Personally, I think the elephant in the room is that we are discussing very important matters here, but we certainly aren't communicating about them.

IMO, PTSD is the poster child of how things can go terribly wrong when problems are not identified and labeled. I have long contended that, right or wrong, pulling things out of the spiritual, personal realm and into the medical, psychiatric realm is a necessary step to mobilize resources that help people help themselves. Right or wrong, slapping a label on something gets people's attention.

Again, do I think it should be this way? No. I simply think that it is. I personally think that someone, somewhere in the military should have sat back and thought "you know, these returning soldiers might benefit from talking about their experiences. Maybe we should make it easier for them to do so".

As venus and others indicated, it is completely normal for soldiers to come home changed after deployment in a war zone. I, too, would be worried if they didn't. YET, they are told that they shouldn't and aren't changed. Again, with the "man up". "it's over now, the past is the past".

Now some soldiers, either by genetic disposition, lack of coping skills, degree of trauma, lack of trauma processing whatever.... experience profound physiological and psychological effects. Indeed, I DO think what we are dealing with here is a wounded soul.

But I can promise you that the military would have never changed anything based solely on the premise that our soldiers have wounded souls. In fact, very few soldiers likely would seek help IF the recognition had never come that PTSD is a real thing that occurs independently of how "strong" your character and "manly" they are.

Right or wrong, I do not think a label or a diagnosis is haven for the weak minded to hide in, but an opening that facilitates treatment. I do wish we could change society - maybe one day we will, but that day is not here now.

All I care about is improved outcome. Whatever it takes to get there. A comprehensive integration of all modalities of treatment - spiritual, psychological, physiological wow! that would be ideal and we should continue to strive for it.

Now, do I have a problem with people who do "take advantage" of their mental condition. The answer there is yes and no. Personally, I think those people are quite rare. Given an alternative, I think most would choose a different path. I whole-heartedly agree that some people, well, just lack self-discipline to manage themselves. But, again, I think these people are rare and most people, when the opportunity for help is there, jump at the chance to make their lives better.