CALL-TO-ACTION
A composite from the new PSA, sponsored by Erase PTSD Now, reflecting a movement for change. In the coming months, there’s a good chance it will be aired via broadcast television in PSA spots. View the PSA in its entirety below.
With great passion and determination, Dr. Eugene Lipov advocates for “PTSI” (short for post-traumatic stress injury) to replace the clinical diagnosis of PTSD, (post-traumatic stress disorder). He, along with many other leaders, within the medical community and beyond, believe that a successful change in the labeling of the condition will help remove the stigma that comes with the diagnosis — and, it will save lives in the process.
Dr. Lipov’s friend and colleague, Dr. Frank Ochberg, is among those leading voices for change. Dr. Ochberg is one of the founding fathers of modern psychotraumatology and served on the committee that originally defined PTSD. He argues that this is an important matter of construct — not, simply, semantics — in recognition that the condition is indeed physiological in nature, evidence of which can be seen on advanced brain scans.
From the foreword, The Invisible Machine
“A searing event changes our neuroanatomy and our neurophysiology. Fifty years ago, we could not detect these changes through routine neuroimaging. Now we can. These visible changes affect our thoughts, actions, and reactions. Post-traumatic stress symptoms are a natural, biological response, built into our DNA as a survival mechanism — one that can be turned on but not always turned off.”
~ DR. FRANK OCHBERG, M.D., a founding board member of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and recipient of their highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award. He edited the first text on treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and served on the committee that defined PTSD. He was associate director of the National Institute of Mental Health and director of the Michigan Mental Health Department. At Michigan State University, he is clinical professor of psychiatry.
Joining Dr. Lipov and Dr. Ochberg, in this push for “PTSI”:
Dr. Lipov is the Medical Advisor at Erase PTSD Now and he encourages folks who can, to donate to the organization to support its mission of funding/coordinating life-saving treatment for those most in need.
It’s about time!
ItsPTSI.com is a collaborative effort between Dr. Eugene Lipov and his team, along with Erase PTSD Now! (a 5013c non-profit). It’s mission is to facilitate a change to the label of post-traumatic stress from “PTSD” to “PTSI.” Successfully persuading the American Psychiatric Association to change the diagnosis is key, but shifting the way society and thinks and talks about post-traumatic stress must occur, too. Thus, the website seeks to bolster the campaign by evolving into a de facto clearinghouse to educate the general public of a movement for change that began, at least, 15 years ago.
Watch the new PSA, sponsored by the non-profit, Erase PTSD Now…