Valley Vets Concerned about Misdiagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Valley Vets Concerned about Misdiagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Reported by: Gary Parker

HARLINGEN - Post-traumatic stress disorder is a silent killer for many soldiers coming home.

The battle for veteran Fred Rendon really began when he came home. Rendon suffers from the PTSD.

"I didn't like to be around people anymore. I wasn't comfortable at home; I was always on edge. I was depressed all the time. I mean but this is constant,” says Rendon.

Rendon served in Vietnam for a year. He saw death and carnage. Those images didn't stop when he came home in 1967. Rendon was paranoid. He didn't like going into public places. That included restaurants.

"A great concern of mine was the silverware: if I need it, could I kill somebody, could I kill somebody with the silverware if they attacked me,” says Rendon.

Rendon knew something was wrong. VA doctors didn't diagnose him with PTSD until 1996, almost 30 years after serving in Vietnam. PTSD is diagnosed on a scale, the greater the disorder, the higher the VA benefits. The scale goes up to 100 percent.

Rendon was initially diagnosed with 10 percent PTSD. He received minimal benefits. He claims that kept him from having enough money to get proper treatment. He tells us the suffering is the same regardless of the percentage.

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Valley Vets Concerned about Misdiagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder