PTSD: Will Changing the Name Lead to Less Stigma?

The American Psychiatric Association, the organization that writes the Diagnostic Statistical Manual and decides what counts as a mental illness, is meeting this week in Philadelphia. The agenda includes several military-related discussions, including whether or not to drop “disorder” from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Some advocate leaving the name as simply PTS – an acronym the military has already started to use – and others suggest a change to PTSI, with the “I” standing for “injury.” Still others suggest no change at all.
Scott Swain is the director of veteran services at Valley Cities Counseling, and a contractor for the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs’ War Trauma and PTSD Program. He’s also an Air Force veteran. Naveed Ali Shah served in Iraq as a public affairs specialist in the U.S. Army, and has had his own experiences with PTSD.