S. Marine named Tony Sandoval "who can barely complete a full sentence about the horrors he saw" and by an Army soldier (Jesse Caldera) who "is haunted by fears he killed a child" (General OneFile).
An article in the journal Policy Review references an early example of PTSD, suffered by an Athenian warrior that was "struck blind 'without blow of sword or dart' when a soldier standing next to him was killed" (Satel, 2011, p. 41). That story was told by Herodotus, and Satel suggests it was an ancient example of PTSD, which in WWI it was also called "battle fatigue," "combat exhaustion," and "war stress," according to the author.
One of the pertinent questions raised in this article relates to the how the severity of PTSD is determined by healthcare professionals -- and how soon they might be healed from the trauma. "How can clinicians predict which patients will recover when a veteran's odds of recovery depend o greatly on non-medical factors… " Satel asks (p. 41). For example, say a soldier is diagnosed with PTSD and begins receiving $2,300 every month from the government, tax-free, because he has been determined to be 100% disabled. What if those dependable monthly dollars create an "incentive" for him to "embrace institutional dependence?" Then the government has done a disservice to the veteran notwithstanding the good intentions put forward, the author concludes.
In July, 2010, the Veterans Administration changed it rules regarding what a soldier goes through in order to qualify for disability payments under the PTSD. Previously a returning soldier was obliged to "provide documentation of his exposure to combat trauma," but that is no longer the case, Satel points out on page 43. The author of this article believes the relaxed rules actually...
For example the "non-infantry" soldier can now qualify for PTSD disability if he "had good reason to fear danger, such as firefights or explosions, even if [he] did not actually experience it," Satel explains. This new rule is alluded to by Satel as a "radical departure from the clinical -- and common-sense -- understanding that traumatic stress disorders are caused by events that actually do happen to people" (p. 44).
Conclusion
Whether PTSD results from a war-related experience or from a sudden
suicide of a loved one, or from an automobile accident in which horrifying scenes were witnessed,
medical and psychological help is available for that person. What is important is that the
diagnosis should be accurate, the
treatment should be compassionate and competent. In the case of war-related PTSD, if the U.S. can turn the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan over to the people we are fighting to help, and bring the troops home, there are certain to be far fewer cases of PTSD to deal with.
Works Cited
Harvard Women' Health Watch. "Left Behind After Suicide." Retrieved April 6, 2011, from General OneFile.
Publishers Weekly. "Fields of combat: Understanding PTSD Among Veterans of Iraq
and Afghanistan." 258.13. Retrieved April 6, 2011, from General OneFile. 2011.
Satel, Sally. "PTSD's Diagnostic Trap." Policy Review. Vol. 165. Retrieved April 6, 2011,
From General OneFile (2011):…
