News Study Says Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Being Over-Diagnosed

[Grama-Herc]

I think the majority of the general population is on some kind of unbalanced "trend" that is making PTSD the "IN" thing to have.

I am so over it. I can't recalled what the product was but I saw a commercial that use a catch phrase that had something like PTSP?????????? or something like that.
I absolutely saw red at the time. I was so pissed. Just think folks, we have the
"IN" disease to have these days AAAUUUGGGHHHHHHHH!

 

[SunnyBrookFarm]

Hey grama - at least I'm finally popular now - right? LOL

 

[This Ends Now]

Well I got diagnosed before it was cool. (Sorry, but I could not resist)

One thing I noticed about the article was a conspicuous lack of diagnostic testing on the subjects in question to determine the validity of their claims. I am puzzled over why a scientist would pass up such an obvious opportunity for a nicely funded research project about a popular disease. There are real and provable biological changes that happen with PTSD and those changes can be tracked (low levels of cortisol in urine, smaller hippocampus, increased activity in the amygdala, decreased activity in the medial prefrontal cortex)... but no mention in the article of testing these things before (or after) a diagnosis is given.

This leads me to question the intention of the author and editor. If I was a scientist trying to solve a massive problem then I would call for more tests and better tests. If, however, I was a tool trying to sell an idea that could become popular then I would throw out numbers without explaining their meaning, make lots of implied threats (the taxpayer is getting robbed, the doctor's credibility could be shot with a hasty diagnosis, there are scam artists everywhere), and offer no real solution.