Veterans groups complain of stigma
Law aims to aid in stressful situations
By Kyle Martin
Staff Writer
Friday, July 23, 2010
Reaction is mixed to a new law that allows service members and veterans to have a notation on their driver's license that they've been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder.
Advocates say it's a way to warn law enforcement at a traffic stop that the driver has a sensitive condition and should be treated with care.
Critics argue that it reinforces the stigma that veterans with PTSD are ticking time bombs and could foster discrimination against people with mental illness.
The law, which went into effect July 1, requires veterans to bring paperwork from their doctor or psychologist proving their condition.
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Veterans groups complain of stigma
Friday, July 23, 2010
PTSD on driver's license bad idea
If they really wanted to help then they should have done it in a way that would help as well as honor. I posted on this before that they should have just put on "Combat Vet" instead of PTSD.
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It's my sincerest hope that None of our Vets fall for the idea of Identifying themselves as suffering from a Label, which is the creation of Pharmaceutical Interests.
ReplyDeleteThe Stress of combat service will often result in needing Time, sometimes a Lot of Time, to decompress from it.
It is Not, however, some Stand alone Label which in almost All instances causes our Veterans more harm than good. If our VA wants to truly help our Vets, they can Stop hanging Psychiatric Labels on them, and Stop treating them with dangerous and destructive psychotropic drugs, ..... which Cure Nothing.
My wish as well. Thank you for your thoughts on this.
ReplyDeleteDrugs are needed in most cases, but not all cases. They are just human and asked to do things the rest of us know nothing about but we can understand our own pain after trauma. They need access to everything available for what works best for them. Medication without therapy only medicates but does not heal. Therapy is needed in all cases, but there are many different kinds. What we need is total honesty and the first piece of honest news is that they can heal. Many have already but the longer PTSD goes untreated, the less they will be able to heal. Doing something like putting PTSD on a license will do more harm than good and they will regret opting into having it on their license.
When law enforcement knows they are encountering a combat veteran, they are more apt to take them to the VA than jail, so this sounds like a good idea but I doubt the "brains" behind this ever stopped to think about another combat veteran without the label ends up needing help. The really way to help them and honor their service would be to put simply "Combat Vet" on their license if they feel they have to have anything at all.