Wounded Times ahead of PTSD name change debate

Wounded Times ahead of PTSD name change debate
by
Chaplain Kathie

This is post number 15,001 for Wounded Times Blog and vindication! The rest of the blog world seems to be all too willing to just jump on the bandwagon without thinking about what they are reading. While most cheered the PTSD name change to PTSI for "injury" instead of "disorder" they didn't seem able to think about what this actually could mean. Most of the people I know agree this is a dumb idea. Instead of actually explaining what PTSD is, why they have it and what they can do to heal it, the government pulls a stunt like this. It is important to point out here that there is no cure for PTSD, but healing is possible so that they can live better lives and learn what to do for what they will live with the rest of their lives.

Who is behind PTSD term change?
May 9, 2012
There was a time when I thought it may be a good idea to change it to injury considering the only way a person ends up with PTSD is after a traumatic event but after much consideration the word "wound" would have fit better. The word "trauma" is Greek for "wound" and that is exactly what it is. When you change it to "injury" it implies that it is not a lifetime condition and removes the obligation of the government from treating it as a lifetime condition. A broken bone will heal but an amputation is a part of the body gone forever. This is not a simple question and there are no easy answers.

Here is the vindication. The next time you read something online that is just posting something this important without understanding the ramifications of it, you should wonder how much they actually do know.

PTSD definition change could affect veterans
By Kyle Martin
Staff Writer
Monday, May 14, 2012

Pending changes in the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder could have wide-ranging implications for veterans.

The proposed definition can be found in a draft of the American Psychiatric Association’s fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The manual serves as a guide for mental health workers around the world.

The changes include removing subjective criteria such as fear and expanding definitions of traumatic events.

The introduction of the manual’s draft this month coincides with a movement to change post-traumatic stress from a disorder to an injury.

Dr. Bill Albrecht, a staff psychologist at Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center, said Monday that the outcome will be interesting.

“We’ll be getting rid of some problems, but we may be gaining some more,” he said.

Though dropping “disorder” from the title might reduce the stigma, skeptics warn that changing the term to “injury” could make it harder to qualify for permanent benefits. A disorder can last a lifetime; “injury” implies something that heals.

“That’s the concern,” said Dave Autry, the deputy national director of communications for Disabled American Veterans. “We’re certainly keeping an eye on it.”
read more here

I am and always will be a "skeptic" because of the things they've already done while avoiding what needs to be done.