"Why I’m Skeptical Of PTSD Claims… And Why You Should Be Too" How do you feel about this? Sound off!?

People tend to think that for a diagnosis of PTSD one has to have deployed and been in a combat situation. Not necessarily true. Civilians get PTSD from all kinds of traumatic incidents that don't involve combat. An Army Human Resources Specialist could potentially get PTSD from hazing at the unit level, or some other non-combat related incident. My point is that the spectrum of what is consider "traumatic" enough to cause psychological damage (to the point that it affects your everyday life) is very relative. And if it happens on active duty and causes a negative impact, the soldier should get paid for it.
Is there some fraud in the system? Yes, of course. People inflate claims or fake symptoms. But, I think it is less prevalent than this article leads the reader to believe.
In my opinion, the bigger problem is the initial screening process of potential recruits. Maybe psychological screening needs to be accomplished prior to enlisting or commissioning to assess for mental resiliency. Maybe a greater look at health history is needed. Anything that isn't caught during an initial medical screening will eventually result in a disability compensation claim when the soldier ETS's or retires.

The funny thing is that ALL veterans suffer from some type of PTSD. From genuine night terrors to still folding your towel in thirds thanks to basic training (I still do), you have incurred what is today's definition of PTSD. Yes, there are exaggerated or falsified claims (always have been, always will be), but it is no reason or excuse to discount ANYONE's claim of affliction.

SGT Larry Prentice I read the article. I tend to agree. My father who served in Vietnam, attended a veterans event a few years ago and a service organization rep tried to talk him into applying for PTSD compensation. He has never had symptoms and said as much and the rep told him that it didn't matter, the VA cannot disprove it and if he was in Vietnam, he had to have it to some degree. I also watched a troop of mine who NEVER left the Air Base claim and get compensated for it. The real problem is that the false claims diminish the true claims credibility. I for one will let my ethics be my guide and never claim disability that I do not have.