Testing for PTSD & Other Disorders

Testing for and treating Posttraumatic Stress Disorder’s, as well as other related disorders, has become a norm in the military. Military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan often experience traumatic events such as being shot at, taking a life, witnessing a colleague be injured or killed etc. The traditional response has been to treat PTSD and similar disorders after testing for it. As such, screening for these disorders has developed rapidly.
However an article in the January 2011 edition of American Psychologist entitled ‘Comprehensive Soldier Fitness’ suggests an alternative approach in dealing with the mental heath of military personnel and their families: The Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program (CSF). The program is designed to assess and teach mental toughness. There are four components: Assessment, Universal Resilience Training, Individual Training, and Master Resilience Trainers.
The assessment consists of a physical and a psychological component. The Army Physical Fitness Test is taken twice a year and involves a two-mile run, sit-ups, and push-ups. Meanwhile, the Global Assessment Tool measures emotional, social, family and spiritual fitness. Current plans call for a reassessment at least once every two years to allow time for maturity and learning. As such and to promote honesty, the GAT score is only available to the individual who takes it. The second component, universal resilience training, involves instruction on specific mental and physical skills to enhance well-being in the personal and professional lives of military personnel. The third component involves working with the individual to improve each component by offering a menu of self development opportunities based on his/her score. The last component focuses on training military personnel to be resilience trainers within their own units.
The rise in PTSD, suicide and divorce rates along with many other reasons have created an opportunity to, for the first time, insert positive psychology into a large organization in order to improve the well being of the individuals, as well as the well being of the organization as a whole.
For more information about the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program please visit APA website.


Rosalba Breazeale