The Story of a True American Hero, His Princess, and Their Struggle with TBI/PTSD.

Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Drop the "D"

          As some of you know this past weekend I attended the 2011 Milblog Conference. One of the Panels was made up of filmmakers who have made films for contribution to the GI Film Festival later this month, ill put the links up to those in a bit. During the conversation a very concerned person came up to the mic and expressed that in an effort to remove the stigma associated with PTSD, it is no longer to be said as PTSD, but instead PTS. Now don't get me wrong, I want to remove the stigma just as much as the next person, but im really curious what that is actually going to do. The name of has been changed over and over throughout the years,(Soldier’s Heart, Shell Shock, War Neurosis, Combat Fatigue) and although we have made some progress, the stigma is still there, i'm not sure dropping a letter is what is going to do it. In my opinion we have progressed in reducing the stigma because more and more people are becoming aware of what is going on with our service members upon return from war, and more and more service members are talking about their experiences. There are many reasons people have come up with as to why the D should be dropped. Its like the D is something to be ashamed of, PTSD is never something to be ashamed of, taking the D away will not change that, it DOES NOT matter what it is called it IS the same thing.
Symptoms of PTSD: Re-experiencing the traumatic event
  • Intrusive, upsetting memories of the event
  • Flashbacks (acting or feeling like the event is happening again)
  • Nightmares (either of the event or of other frightening things)
  • Feelings of intense distress when reminded of the trauma
  • Intense physical reactions to reminders of the event (e.g. pounding heart, rapid breathing, nausea, muscle tension, sweating)

Symptoms of PTSD: Avoidance and numbing

  • Avoiding activities, places, thoughts, or feelings that remind you of the trauma
  • Inability to remember important aspects of the trauma
  • Loss of interest in activities and life in general
  • Feeling detached from others and emotionally numb
  • Sense of a limited future (you don’t expect to live a normal life span, get married, have a career)

Symptoms of PTSD: Increased anxiety and emotional arousal

  • Difficulty falling or staying asleep
  • Irritability or outbursts of anger
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Hypervigilance (on constant “red alert”)
  • Feeling jumpy and easily startled
Can we take away symptoms when we take away the D please...thanks.  I have seen everything from it will help SM's get jobs, to it shouldn't be a disorder because it is normal. Now those of us who have been through medical retirements, and VA ratings know that if something is "normal" it doesn't get acknowledged, if it is a symptom it does not get rated, so how many soldiers would then not get rated? Maybe my mind is just running to far from me, but has anyone been diagnosed with service connected PTS yet?? I want to hear your thoughts.

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Posted by Kristle Helmuth at 12:30 PM
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