The leaked email from a Veteran’s Administration psychologist discouraging diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has sparked
outrage,
the beginnings of an investigation, and calls for such
by a candidate for President. Yet the underdiagnosis of PTSD is hardly isolated or new. As D.E. Ford, MSW, Commander Jeff Huber, and I.L Meagher reported two years ago in their documentary
“Blaming the Veteran: The Politics of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder”, the BushAdmin has followed a deliberate policy of underdiagnosis and victim-blaming to cut costs of medical treatment for soldiers returning home from endless tours of duty; and to hide the real psychological effects of a war that shouldn’t have been fought in the first place. Meagher keeps up a pretty informative blog
PTSD Combat, so go check that out.