Do soliders who get Post Traumatic Stress Disorder on duty (PTSD) get a purple heart medal ?

No, they pretty well just get fucked over.

@ARE_you_kidding_me That’s sad : (

Currently, no. There’s a debate ongoing within the military/veteran community, and eligibility has recently been extended to “Psychological, Emotional, and Moral” (PEM) injuries, specifically, traumatic brain injury (concussion) sustained in combat and diagnosed by competent medical personnel at the time.

@Strauss It’s hard for me to think of traumatic brain injury as a “mental illness”.

I don’t think a Purple Heart medal should be given for PTSD. The medal is given for wounds received during combat. Being in a battle zone can cause PTSD, but that does not mean it was caused by being in any actual combat. The Purple Heart is not given for non-combat related injuries.

@anniereborn I agree with that. The TBI is part of the discussion because it there’s been a relatively recent decision to include these types of injuries for consideration, especially if it’s caused by an explosive concussion, rather than by shrapnel or such.

@LostinParadise PTSD can be caused by witnessing or participation in any traumatic event, or series of events, and in many cases it’s difficult or impossible to determine the precise moment or event that i causing the post-traumatic stress. Because of that, I agree with you. The Purple Heart is not given for non-combat related injuries; it should not be awarded for PTSD until and unless a direct connection can be made between a specific combat incident and the PTSD.

No. You have to shed blood to get a Purple Heart.

@kritiper Usually, and traditionally, yes; however, a recent update to Directive by Secretary of the Navy (which I would infer is the same for all other branches) includes the following:
“MTBI/Concussions severe enough to cause either loss of consciousness (LOC) or restriction from full duty due to persistent signs, symptoms, or clinical findings of impaired brain function for a period greater than 48 hours from the time of the concussive injury…

Although this does not refer to PTSD, it does allow for some injury that does not involvebloodshed.

@Strauss I think the main point is that you have to suffer some sort of physical injury. Usually, in combat, in involves blood loss. I didn’t know all the details but always assumed that the purple in “Purple Heart” was blood/wound oriented.

I’m wondering if it’s because with a “traditional” injury (i.e. blood loss, concussion), the injury is fairly easy to measure. In other words, if your leg is blown off, there’s no dilemma about whether or not your leg was blown off. If you sustain a bullet wound to the shoulder, there’s no question about whether or not you sustained a bullet wound to the shoulder. However, if you say you are suffering from PTSD and can’t sleep at night, and are looking for disability, etc., there may be truth to that statement or you may be doing someting fraudulent in order to receive benefits. Not saying people who claim to have PTSD are committing fraud, but it’s easier to prove a physical ailment than a mental ailment.

@jca I think that’s a lot of it. The VA has really stepped up over the past several years in its recognition and treatment of PTSD. But the Purple Heart status of the condition is objected to mostly on two conditions; “No blood, no PH” is a strong sentiment in the PH community. Officially, though, as per the SecNav document I referenced above, TBI, in certain cases, can be considered a PH injury.

The most important factor, it seems to me, is the ability to pinpoint exactly when the injury or trauma occurred. Not enough is known about the cause(s) of PTSD to be able to pinpoint exactly when the trauma occurred.

I think there’s a big difference between TBI and PTSD. TBI can cause severe neurological impairment, leaving someone unable to go to the bathroom by themselves, walk independently, eat independently, and live independently. PTSD can cause severe and traumatic symptom too but not usually to the extent that TBI does.

@jca Please don’t interpret anything I’ve said to mean I don’t think TBI should be a PH injury, under the right conditions.

The one similarity TBI and PTSD share in this discussion is that they are both “non-bleeding” trauma. Other than that, they’re as distinct and different injuries as a sucking chest wound from IED shrapnel would be compared to a spinal fracture sustained by jumping out of a chopper destroyed by hostile fire.

@Strauss: No no I wasn’t thinking that you were meaning TBI shouldn’t be a PH injury.

At this point, there is not enough known about the exact causes of PTSD to be able to pinpoint the exact time and/or event that caused it. Recent research has linked some physical trauma to the brain stem but that research is extremely preliminary in nature. Even so, it is impossible with present medical technology and science to determine an exact causative event. Until that changes, I don’t think PTSD should be considered a PH injury.