Even Dr. Katz thinks Norma Perez is wrong

June 5 VA E-Mail Scandal Update:
Top VA Mental Health Official Contradicts VA Manager at Senate Hearing,
Says VA Facility is Using Improper Diagnoses for Metnal Health


Senator Patty Murray

Jun 05, 2008

June 4, 2008, Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) questioned top Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) officials over a recent e-mail that discouraged VA employees from diagnosing veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The e-mail, which was written by VA manager Dr. Norma Perez, directed VA staff at a facility in Temple, Texas to diagnose "compensation-seeking veterans" with adjustment disorder, a diagnosis that has a lower disability payout than Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Dr. Perez appeared at the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee hearing and was joined by Dr. Ira Katz, the VA's top mental health official.

During questioning, Dr. Ira Katz said that he did not agree with diagnosing veterans with adjustment disorder in the way that Dr. Perez described - often more than a year after a veteran had returned home. Diagnostic guidelines for adjustment disorder say that it should not be diagnosed more than six months after the traumatic event.

"Unfortunately, today's hearing raises more questions than it answered," Murray said after the hearing. "Instead of getting to the bottom of this damaging e-mail, we learned that there may be deeper, systematic problems with how facilities are diagnosing mental health disorders."
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http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/ArticleID/10298