were mortared every day; there were a lot of things that happened, some of which I don’t really know that much about because a lot of times veterans don’t like to tell family members about their worst experiences,” said his mother, Jeri Reed, a retired history professor. She raised Camacho and his three brothers in Chicago, another of whom also served in the Iraq War.
Camacho had “severe PTSD after his experience. He turned 21 in Iraq so he was very young when he went,” says Reed, who shares her story on this month’s American Legion Be the One podcast.
After his service, Camacho stayed in Chicago and frequently called Reed, who was living in Oklahoma. “I was the one who dealt with his PTSD long distance,” she said. “He called me every day, just ranting and raving. He had a lot of issues.”
Unable to find a job or comfortably take public transportation, Camacho joined the Reserves. That helped Camacho to a better life, including a marriage and children. At the time of his death, he was vice commander of American Legion Post 36 in Des Plaines, Ill.
“I saw him a month before he died (in November 2021),” she says, noting he had been in counseling. “He was doing better than he had in years.”
So what changed?
Reed says VA had recently changed her son’s prescription to risperidone, an anti-psychotic drug.
“Cody wasn’t suicidal and didn’t show symptoms of suicide,” she says, noting he was very engaged with his daughters and his American Legion post.
Reed has connected with Derek Blumke and the American Legion Department of Michigan, as well as previous podcast guest Tim Jensen, to raise awareness about issues with risperidone and other drugs that may have significant side effects.
“This is a new campaign to address the overuse of psychiatric drugs,” she said. “There are other non-drug ways to prevent PTSD that can be explored.”
The next Be the One episode will drop Nov. 1. All episodes are available in both audio and video formats here as well as on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast-hosting sites. The video version is available at the Legion’s YouTube channel
This episode is the 13th in the Be the One series. Others include:
Episode 13: Kevin Hines is one of the few people to have survived a suicide attempt by jumping over the Golden Gate Bridge. Now, he dedicates his time and energy to inspire others and help them choose life.
Episode 12: Air Force veteran and Ohio State University researcher Dr. Craig Bryan is focused on conducting research to improve treatments to prevent suicide and promote recovery from PTSD.
Episode 11: Dr. Chris Frueh, the son of an Air Force veteran, talks about how his dad’s military experience sent him on a path to help veterans as a clinical psychologist.
Episode 10: Air Force veteran Dr. Tiffany Tajiri, a trained psychologist, talks about her faith-based recovery book, steps to overcome suicidal ideation and more.
- Be the One