Post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury are reportedly the most common war-related conditions facing veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Yet many physicians still aren’t familiar with the medical conditions.

The Oregon Medical Association Alliance, in conjunction with Bay Area Hospital, is aiming to change that. They are hosting a series of talks for both medical professionals and veterans at Bay Area Hospital on Thursday and Friday.

Alliance Executive Director Pat Webster said her organizations wanted to focus on veterans issues as a topic of the conference, but faced a dilemma when choosing a specific issue. There were too many to choose from.

Surveys of veterans hospitals and other service organizations narrowed the field. PTSD and traumatic brain injury were cited as the two conditions most prevalent among returning servicemen and women.

“So many injured in Iraq and Afghanistan have these type of injuries,” Webster said. “They’ve kind of been dropped between the cracks.”

Part of the reason is that, especially with traumatic brain injuries, recovery is more complicated than with other injuries. Those suffering from brain injuries often have to not only learn how to readjust to civilian life, but they also must learn basic functions again.

“Some have to learn to speak again,” Webster said.

Health care providers often don’t have a lot of experience with these types of issues.

Post-traumatic stress disorder can result in suicide or strain within the family and can go unnoticed. Diagnosing PTSD may require a physician to look beyond the outward comments from a veteran. Webster said vets will often say they are fine when suffering from depression or other PTSD symptoms.

The seminars are designed to help physicians and veterans recognize the signs and find treatment.

The three speakers will be Dr. Lynn Van Male with the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Dr. Scott Babe, an Iraq veteran and psychiatrist; and Dr. James Calvert, a Vietnam veteran and family practitioner with Veterans Affairs. The seminars will be broken into afternoon and evening sessions. The afternoon meetings are geared more toward those in the medical field. The evening meetings are for veterans and their relatives. All are open to the public, Webster said.

The economic downturn has multiplied the challenges veterans face upon return, Webster said. Some come back to find their jobs are gone. This is especially true on the South Coast, she said. That was one of the reasons OMAA chose Coos Bay and the Bay Area Hospital to host the presentations.

“It’s an especially high unemployment area,” Webster said. “It is a hard place for them to be.”