Tuesday, June 15, 2004

HMMMMM....
The 2nd Infantry Division is experiencing a surge in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among soldiers who rotated here from assignments in Iraq or Afghanistan, says a senior health official...

PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that occurs when a person is exposed to a traumatic or life threatening event such as war, assault, sexual assault, natural disasters or disasters in general, Dorritie said.

Symptoms include panic attacks, nightmares, insomnia, hyper-vigilance, flashbacks, outbursts of anger and irritability, concentration and attention problems and the inability to relax, she said...

Thirty percent of soldiers who serve in combat zones develop full-blown PTSD and 25 percent have at least some symptoms, Dorritie said. “So at least half of the soldiers in combat zones will have (some form of) PTSD.”
I want to tread lightly here...because I do not want to appear to assign this problem less gravity than it is due.

However, whether it is misquoting by the reporter, or misspeaking by the health official, it seemed to me that the statistics quoted in this article are high.
The article concludes that at least half of our soldiers will have some form of PTSD.

I can't get the site to open, but Google preview allows me to see this statement:
PTSD is observed in up to 30% of those who have been in combat zones
In my mind there is a huge difference between "up to 30%" and "30% will develop".

Then there is this statement from a University of Alabama Birmingham (Good Med school there by the way) site:
About 30 percent of men and women who have spent time in war zones experience PTSD.
Which would seem to discount the "half our soldiers" comment.

My point? Let's not ascribe illness to those who don't have it, let's not create "victims" where they are not and moreover, let's not sow panic where it is not warranted.

No comments: