PTSD to deserve Purple heart?

MrBishop

MrBishop

Well-Known Member
For every solder killed or physically wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan, some 10 others come home psychically scarred. The Pentagon has diagnosed roughly 40,000 troops with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since 2003, and tens of thousands of others are dealing with it on their own or ultimately will be diagnosed. With the war taking such a heavy psychological toll, some inside the military are starting to ask if men and women who become mentally injured in the service of their country deserve the Purple Heart. To some traditionalists, the idea is absurd on its face, but it is not a theoretical debate —the Pentagon is now weighing a change in policy that would make PTSD, in a term only the military could invent, a "qualifying wound" for the medal.
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:eek6:
 
somehow this seems related to all the kids that have ADD, lactose intolerance, peanut allergies, et cetera.
 
PTSD, when real, is debilitating. It's also overdiagnosed IMO. Almost as much as ADD and Bipolar are.

No easy answer on this one folks, for either side of the argument. Sucks when that happens huh? We can't line up and hurl insults and weblinks at one another for sport. I personally think distributing a purple heart for every PTSD claim cheapens the medal. But I don't wanna draw the line between the gets and the getsnot.
 
2minkey said:
somehow this seems related to all the kids that have ADD, lactose intolerance, peanut allergies, et cetera.
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I'm not sure what the connection is. I've known a couple people with peanut allergies. One got an accidental bite of peanuts on time and his whole head swelled up like a balloon. He looked insane and felt miserable but after a short trip to the hospital and some medication he was back to normal in a day or so.

People with PTSD are often screwed for long periods of time without any quick treatment like an allergic reaction has.
 
Oh, I got your point right away. I was just playing along.

Looks like you're trying to say PTSD and peanut allergies are either make believe, over-hyped, or over diagnosed.

Neither are something to be taken lightly.
 
Personally, I don't know about the Purple Heart being given out for a mental injury... but these men and women in arms (et al) should be taken care of medically and followed by a head-shrinker to make sure that they can recover (or a close hand-drawn facsimile thereof).


There are still plenty of fucked up people from Nam walking around. This is a BIG issue...the Medal is just a scratch on the surface.
 
MrBishop said:
but these men and women in arms (et al) should be taken care of medically and followed by a head-shrinker to make sure that they can recover (or a close hand-drawn facsimile thereof).
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That would certainly do far more good than the medal. :thumbup:
 
spike said:
Oh, I got your point right away. I was just playing along.

Looks like you're trying to say PTSD and peanut allergies are either make believe, over-hyped, or over diagnosed.

Neither are something to be taken lightly.
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nope superstar i'm suggesting more that we've created a culture of coddling, though with due hesitation so's not to be disrespectful to those that have served. perhaps peanuts wasn't the best choice of example. how about aspergers syndrome instead ummmkay?
 
My girlfriend tutors an aspergers kid. The kid is pretty messed up and certainly wouldn't make it through school without special attention.

This "fuck 'em" attitude you have towards soldiers with mental damage, kids with aspergers, and people with severe allergies is pretty admirable though.

You must not like coddling the physically handicapped either. Wheelchair ramps?!? Make the bastards crawl!

I don't deny that shit gets over diagnosed sometimes. But making any kind of generalization from that and applying it to all people with a condition is ridiculous.
 
BeardofPants said:
Did they, Gonz?
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Wow, tons of problems!


Gonz said:
from the very first link
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I'm not sure what you think you're proving. Many people now don't seek help because they want to be able to handle it themselves.

It sure doesn't mean they aren't fucked up and would be better off with some help.

Not understanding causes and treatments of mental disorders doesn't make you "manly" it just makes you ignorant. People with dyslexia just used to be called "stupid" by the "manly". Now we know they're not stupid and that there are ways to treat it. Seems more manly to fix things than to stay ignorant and ignore them.
 
Gonz said:
Yep.

Ever ask a man who survived D-Day about traumatic stress? They got through life without the need for special terms. If only we were all so Manly.
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The names have been changed to protect the innocent. The term used to be "Shell shocked"
 
MrBishop said:
The names have been changed to protect the innocent. The term used to be "Shell shocked"
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That was WWI. In WWII it was called "Combat Fatigue". To give you another perspective, check out the Army suicide rates. I won't look them up and post them...thats your bit because no matter where I point you, you won't get what I'm trying to say, but I'll give you a little clue. 6 months is the current time table for the Army's program to ease symptoms of PTSD once you redeploy...

I also disagree with PTSD being a way to get a Purple Heart unless its a side effect of actually being physically injured.
 
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