Medical Narratives of Military PTSD: Moving Beyond the Biomedical Approach

Barriers to care among soldiers within the Canadian Armed Forces is a topic in need of recognition, with the majority of Canadian soldiers failing to seek healthcare for a mental health issue. Most current literature comes from the medical and psychological disciplines, using quantitative research methodologies to identify specific factors such as stigma, which act as barriers to care. In order to move beyond this current positivist paradigm, there must be a collaboration between realist and constructivist frameworks. This study utilized a qualitative constructivist approach to analyse the narratives of Canadian psychiatrists surrounding the PTSD diagnosis within the military. Analysis of these narratives sought to address the power relations, construction, and framework of this diagnosis. Finally, these medical PTSD narratives were compared to military PTSD narratives in order to identify how well they served those suffering from this medical disorder.