Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) first appeared in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1980. The original intent was to provide legitimacy to the trauma suffered by Vietnam veterans and to persuade insurance agencies to pay for treatment.
The classification of PTS as a disorder associates a stigma to sufferers of the condition and causes many cases of PTS to go unreported. Since PTS is caused by external forces, such as death, war, or rape, and is not a genetically predisposed condition, it is more appropriate to recognize it as an injury.
Reclassification as PTSI removes the stigma, encourages treatment, removes barriers to care, and restores honor. Removing the stigma will help to curtail suicide rates and return dignity to the families of our fallen.