It has been called shell shock, battle fatigue, soldier’s heart and, most recently, PTSD. Now, US military officers and psychiatrists are embroiled in a heated debate over whether to change the name of a condition as old as combat to post-traumatic stress injury. Military officers and some psychiatrists say dropping the word “disorder” in favor of “injury” will reduce the stigma that stops troops from seeking treatment. “No 19-year-old kid wants to be told he’s got a disorder,” said Gen. Peter Chiarelli, who until his retirement in February led the Army’s effort to reduce its record suicide rate. A working group of a dozen psychiatrists will hold a public hearing in Philadelphia to debate the name change. The issue is coming to a head as the American Psychiatric Association updates the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. http://www.stripes.com/news/special-reports/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/military-psychiatrists-seek-new-name-and-less-stigma-for-ptsd-1.176487 Â
