Earlier this week, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk was featured on Big Think in a video discussion on the history of the PTSD diagnosis. Dr. van der Kolk is one of the world's foremost psychiatrists specializing in trauma and the author of several books, including his latest The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Treatment of Trauma. You can watch the interview below:
Early in the video he explains how the PTSD diagnosis was developed "in order to remind the VA to take care of veterans and to really say to the VA 'these guys are messed up because of Vietnam.'" Even from the beginning, the plight of war veterans has been at the core of the PTSD diagnosis. Today, recent veterans commit suicide at an alarming ratemuch higher than that of the general public. The effects of trauma are major contributing factors.
http://bigthink.com/think-tank...-kolk-discusses-ptsd
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