ptsd Iom Ptsd Review

[timetowinarace]

Here's a link and the IOM's summery on their web page.

Institute Of Medicine

At the request of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Institute of Medicine conducted a study on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The committee reviewed and commented on the diagnosis and assessment of PTSD and known risk factors for its development.

The committee found that PTSD is a well characterized medical disorder and that the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) criteria for diagnosing PTSD are evidence-based, widely accepted, and widely used.

According to the committee’s report, PTSD should be diagnosed and assessed by a health professional with experience in diagnosing psychiatric disorders (e.g., primary care physicians, nurses, social workers) using the DSM-IV criteria. Ideally, this diagnosis should take place in a private setting with a face-to-face interview that can last an hour or more.

Additionally, while screening and diagnostic instruments might help in the diagnosis and assessment of PTSD, these tools cannot substitute for an evaluation by an experienced professional.

The committee wrote that because all veterans deployed to a war zone are at risk for the development of PTSD, it would be prudent for health professionals to query veterans about their wartime experiences and their symptoms, when presenting at primary care and other health facilities (inpatient or outpatient).

Last Updated: 6/16/2006, 04:16 PM

[john999]

The Institute of Meds is working on IU now.

[Wings]

VA NEWS FLASH from Larry Scott at VA Watchdog dot Org -- 06-18-2006

http://vawatchdog.org/old%20newsflashes%20...6-18-2006-1.htm

VA'S PTSD REVIEW CONTINUES AT THE INSTITUTE OF

MEDICINE -- We have a first-person report from

Steve Robinson of the VFA / VVA.

---------------

Steve Robinson

Government Relations Director

Veterans for America

Srobinson@vi.org

202-557-7593

Today (Fri 16 Jun 06) I attended the meeting of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) review.

At the request of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) conducted a study to validate Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a diagnosis and to ensure the DSM-IV and other objective measures used in the diagnosis of PTSD were evidence based and scientifically sound.

The committee found that PTSD is a well characterized medical disorder and that the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) criteria for diagnosing PTSD are evidence-based, widely accepted, and widely used. This is an important finding which should end once and for all any claims that veterans were filing fraudulent claims. In fact I asked the Chairman of the committee if he believed a veteran could game the system by memorizing the DSM-IV to present false answers to a mental health care provider. He stated emphatically that it would be almost impossible because the DSM-IV has built in tools to detect deception and only a minute fraction of society had the ability to pull it off. Soldiers who serve in our wars are honorable men and women who only expect that their voices are heard and their needs are met when they come home. This study should be sent to your elected Representatives.

Additionally the committee found that only health professional with experience in diagnosing psychiatric disorders (e.g., primary care physicians, nurses, social workers) using the DSM-IV criteria are trained to make the diagnosis. The committee also stated that the diagnosis should take place in a private setting with a face-to-face interview that can last an hour or more. We all know that DoD clinicians are not spending an hour with returning veterans and they are not using the Clinical Practice Guidelines for PTSD published by the Department of Veterans Affairs. By the way, if used, the Clinical Practice Guidelines takes at least three hours to complete for one soldier.

The committee also commented on screening tools and diagnostic instruments for the assessment of PTSD. The committee commented that, “these tools cannot substitute for an evaluation by an experienced professional.” This statement is important because the way DoD screens for PTSD is the DDForm 2796 or Post Deployment Health Assessment. This form is administered by clerks, admin staff and persons who do not possess the skill to interpret the results because they are non-mental health personnel. How many soldiers are falling through the cracks because of the cost saving DDForm 2796?

Clearly this committee believes there is only one validated way to screen and diagnose PTSD. Why is the DoD allowed to make up it’s own rules and screening tools?

The committee wrote that because ALL veterans deployed to a war zone are at risk for the development of PTSD, it would be prudent for health professionals to query veterans about their wartime experiences and their symptoms, when presenting at primary care and other health facilities (inpatient or outpatient) and this task must be done by trained professionals using validated screening tools.

This committee said the only validated screening tools were:

CAPS – Clinician Administered PTSD Scale

SCID – Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV

DIS-IV – Diagnostic Interview Schedule for DSM-IV

PSS-I – PTSD Symptom Scale – Interview Version

SIP – Structured Interview for PTSD

Based on this report DoD is in willful violation of established and validated screening and diagnostic recommendations.

I wonder who will suffer because they don’t follow the rules.

For further information on the report email: gulfwarandhealth@nas.edu

Link to the study - http://www.iom.edu/?id=32410

This is the link to the NCPTSD, this is a must read - http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/facts/veterans/fs...istan_wars.html

[Wings]

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Diagnosis and Assessment

(Free Executive Summary) http://fermat.nap.edu/execsumm_pdf/11674

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Diagnosis and

Assessment

Subcomittee on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder of the

Committee on Gulf War and Health: Physiologic,

Psychologic, and Psychosocial Efffects of

Deployment-Related Stress

Status of Full Report

http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11674.html#toc

[Guest fla_viking]

Dear Fellow Veterans & Friends

It took decades to even establish what PTSD was. It took decades for vets to qulify for PTSD comp. Many vets took decades just to qulify for other comp in the VA system which was established by law and common medical pratices. Now that some of us have come through all the fraud and corruption that exists to keep us from ever have obtaining our benifits. The Bush administraton wants to say they are confused and say this is not right and want to change the rules we all worked so hard to qulify under. Bush administraton is Dr shopping right now.

Terry Higgins

[john999]

You know the Institute of Medicine is now working on IU just as the GAO says too many of us are on it. Larry a VAwatchdog says something is in the works for that.

[timetowinarace]

This report should put to rest all the crying about fraudulant PTSD claims. It is stated in the report that the DSM-IV has safeguards in place to detect malingering.

As far as IU is concerned, I think it's true there are too many on IU. Most of them should be schedular. The rating scale makes it very hard to be 100% schedualer for mental disorders or if a combination of lesser disabilities makes it impossible to work, VA math makes it just as impossible to be 100% schedualar.