Army reversing overturned PTSD decisions

The Army has started reevaluating soldiers whose Post
Traumatic Stress Syndrome cases were overturned at Madigan
Medical Center, and the first results are in.

The Army invited 285 soldiers to have their cases reviewed
at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington D.C. The first
15 have had their evaluations, and been given their
results.

The News Tribune
reports of the nine soldiers who were originally diagnosed
with PTSD, five had those diagnoses reinstated. Of the six
who were not originally found to be suffering from PTSD,
four actually are.

The Army is looking at how Madigan handled PTSD cases.
There are claims that doctors were pressured to keep cases
down as a cost-cutting measure.

The reevaluations of cases a Madigan will continue for
several months.

The Army inspector general is also conducting a system-
wide review of mental health facilities.

Army Secretary John McHugh told Congress on Wednesday that
the service is trying to determine whether the change in
diagnosis was isolated or a common practice.

“The surgeon general (Lt. Gen. Patricia Horoho) has asked
the inspector general of the Army to go and examine all of
the similar facilities and locations,” said McHugh.

Army officials say soldiers sent to war may be checked up
to five times, including before being deployed, during
combat, once they return home and six months and a year
later.

Every soldier returning from deployment completes what
the Army calls a Post Deployment Health Assessment and a
face-to-face interview with a mental health professional.
The Army screens soldiers for depression and PTSD, asking
questions to find out about any social stressors, sleep
disruption and other problems. Those who are detected as
having problems go on to a second phase of screening.

Officials say, however, that no test is considered
diagnostically definitive for mental illness in general or
PTSD in particular.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.