Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has undergone significant evolution in both understanding and diagnosis over the past century. In our new MEC Connect Expert Insights episode, “PTSD Diagnosis Dilemma,” our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Fernando Branco, provides a comprehensive overview of PTSD, its progression in medical understanding, and why it is becoming overdiagnosed in modern practice. 

Dr. Branco challenges listeners to recognize the critical distinction between Acute Traumatic Stress Disorder – a standard, time-limited response to abnormal events – and true PTSD, which persists beyond six months and manifests through specific symptoms that are often misunderstood. He also urges healthcare providers to be more precise in their diagnosis and shares his perspective on:

• How our understanding of PTSD shifted from purely military contexts to recognizing trauma in civilian populations.
• The fact that people living with genuine PTSD typically avoid discussing their trauma rather than repeatedly sharing it.
• The diagnostic criteria for PTSD evolving and becoming more inclusive.
• Promising treatment approaches, particularly the success of group therapy among first responders.

Listen now to hear an essential conversation about how trauma affects the human mind and gain valuable insights about the vital importance of maintaining diagnostic integrity while still honoring the very real suffering of those affected by PTSD.

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