Quote Originally Posted by Stan View Post
Hey Reed,
Not to be the devil's advocate herein, but what exactly is a pretty good idea what can be safely disclosed?

What happens to a returning soldier diagnosed with PTSD? He/She enters rehab, no longer fit for promotion, no longer eligible for yet another tour in Iraq?

I know there were some when I retired who flat out refused to disclose health issues, but that's slightly different when entering the civilian world without sight or hearing. Or is it?

Regards, Stan
Depends on the field and to a greater degree the chain of command. If the soldier needs a top secret clearance for there job then promotion is certainly at risk. They risk being med boarded out, being sent to the WTU, which on some posts are despised. If the soldier is not sent to WTU or med boarded out, then they are able to return to future deployments, though this was not always the case. Failure to get PTSD treatment will result in long term detriments to physical as well as mental health.
Many educated soldiers are aware that the intrusive memories aspect of PTSD is the key to diagnosis and will withhold disclosure if they do not want the PTSD stigma or falsely disclose it if they are malingering (it does happen, but not as often as some people fear IMO)
The article comment about a therapist being able to diagnose PTSD in five minutes is complete Bravo Sierra, and if I were ever to catch wind of a counselor doing it, I would be slinging HEAT rounds like it was going out of style. Takes a great deal of time to accurately diagnose PTSD and even then it is not an exact science by any means. I hope managed to communicate my points clearly.
Reed