Dropping the D from PTSD won't change stigma, study says
Researchers found no scientific proof supporting an Army idea to drop the word "disorder" from the term post-traumatic stress disorder as a means of removing the stigma from the disease, according to a RAND study released Thursday.
Claiming that soldiers would more willingly seek help for the illness if it was called post-traumatic stress or post-traumatic stress injury, the Army asked the American Psychiatric Association to change the name in its official manual of mental illnesses.
The association declined to do so in 2011.
The illness stems from experiencing traumatic events such as sexual assault, traffic accidents or combat. Symptoms include distressing persistent memories of the trauma, feelings of intense anxiety, negative moods, a sense of emotional numbness and an avoidance of anything triggering flashbacks.
Read more at USA Today
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