#13

The amount of progress in Caleb’s six years of therapy has been frustrating for everyone. But ultimately, says Alain Brunet, vice president of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and director of the Traumatic Stress Laboratory at McGill University in Canada, “we have reason to be reasonably optimistic. Psychotherapy does work for typical PTSD.” The VA tends to favor cognitive-behavioral therapy and exposure therapy—whereby traumatic events are hashed out and rehashed until they become, theoretically, less consuming.

-The majority of this quote is an accumulation of evaluative claims. Without concrete evidence, describing Caleb’s journey as “frustrating” is just an opinion, although displayed factually. When discussing the VA’s views on therapy, the claim “tends to favor” is not indisputable and therefore evaluative. The quote, “we have reason to be reasonably optimistic. Psychotherapy does work for typical PTSD,” is a causal claim, in a sense, since psychotherapy does work for typical PTSD it therefore explains why there is reason to be optimistic. Also included in this quote is the definition of cognitive-behavioral therapy and exposure therapy which is clearly a definition claim.

Some state VA offices also offer group therapy. For severe cases, the agency offers inpatient programs, one of which Caleb resided in for three months in 2010. The VA also endorses eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR), which is based on the theory that memories of traumatic events are, in effect, improperly stored, and tries to refile them by discussing those memories while providing visual or auditory stimulus.

-This quote is one big factual claim as it discusses what is offered by the VA and the types of therapy it endorses. Also included in this quote is a definition claim as it relates to eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy and the theory that traumatic events are improperly stored and how EMDR tackles PTSD based off of that theory.

 “There’s a fairly strong consensus around CBT and EMDR,” Brunet says. While veterans are waiting for those to work, they’re often prescribed complicated antidepressant-based pharmacological cocktails.

-Interestingly enough, although discussing very scientific material, there does not seem to be many concrete claims through this section. In this quote, when explaining the overall consensus around CBT and EMDR, Brunet uses “fairly strong” which I feel is disputable and therefore an evaluative claim. Also in this quote is an indirect causal claim. Veterans being prescribed complicated pharmacological cocktails is the cause of having to wait for results from CBT and EMDR therapy.

To stay up to date on the latest advances in PTSD treatment, the VA collaborates with outside entities through its Intramural Research Program. Currently, the agency is funding 130 PTSD-related studies, from testing whether hypertension drugs might help to examining the effectiveness of meditation therapy, or providing veterans with trauma-sensitive service dogs, like Caleb’s.

-The discussion of how the VA is collaborating with different agencies for the advancement of PTSD treatment is a factual claim. Also in this quote is a factual numerical claim as it relates to the “130 PTSD-related studies” that the VA supports and the various different studies being done.

The Mental Health Research Portfolio manager says the organization is “highly concerned and highly supportive” of PTSD research. But a lot of FOV members and users are impatient with the progress. Up until 2006, the VA was spending $9.9 million, just 2.5 percent of its medical and prosthetic research budget, on PTSD studies. In 2009, funding was upped to $24.5 million. But studies take a long time, and any resulting new directives take even longer to be implemented.

-Beginning this quote is a factual claim in relation to The Mental Health Research Portfolio’s support of PTSD research. Although “highly concerned and highly supportive” seems to be disputable, since the claim is made by a reputable source it is factual. Also included in this quote is a factual numerical claim based on the increase in funding of PTSD studies with specific years and amounts. Adversely, “a lot of FOV members and uses are impatient” is very clearly an evaluative claim.