The memories they just can't seem to escape

This morning I fount myself, yet again, in the back of the ambulance with a sad psych patient, but for some reason it really hit me hard this time.  Lots of times we get these CRAZY wild psych patients that are just not all there and it is really just kind of funny.  Especially when they start to sing Elvis in the back of the ambulance or when they dance a little jig for you as you walk them into the hospital.  Other times, though, we are called to pick up these sad PEOPLE who have just had life hit them with something that was too hard for them to handle and it's disturbing because you can see these terrible memories taring at their minds and souls.

The man we picked up tonight suffers from post traumatic stress after being beat half to death in prison and was called in by his mother because he has been non compliant with his medications.  We ended up restraining him to our cot, because he has a full body tick that appears very intimidating (He swings at the air and yells out as if he is going to fight), but in the end it was probably not necessary.  On scene, however, there were 3 different APD (Atlanta police department) units, since it seemed very likely that we were going to have to take down this big muscular dude when he decided to fight.

I couldn't escape the sadness of the situation as we drove to the hospital, though.  This man was probably a normal happy child at one time with dreams and aspiration, but now he was this mental wreck tied in the back of our ambulance.  Another man we pick up on a regular basis was at one time a high school history teacher, then he shot an intruder that snuck into his house late one night.  The intruder turned out to be a young neighbor boy and this man was never able to get over it.  He now wanders the streets and drinks till he cant walk.  

I just finished reading Ishmael Beah's book "A long way gone, memoirs of a boy soldier".  I was so inspired by the ability of this boy to overcome his terrible memories after all he had passed through.  What makes him so special?  Why can't these people I pick up, free themselves from the memories that are destroying them?  How would I fair if I were in their situations? 

"A sick thought can devour the body's flesh more than fever or consumption."
- Guy de Maupassant (Le Horla)