Balancing the Image of PTSD

The Synonmous Relationship of Combat and Post-Traumatic Stress

May 11, 2009

The perception of PTSD as nothing more than "battle fatigue" is a thing of the past in American society. Or is it?

Post-Traumatic Stress disorder, or PTSD, is an anxiety disorder that may or may not develop after a person has been exposed to or experienced a traumatic event. PTSD symptoms can range from flashbacks and nightmares to irritability, emotional distance and becoming easily startled.

The statistics for PTSD are staggering: 5.2 million adults ages 18 and older have experienced post-traumatic stress disorder in a given year. An estimated 15 percent of Vietnam veterans are currently experiencing PTSD after the war, and other studies claim that 31 percent of all war zone veterans will experience the disorder in their lifetimes.

PTSD and Combat

Once referred to as "shell shock" or "battle fatigue," post-traumatic stress disorder has come a long way in it's acceptance into mainstream society. We now know that some PTSD diagnoses involve clients with alternative traumatic experiences, such as childhood abuse or victims of disasters. It is still; however, greatly associated with combat, and with the ongoing war overseas, that image is re-imprinting in the American lexicon.

For example, this year the prime-time soap opera Grey's Anatomy featured a storyline in which actor Kevin McKidd plays doctor Owen Hunt, a trauma surgeon who recently returned from a tour in the Middle East. The character exhibited severe PTSD symptoms.

Current Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Diagnosis Criteria

The requirements for diagnosis of PTSD fall to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). The criteria begin with a traumatic event, which can include childhood abuse, rape, natural disasters and war, in which the person experienced fear and anxiety for his or her well being.

After the trauma, the PTSD client can experience a multitude of symptoms, which can cause the person to relive the event or avoid anything associated with the event. Including:

The DSM-IV states the person must experience such symptoms for at least a period of one month for a post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis.

Redefining the Disorder

Some psychologists and scientists, however, want a recall when it comes to PTSD criteria. An April 2009 article in Scientific American sites a movement that could turn the PTSD diagnosis on its head. A group of heavy-hitters in the world of psychology are making a case that PTSD criteria are too broad, resulting in over-diagnosis, as other psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety are being mistaken for PTSD.

"PTSD is a real thing, without a doubt," Harvard University psychologist Richard J. McNally told Scientific American. "But as a diagnosis, PTSD has become so flabby and overstretched, so much a part of the culture, that we are almost certainly mistaking other problems for PTSD and thus mistreating them."

As more research and studies are conducted for veterans returning from combat, this group is hoping to impact the world of PTSD with new evidence supporting their claims, as well as influence a new definition and diagnostic criteria of the disorder in the 2012 edition of the DSM.

Critics maintain that such an overhaul of post-traumatic stress disorder means a setback in the country's acceptance of the disorder, especially as the Department of Defense announced in January 2009 that it would not award the Purple Heart to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

"Facts and Statistics: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder." American Psychological Association, 2007.

The copyright of the article Balancing the Image of PTSD in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is owned by Lisa Ann Schleipfer. Permission to republish Balancing the Image of PTSD in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.