Salon.com is featuring a story where a SGT in Fort Carson, Colorado audiotaped his psychologist telling him that he was pressured not to make a diagnosis of PTSD. The story also features a downloadable MP3 file where readers can listen to part of the recording.

When Sgt. X went to see McNinch with a tape recorder, he was concerned that something was amiss with his diagnosis. He wanted to find out why the psychologist had told the medical evaluation board that handles disability payments that Sgt. X did not, in fact, have PTSD, but instead an "anxiety disorder," which could substantially lower the amount of benefits he would receive if the Army discharged him for a disability. The recorder in Sgt. X's pocket captured McNinch in a moment of candor.

"OK," McNinch told Sgt. X. "I will tell you something confidentially that I would have to deny if it were ever public. Not only myself, but all the clinicians up here are being pressured to not diagnose PTSD and diagnose anxiety disorder NOS [instead]." McNinch told him that Army medical boards were "kick[ing] back" his diagnoses of PTSD, saying soldiers had not seen enough trauma to have "serious PTSD issues."

"Unfortunately," McNinch told Sgt. X, "yours has not been the only case ... I and other [doctors] are under a lot of pressure to not diagnose PTSD. It's not fair. I think it's a horrible way to treat soldiers, but unfortunately, you know, now the V.A. is jumping on board, saying, 'Well, these people don't have PTSD,' and stuff like that."

Physicians are trained to keep the good of the patient as the highest priority, to give an independent opinion and do no harm. They are also sworn by this when they take the Hippocratic Oath. It is important to note that all the facts of the case aren't known including the context in which the remarks were made. However, the remarks of this non-uniformed psychologist appear indefensible. Did the psychologist tell the patient he compromised his judgment and integrity by substituting the diagnosis? Do psychologists have to swear to do no harm like physicians do? What was the patient's motivation when he brought the tape recorder to the session?