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It's hard to read about PTSD and not think of George Carlin: shell shock to combat fatigue to PTSD. I have a mentally ill daughter, and it never ceases to amaze

It's hard to read about PTSD and not think of George Carlin: shell shock to combat fatigue to PTSD. I have a mentally ill daughter, and it never ceases to amaze me how poor our knowledge and treatment of mental illness really are. I also can't help but wonder if the DSM is for physicians and pharmacists more than patients. We seem to have gone from no knowledge due to stigma to no knowledge due to symptom-masking drugs (a definite improvement but not remotely near great).

rangibaby 12y ago
Here is the George Carlin piece mentioned, from his excellent book "When Will Jesus Bring The Pork Chops". http://youtu.be/CNk_kzQCclo http://youtu.be/CNk_kzQCclo
- pyre 12y ago
  That whole thing just came across as annoying to me: - I don't agree that calling it Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder somehow shields us from the truth just because it sounds more clinical. - Not all PTSD is due to combat, so having the term 'vividly' referring to combat doesn't really make sense. How does "shell-shocked" accurately describe a rape victim suffering from PTSD (for example)? - The terms "combat fatigue" or "shell shock" don't imply the on-going nature of PTSD. The make it sound like all you need is a little R&R and you'll be in tip-top shape. - Personally, I find the term "shell shock" to have a less serious connotation than PTSD, but this could be my childhood associations of the term with puns about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (prior to knowing the real meaning of the term).
  - omegant 12y ago
    I thought that shell shock refered to physical damage to the brain (due to some kind of concussion like explosion, impact, etc..) as oposed to PTSD that it's psicological due to the high stress and fear sufered.
vacri 12y ago
Carlin threw out a lot of populist quotes, but that doesn't mean they translate into actuality. While it's a funny skit, in real terms keeping on calling it 'shell shock' would have been bad - because the PTSD hits you in other situations too. Victim responding badly to a rape? "It's not like it's shell-shock, get over it". That sort of thing. It was called PTSD because the same symptoms were being seen in relation to all sorts of traumatic experiences. I also can't help but wonder if the DSM is for physicians and pharmacists more than patients. I think you're overly concentrating on the failings of the DSM rather than the successes. Without something like the DSM, there isn't anything canonical for doctors to compare notes on given diseases, and that is definitely bad for patients. Also, mental illness is notoriously difficult to diagnose in the first place, which is why it's the weakest area of the DSM, and why there's a lot of overlap between mental illness diagnoses. Mental illness is one of the most difficult areas of expertise in the human experience, if not the most difficult.
- mercer 12y ago
  I like to see much of the field of psychology as similar to 'early' medicine, or perhaps even our current treatment methods for cancer. The methods are often primitive, inaccurate, and, in hindsight, sometimes even harmful. But we're doing the best we can, and the goal is (generally) good. And often it's better than nothing. This should not prevent us from criticizing what we deem to be bad or at least faulty solutions, but it is also important to realize that this is an ongoing process, and not to reject the efforts because they're not perfect.

rangibaby 12y ago

Here is the George Carlin piece mentioned, from his excellent book "When Will Jesus Bring The Pork Chops". http://youtu.be/CNk_kzQCclo http://youtu.be/CNk_kzQCclo

pyre 12y ago
That whole thing just came across as annoying to me: - I don't agree that calling it Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder somehow shields us from the truth just because it sounds more clinical. - Not all PTSD is due to combat, so having the term 'vividly' referring to combat doesn't really make sense. How does "shell-shocked" accurately describe a rape victim suffering from PTSD (for example)? - The terms "combat fatigue" or "shell shock" don't imply the on-going nature of PTSD. The make it sound like all you need is a little R&R and you'll be in tip-top shape. - Personally, I find the term "shell shock" to have a less serious connotation than PTSD, but this could be my childhood associations of the term with puns about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (prior to knowing the real meaning of the term).
- omegant 12y ago
  I thought that shell shock refered to physical damage to the brain (due to some kind of concussion like explosion, impact, etc..) as oposed to PTSD that it's psicological due to the high stress and fear sufered.

vacri 12y ago

Carlin threw out a lot of populist quotes, but that doesn't mean they translate into actuality. While it's a funny skit, in real terms keeping on calling it 'shell shock' would have been bad - because the PTSD hits you in other situations too. Victim responding badly to a rape? "It's not like it's shell-shock, get over it". That sort of thing. It was called PTSD because the same symptoms were being seen in relation to all sorts of traumatic experiences. I also can't help but wonder if the DSM is for physicians and pharmacists more than patients. I think you're overly concentrating on the failings of the DSM rather than the successes. Without something like the DSM, there isn't anything canonical for doctors to compare notes on given diseases, and that is definitely bad for patients. Also, mental illness is notoriously difficult to diagnose in the first place, which is why it's the weakest area of the DSM, and why there's a lot of overlap between mental illness diagnoses. Mental illness is one of the most difficult areas of expertise in the human experience, if not the most difficult.

mercer 12y ago
I like to see much of the field of psychology as similar to 'early' medicine, or perhaps even our current treatment methods for cancer. The methods are often primitive, inaccurate, and, in hindsight, sometimes even harmful. But we're doing the best we can, and the goal is (generally) good. And often it's better than nothing. This should not prevent us from criticizing what we deem to be bad or at least faulty solutions, but it is also important to realize that this is an ongoing process, and not to reject the efforts because they're not perfect.