Depression often goes hand-in-hand with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (“PTSD”). And that can ruin the sufferer’s quality of life. A recent scientific study focused on Veterans with comorbid Depression and PTSD. The report, entitled Impact of comorbid depression on quality of life in male combat Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder, is based on a “large meta-analysis composed of 57 studies, across both military and civilian samples.” What did the researchers find? That there is a comorbitiy rate of 52% for Veterans with PTSD and depression. That’s pretty high. There isn’t a definitive explanation for the high prevalence of depression with PTSD. But, “[r]esearch has shown that PTSD has a deleterious impact on Veteran life quality, as Veterans with PTSD report increased rate of unemployment due to disability, decreased social and occupation-related functioning, and lower life satisfaction.” More information can be found through the embedded hyperlink (see above). But, here isRead more
Non-Deployable Medical Conditions and the Defense Base Act
In most Defense Base Act cases the parties have to determine whether the injured worker can return to their usual and customary employment. For contractors, that means determining whether the injured worker can return to overseas employment. If they cannot return to their pre-injury job, then the injured worker is considered totally disabled until the employer demonstrates the existence of suitable alternative employment (i.e., another job that the claimant could work). But what if the injury suffered by the contractor–that is, the injury that required workers compensation in the first place–is best classified as a “non-deployable medical condition”? Today, I want to focus on non-deployable medical conditions and how those conditions could affect a Defense Base Act claim when the litigants are determining the injured worker’s post-injury employment outlook. Further, I want to address the situation where employers use overseas military contracting jobs on their labor market surveys to deflate anRead more
Coverage and Problems for Secondary Psychological Injuries
Prior posts at the Longshore & DBA Review have addressed common psychiatric diagnoses that are litigated in Defense Base Act claims. Today I am going to talk about “secondary” psychological injuries that are also covered under the Longshore and Defense Base Acts. A “secondary” injury is one that arises naturally or unavoidably from an initial “primary” injury. Typically, “secondary” injuries arise in altered gait cases. For example, an employee injures their ankle. While treating for the ankle injury, they walk with an altered gait. The altered gait could lead to problems with the other ankle, or the hips, back, or knees. So long as the “secondary” injury (to the other ankle, hips, back, or knees) is the natural or unavoidable consequence of the first ankle injury, then the “secondary” injury is covered too. The same is true about psychological injuries. “Secondary” injuries are not restricted to physical problems. As such, ifRead more
Fireworks Aren’t Fun For Everyone
This weekend, while you are enjoying the Independence Day pageantry and intricate fireworks displays, keep in mind that there are wounded warriors here in the United States who really hate fireworks. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is often a debilitating psychological injury that can be exacerbated by events or experiences similar to those that caused the PTSD in the first place. Fireworks involve loud and sudden noises, along with brilliant flashes of light. They can trigger memories that–frankly–are not welcome in the mind of a PTSD sufferer. So, why do we celebrate Independence Day with fireworks? My favorite explanation comes from Forrest Wickman’s Slate article, The Rockets’ Red, White, and Blue Glare: Because John Adams wanted us to. Before the Declaration of Independence was even signed, he envisioned fireworks as a part of the festivities. In a letter to Abigail Adams on July 3, 1776, he wrote that the occasion shouldRead more
Do You Have PTSD? Take This Test.
Here is a quick and easy test to assess whether you might have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The test is called the “PCL-5.” You answer a series of questions by identifying the severity to which you experience certain stressors. When answering the questions, keep in mind the worst event or collection of events experienced and how much you have been bothered by that problem in the past month. There are five answers to choose from for each question, with each answer assigned a numeric value: Not at all = 0 A little bit = 1 Moderately = 2 Quite a bit = 3 Extremely = 4 Here are the questions. In the past month, how much were you bothered by: Repeated, disturbing, and unwanted memories of the stressful experience? Repeated, disturbing dreams of the stressful experience? Suddenly feeling or acting as if the stressful experience were actually happening again (asRead more
