PTSD Among American Service Personnel

The New England Journal of Medicine  -- the oldest and most prestigious medical journal in the USA -- has published a study of the incidence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among combat veterans.  They considered the article to be of such significance that they have made the full text freely available on line.  They also published an editorial pertaining to the research paper, also freely available. 

In this post, I show that there is evidence that there is a significant risk for PTSD among American service personnel in Iraq, that the military is taking steps to address this, that some persons feel that the military is not doing enough, and that  -- despite the earlier controversy -- there is substantial, compelling evidence for a distinct set of abnormal neurobiological processes in patients with PTSD.  Although some may continue to argue that PTSD is not a real disease, that position is becoming increasingly untenable.  In order to avoid a repetition of the secondary trauma that was experienced by so many Vietnam vets, it would be good for the entire public in the USA to become more familiar with these issues.  I also provide links to information for that purpose.  Read the rest at The Rest of the Story.