Mental health specialist Norma Perez wrote "Shh!" on the top of a secret email to providers suggesting that veterans were in her words, "compensation-seekers" verses truly suffering from PTSD.
Ms. Perez went on to recommend that medical providers "not prematurely diagnose" soldiers with PTSD since they (the Dallas V.A.) didn't have the time to test veterans with the psychological tests (such as the Mississippi or the MMPI) to confirm the soldiers complaints.
She recommended diagnosing soldiers with an "Adjustment Disorder" which can have symptoms similar to PTSD but do not last longer than one month. By misdiagnosing, the V.A. stands to "appear" to be properly diagnosing soldiers to avoid public criticism. Also, it decreases the likelihood of soldiers following up on their complaints through compensation seeking.
Late PTSD is less treatable and more likely to lead to suicide..
It is well lnown that individuals with PTSD and TBI who are treated early are more likely to have improved outcomes verses soldiers who receive late treatment.
ANJYL
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