PTSD ARTICLE CLAIM BREAKDOWN

1. “Is PTSD contagious”- Contagious is a term that is often used when talking about bacteria based (microbe based) diseases (measles, smallpox) so are we putting PTSD, a psychological condition in the same category as measles? Also the article talks about a man that, in addition to PTSD might have some sort of traumatic brain injury, which has symptoms all of its own.
2. “But she’s got a warrior’s skills: hyperawareness, hypervigilance, adrenaline-sharp quick-scanning for danger, for triggers.”- Claims all “warriors” have these attributes, also refers to those serving in the military as “warriors” of some description.
3. “sweet old lady”- All old ladies are sweet and innocent.
4. “It’s hard to say, with the lack of definitive tests for the former, undertesting for the latter, underreporting, under or over-misdiagnosing of both.”- Insinuating that vets with these disorders are not given proper care, or the proper resources.
5. “Caleb has been home since 2006, way more than enough time for Brannan to catch his symptoms”- The term “catch” is used, which is a term often used when you “catch a cold”. PTSD is compared to the common cold in terms of ability to spread quickly.
6. “it’s only connected to Netflix and not to cable, since news is often a trigger.”- The only thing on the TV is the news. PTSD attacks are also claimed to be triggered by the news, but nothing on Netflix.
7. “She sounds like she might start crying, not because she is, but because that’s how she always sounds, like she’s talking from the top of a clenched throat, tonally shaky and thin.”- Claims that this women sounds shaky etc., as a result of PTSD, but the author would not know if this is due to the PTSD or perhaps how she always acts.
8. “Not the old ‘Nam guy with a limp, or maybe the young legless Iraq survivor, that you’d expect.”- Generalizing injuries of veterans.
9. “It’s kind of hard to understand Caleb’s injuries.”- Categorizes PTSD as a condition that you cannot understand.
10. “in soldiers, the incidence of PTSD goes up with the number of tours and amount of combat experienced.”- Claims the longer you are at war the larger the chance of PTSD.
11. “even if a couple of times he has inadvisably downed his medication with a lot of booze, admitting to Brannan that he doesn’t care if he dies;”- Insinuates that those with PTSD are alcoholics that “do not care if they die”.
12. “formerly a high-scoring civil-engineering major at Auburn University, was asking her to help him do simple division.”- Claims that inability to do simple division was the only reason that a test for a TBI would be needed.
13. “Unlike PTSD, secondary traumatic stress doesn’t have  its own entry in the DSM”- This women’s condition already has a name, so she is not “catching” PTSD.
14. “If sympathy for Caleb is a little lacking, you can imagine what little understanding exists for Brannan.”- We do not care about those with PTSD at all is what this is saying.

Time ran out.