Fort Carson:"I am under a lot of pressure to not diagnose PTSD"

For me, listening to this, there is little doubt it's true. After all, why wouldn't the VA and the DOD want to know what really works to help these men and women heal? Why wouldn't they do everything possible to treat them early and stop it before it gets so bad they can no longer live a "normal" life? Because if they admit the soldier has PTSD, then they will have to pay for that soldier's life for the rest of his life, that is, if they admit it. If they deny it, then they don't have to treat them now, or later. They won't have to do anything more than just deny the wound is a wound.

Tonight, between the post I just did on the funeral home leaving veterans bodies to just rot instead of taking care of them while they wait for burial at Arlington National Cemetery, plus this, I can't think of another night as horrible as this has been. All I can think about is one of my friends and what happened to her. Claim denied and she fought for years to have it honored fully, but also fought for all other veterans. Capt. Agnes "Irish" Bresnahan died March 11th in Washington DC after another hearing on her claim. She had Agent Orange illnesses and PTSD. Her family wants her buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Add this to this report of the denial of PTSD claims, the deaths of our veterans because they lost hope, the devastation of families left behind, the hundreds of thousands still fighting to have their claims honored and then think about the ones still serving, too many facing the same kind of punishment for being wounded and you may come close to understanding exactly how much crap is going on behind their backs.

"I am under a lot of pressure to not diagnose PTSD"
A secret recording reveals the Army may be pushing its medical staff not to diagnose post-traumatic stress disorder. The Army and Senate have ignored the implications.
Editor's note: Last June, during a medical appointment, a patient named "Sgt. X" recorded an Army psychologist at Fort Carson, Colo., saying that he was under pressure not to diagnose combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Listen to a segment of the tape here.
By Michael de Yoanna and Mark Benjamin
April 8, 2009 FORT CARSON, Colo. -- "Sgt. X" is built like the Bradley Fighting Vehicle he rode in while in Iraq. He's as bulky, brawny and seemingly impervious as a tank.

In an interview in the high-rise offices of his Denver attorneys, however, symptoms of the damaged brain inside that tough exterior begin to appear. Sgt. X's eyes go suddenly blank, shifting to refocus oddly on a wall. He pauses mid-sentence, struggling for simple words. His hands occasionally tremble and spasm.

For more than a year he's been seeking treatment at Fort Carson for a brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, the signature injuries of the Iraq war. Sgt. X is also suffering through the Army's confusing disability payment system, handled by something called a medical evaluation board. The process of negotiating the system has been made harder by his war-damaged memory. Sgt. X's wife has to go with him to doctor's appointments so he'll remember what the doctor tells him.
go here for more
http://www.salon.com/news/special/coming_home/2009/04/08/tape/

If you are aware of a soldier who has served or is serving in the Iraq or Afghanistan conflicts and is having trouble getting a PTSD diagnosis or proper benefits, please contact Mark Benjamin at mbenjamin@salon.com.