"PTSD diagnosis a moving target" but it still affects tens of thousands of vets who are not treated.

[jody]

PTSD diagnosis a moving target

The VA is considering a rule change that would make it easier for noncombat troops to qualify for PTSD benefits. The proposed regulation, published in August, still cites the old "fear, helplessness, or horror" requirement.

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For instance, under the old definition, a person must have "experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others." Under the proposed revision, it would be enough if a person "learned" that a traumatic event had occurred to a close friend or relative or had experienced "repeated or extreme exposure to aversive details of the event(s)" — such as a police officer "repeatedly exposed to details of child abuse."

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"We don't have a laboratory test for PTSD," says Bruce Dohrenwend, a psychiatric epidemiologist at Columbia University and part of a team that re-examined results of the landmark National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study, which helped introduce the term PTSD to the masses.

But Friedman says even that might be changing. "We now have very solid research that there are alterations in brain structure and neurocircuitry is affected, etc.," he says.

But people like Dr. Norma Perez, clinical psychologist, and Maj. C. Alan Hopewell, neuropsychologist, believe the PTSD diagnosis is abused and overused.

[cap]

1. you can confirm PTSD in many vets with an MRI

although I am not sure that if the MRI doesn't catch PTSD that it still isn't there