A Blood Test Might One Day Mass-Screen Military Personnel for PTSD

Scientific American ^ | September 10, 2019 | Emily Willingham

[ImpBill]

While I appreciate being informed of things like this, I also cringe each and every time anything PTSD gets posted. So many, who know so little, tend to opine their ignorance.

"Posttraumatic stress disorder has been a recognized mental illness since 1980 when it was included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition (DSM-III). It was considered quite controversial at the time, but since then doctors and researchers agree that PTSD is a mental illness."

If this report is accurate, which my initial reaction is one of skepticism, what a step forward for all mankind in the prognosis and treatment for all mental illness.

[GreyFriar]

Having the question “have you ever thought about killing people” (and variations) to diagnose PTSD or as a “red flag” to deny the sale of a gun is quite irrelevant when it comes to being asked of a member of the military, especially members of the Army combat arms branches. Before I went into the Army I thought about it and decided that it was part of the reason for being in the Army, to defend the USA by killing its enemies in combat. For those who answer no then there is conscientious objector status or signing up as a medic or chaplain’s assistant.