Enrolled HJR 30: Urging the American Psychiatric Association to change the term "post-traumatic stress disorder" or "PTSD" to "post-traumatic stress injury" or "PTSI"; urging the governor to support usage of the term "post-traumatic stress injury"; respectfully requesting that the Alaska delegation in Congress champion this change of designation in the United States Congress; and designating June 27, 2016, as Post-Traumatic Stress Injury Awareness Day.
00Enrolled HJR 30 01 Urging the American Psychiatric Association to change the term "post-traumatic stress 02 disorder" or "PTSD" to "post-traumatic stress injury" or "PTSI"; urging the governor to 03 support usage of the term "post-traumatic stress injury"; respectfully requesting that the 04 Alaska delegation in Congress champion this change of designation in the United States 05 Congress; and designating June 27, 2016, as Post-Traumatic Stress Injury Awareness Day. 06 _______________ 07 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 08 WHEREAS the brave men and women of the armed forces of the United States who 09 proudly serve the nation and risk their lives to protect the freedom of its citizens deserve 10 empathy for and attention to their physical, mental, and emotional well-being; and 11 WHEREAS hundreds of thousands of American service members have been 12 clinically diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, and the injury affects an estimated 13 total of 7,700,000 Americans; and 14 WHEREAS it is estimated that thousands of Alaskans suffer from combat-related 15 post-traumatic stress injury; and 16 WHEREAS combat-related post-traumatic stress is significantly pronounced, given 17 that many men and women in the armed forces are highly exposed, often daily, to traumatic
01 events, including life-and-death situations, for weeks, months, and even years; and 02 WHEREAS service members and veterans often struggle with combat-related post- 03 traumatic stress for years after leaving service; and 04 WHEREAS the extreme survival skills and defensive behaviors acquired as a result 05 of service are often difficult to manage; and 06 WHEREAS, during the American Revolutionary War, a post-traumatic stress injury 07 was called "nostalgia"; during the American Civil War, it was known as "soldier's heart"; 08 during World War I, it was called "shell shock"; during World War II, it was called "battle 09 fatigue"; during the Korean War, it was called "gross stress reaction"; and during the Vietnam 10 War, it was called "Vietnam combat reaction"; and 11 WHEREAS a post-traumatic stress injury occurs after a person has experienced a 12 trauma and can result from the stress of combat, as well as rape, sexual assault, battery, 13 torture, confinement, child abuse, car accidents, train wrecks, plane crashes, bombings, or 14 natural disasters, and is characterized by numerous symptoms, including flashbacks, 15 avoidance, hypervigilance, nightmares, re-experiencing, anxiety, emotional numbness, 16 alienation, cognitive deficits, irritability, insomnia, fatigue, and thoughts of suicide; and 17 WHEREAS post-traumatic stress can occur at any age, including in childhood; and 18 WHEREAS post-traumatic stress has historically been viewed as a mental illness 19 caused by a preexisting flaw in the person's brain or character; and 20 WHEREAS many people still believe post-traumatic stress injury is incurable; and 21 WHEREAS, in fact, post-traumatic stress is a very common injury to the brain that is 22 treatable and reparable; and 23 WHEREAS the United States Department of Defense, the United States Department 24 of Veterans Affairs, and the National Institute of Mental Health have made significant 25 advances in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of post-traumatic stress injury and its 26 symptoms; and 27 WHEREAS the term "post-traumatic stress disorder" carries a stigma of 28 misconceptions that the injury is a disorder that is not reparable or treatable; and 29 WHEREAS that stigma discourages people who suffer from post-traumatic stress 30 from seeking proper medical treatment; and 31 WHEREAS service members, veterans, first responders, and victims of abuse, crime,
01 and disaster, as well as their family members, see that the negative associations of having a 02 psychological disorder keep some people from seeking treatment; and 03 WHEREAS efforts should continue to be made to make the condition less 04 stigmatizing and more honorable to increase the number of those affected who voluntarily 05 seek help and assistance; and 06 WHEREAS proper and timely treatment can reduce suicide rates among all citizens, 07 particularly veterans; and 08 WHEREAS all citizens who suffer from post-traumatic stress injury deserve 09 recognition, and those who have received those wounds while serving our nation and 10 defending our freedom deserve respect and special honor; and 11 WHEREAS this resolution does not advocate changing the current qualifications for 12 the Purple Heart; and 13 WHEREAS the American Psychiatric Association uses the term "post-traumatic 14 stress disorder" in the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental 15 Disorders; 16 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature believes that the term "post- 17 traumatic stress disorder" should be universally changed to "post-traumatic stress injury"; and 18 be it 19 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the American 20 Psychiatric Association to change the term "post-traumatic stress disorder" to "post-traumatic 21 stress injury" in the next revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental 22 Disorders; and be it 23 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the Governor to 24 support usage of the term "post-traumatic stress injury"; and be it 25 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests that 26 the Alaska delegation in Congress champion this change of designation in the United States 27 Congress; and be it 28 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature designates June 27, 2016, 29 as Post-Traumatic Stress Injury Awareness Day to bring awareness to the people suffering 30 from post-traumatic stress injury and encourages people to reach out to their fellow citizens to 31 provide support and eliminate the stigma associated with this injury; and be it
01 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature encourages the 02 Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs and the Department of Health and Social 03 Services to continue educating service members and veterans, victims of abuse, crime, and 04 natural disaster, their respective families, and the public about the causes, symptoms, and 05 possible treatment of post-traumatic stress injury. 06 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of 07 the United States; the Honorable Ashton B. Carter, United States Secretary of Defense; the 08 Honorable Robert A. McDonald, United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs; General Joseph 09 F. Dunford, Jr., Chair, United States Joint Chiefs of Staff; the Honorable Bill Walker, 10 Governor of Alaska; Brigadier General Laurel J. Hummel, Commissioner, Department of 11 Military and Veterans' Affairs; the Honorable Valerie Davidson, Commissioner, Department 12 of Health and Social Services; the Honorable Craig Stowers, Chief Justice of the Alaska 13 Supreme Court; Renée Binder, M.D., President, American Psychiatric Association; Joshua 14 Sonkiss, M.D., President, Alaska Psychiatric Association; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski 15 and the Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. 16 Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.