PTSD diagnosis faces challenge at U.S. veterans administration.WASHINGTON--The diagnosis and understanding of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) A disorder that occurs among survivors of severe environmental stress such as a tornado, an airplane crash, or military combat. Symptoms include anxiety, insomnia, flashbacks, and nightmares. is now being challenged in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . The contention is triggered by rising numbers of disability claims by war veterans. It is no longer a professional issue, and the definition has become a political one involving the Congress and the White House, according to reports in the Washington Post, the Washington Post, The Morning daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the dominant paper in the U.S. capital and one of the nation's leading newspapers. Established in 1877 as a Democratic Party organ, it changed orientation and ownership several times and faced New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times and other publications. The numbers and cost of post-traumatic stress disorder post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mental disorder that follows an occurrence of extreme psychological stress, such as that encountered in war or resulting from violence, childhood abuse, sexual abuse, or serious accident. claims is spiralling as Viet Nam war. veterans make claims decades after that war ended. Soldiers who served in Afghanistan and Iraq are starting to make an impact. The inspector general of the Department of Veterans Affairs reports that in the past five years, the number of veterans receiving compensation for PTSD PTSD posttraumatic stress disorder. PTSD abbr. posttraumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has grown nearly seven times as fast as the number receiving benefits for disabilities in general. The cost of PTSD in 2004 was $4.3 billion USD USD In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the U.S. Dollar. Notes: The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. . VA staff are divided over the issue as the practices in local offices differ widely in their acceptance and approval of PTSD claims. Some local offices are much more open to accepting claims and providing generous disability payments. Other offices process many fewer applications and provide lesser benefits to those who are approved. The VA is concerned that the current criteria provides incentives for young soldiers to remain ill and receive disability benefits for the rest of their lives. Therefore, the Department will spend more than $1 million on a "scientific review" of PTSD diagnostic criteria and the validity of its screening techniques. The validity of the diagnosis will be examined which is a challenge to the American Psychiatric Association The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the most influential world-wide. Its some 148,000 members are mainly American but some are international. that has established criteria that its members use. Many Congress members are wary of the issue. Approving reductions in eligibility and payments is likely to bring them into conflict with veterans organizations and local constituents. Some veterans' advocates charge that the VA is trying to eliminate the PTSD category altogether. Meanwhile, President Bush wants a sharp reduction for such disability benefits for budgetary reasons. He is also most concerned that the increase in these claims feeds anti war sentiment. Staff at the White House are suggesting that many claims are fraudulent and with backing of Conservative groups that an "underground network" is encouraging and aiding veterans with exaggerated claims. Many veterans who might be eligible for benefits are not receiving any help. Terence M. Keane, a PTSD researcher, cites a 1988 study on the numbers of veterans who do not get treatment. He says that less than one-fourth of people with combatrelated PTSD have used VA-related services. |
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