Army encourages new way of looking at combat and PTSD

I can't believe I am finally reading something like this after all these years of screaming about it!

Army encourages new way of looking at PTSD
Traditional definitions of post-traumatic stress disorder may not fit in the case of a trained warrior, a new policy document states.
By Kim Murphy,
Los Angeles Times
April 25, 2012
SEATTLE

In a move to improve treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder, the Army is discouraging the use of traditional definitions such as feelings of fear, helplessness and horror — symptoms that may not be in a trained warrior's vocabulary. It also is recommending against the use of anti-anxiety and antipsychotic medications for such combat stress in favor of more proven drugs.

The changes are reflected in a new policy document released this month, one that reflects a growing understanding of the "occupational" nature of the condition for many troops. For them, the symptoms often associated with combat stress — hyperarousal, anger, numbness and sleeplessness — may be signs of illness at home but also responses crucial to survival in a war zone.

Doctors who adhere strictly to traditional PTSD definitions could withhold lifesaving treatment for those who need it most, Army doctors now warn, passing over soldiers or accusing them of faking problems.

"There is considerable new evidence that certain aspects of the definition are not adequate for individuals working in the military and other first-responder occupations," such as firefighting and police work, according to the policy, developed by the U.S. Army Medical Command.

"They often do not endorse 'fear, helplessness or horror,' the typical response of civilian victims to traumatic events. Although they may experience fear internally, they are trained to fall back on their training skills [and] may have other responses such as anger."
read more here

I don't think I'd call it "new evidence" since most studies on combat and PTSD go back 40 years!