University Daily Kansan / Thursday, April 11, 1991
9
Shell-shock victims often misdiagnosed
By Patricia Rojas
Kansan staff writer
Five years ago, psychiatrist Mark Mordechak tried to walk his friend up the stairs, but his friend pulled away in fear.
His friend would sweat and tremble whenever he thought of climbing up to his office on the eight floor of the Israeli medical building. So great was his fear that he quit under this thesis, which he kept in his office.
It was Mordechal who finally diagnosed his friend as having Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. His friend had been a medical officer during the war between Israel and Jordan, and in Lebanon during the early 1980s.
Although he had been diagnosed as having chronic depression, phobias, anxiety and paranoia, one no one had addressed the real cause of his condition.
Head of Central Mental Health Clinic in the Israeli Department of Defense, Mordechai spoke at noon yesterday at the Ecumenical Christian Ministries, 1204 Oread Ave., about PTSD, which is known by many names, including combat fatigue and shell shock.
He said the disorder was often confused with other psychological conditions, such as schizophrenia, paranoia and anti-social tendencies
Such a confusion leads to wrong treatment and, therefore, a lack of progress in a patient's mental condition.
Mordechai said that research of PTSD had been neglected until recently. Only in the past decade
have researchers acknowledged its importance.
"The treatment of choice is still not clear," he said. "No treatment is wholly satisfactory for PTSD."
But understanding the causes of the disorder helps mental health professionals provide adequate treatment.
"One important thing is not to let your patients think that you are going to cure him from a post-traumatic injury. You don't have there is no cure," Mordechi said.
He said a patient hoping to return to his pre-PTSD state could be devastated because such results were unrealistic.
Kala Bhana, visiting professor of psychology, said it was important to understand PTSD in a time in which the world was experiencing more than 20 wars, ranging from guerrilla to civil and international battles.
The effects of the trauma always will be there, but mental health professionals can help the patient understand the trauma and help him or her deal with it in a nondestructive way.
"Some of the affected communities have been able to take measures to protect some of their members," she said. "But others have been helpless from events that appear completely beyond their control."
"To those exposed to war, some trauma is inevitable. Since millions of people are involved, it becomes crucial to reasearch and provide preventive care and mental health services to the places affected."
WASHINGTON — the armed services plan to cut more than 60,000 personnel over the next five months— nearly as many as envisioned before the Persian Gulf War, a Pentagon representative said yesterday.
The Associated Press
The four services, whose ranks swelled during the gulf buildup, will come within 1 percent of the lower levels that Congress had ordered last fall.
The 1991 force reductions for each service officially were approved Monday by Deputy Defense Secretary Donald Atwood. A copy of his memorandum to the uniformed chiefs of the services and to Gen. Colin Powell, chairperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was released yesterday.
The military will shrink from about 2.06 million members currently to about 1.99 million by Sept. 30, the end of the current fiscal year.
Congress recently agreed to waive the earlier plan and said Defense Secretary Dick Cheney could set up in view of the huge gulf deployments.
"The reshaping of the United States Armed Forces continues in light of changes in the world situation and constraints on the resources available for the national defense," Atwood wrote.
The Army, which has about 745,000 officers and soldiers, will trim 35,000
U.S. armed forces cuts to leave 60,000 jobless
The Navy plans to reduce the number of officers and sailors from 579,000 to 573,086
The Air Force will cut its force from 529,287 to 514,000.
The army and the other services plan to give 90 days notice to members who had been prevented from leaving during the war.
Triangle Fraternity would like to thank all the fraternities and sororities that participated in the 1991 Super Bowl Tournament The winners are:
Bowling Tournament
1st - KAΘ
2nd - AEΠ
3rd - ΓΦB
4th - ΔX
Pool Tournament Men's Winner - Steve Helvey - TKE Women's Winner- Nikki Morton - AΓΔ
Thanks to our sponsors: Dominoes Pizza, Treble Clef, and Royal Crest Lanes.
All Proceeds were donated to The Capper Foundation of Topeka.
Shawnee Mission Ford
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913-831-9363
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