Panorama: The trauma industry (or Can the Compensation Culture affect your health?)

[Stuart]

Fascinating programme tonight. Basically asking if our current Compensation Culture is a good thing and whether it can actually hinder recovery. It also asked whether the current medical establishment diagnoses Post Traumatic Stress Disorder too easily.

The programme was presented by a war reporter who suffered PTSD after witnessing his cameraman being killed.

He did cite instances of people being diagnosed for relatively minor injuries, and one teacher who has not worked for four years after being criticised by the muslim members of the school board for the religious content of her lectures.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...auma_Industry/

Now, while it doesn't affect me directly, and while I am not medically qualified, it does seem as though we are claiming compensation for increasingly minor injuries, which will result in higher costs for all of us.

It also victimises those who are *geniunely* suffering with PTSD. Too many claims will result in pressure to tighten up diagnosis procedures (the programme says this is already happening in the US), which will result in genuine claims failing.

The programme also raises the interesting point that forcing a PTSD victim to relive their experience in the adverserial atmosphere of a court could theoretically set their recovery back, possibly for years.

It does seem that the only people who think the current compensation culture is a good idea are the lawyers and psychiatrists who profit from it.

[Mr Angry]

Stuart,

Give it a few months and I'm sure we'll have the first case of PTSD compensation from someone who was erroneously "unduly traumatised" by the national influenza helpline - it's inevitable.

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by Mr Angry

Stuart,

Give it a few months and I'm sure we'll have the first case of PTSD compensation from someone who was erroneously "unduly traumatised" by the national influenza helpline - it's inevitable.

Funny, but sadly quite possible..

[Osem]

I'm waiting for the first 'no win no fee claim' for injury caused by Tamiflu..

[Russ]

Originally Posted by Stuart C

Funny, but sadly quite possible..

Listening to some of the people around me, I'd say it was extremely likely.

If someones negligence caused me an injury I would sue and have no conscience about it

exaggeration is human nature talk to a child for long enough and they come out with some outrageous stories that are pure fabrication.

I doubt many are worse off because of compo I bet a good few are laying on the blag

[MovedGoalPosts]

I have no doubt that the whole process of seeking compensation is in itself a traumatic experience. This is based on the experience of someone close to me, where a mental disability as a result of trauma which has renderered that person unlikely to be able to work again when they had previously held a good job requiring intellectual ability. Whilst I accept that compensation payments need to be fair and appropriate, and justifiable, somehow the fact finding processes need to be conducted in such a manner that the injured party does not suffer more harm.

I despise the current "claim for everything" climate we live in and feel it has done little good to the legal profession, the country as a whole and those with a genuine legitimate case to pusue. I fully support someone who is seriously injured in seeking compensation but for things like falling over on a pavement and then suing the council makes me sick and it is time we binned it as it brings out nothing good in people.

For me it is one more example of the erosion of personal responsibility which i personally feel is to blame for more problems these days then we used to have. People live and have accidents but that doesn't mean you have to claim for every damn thing that goes wrong in life and sometimes it is better to see it as a lesson to not do something again as opposed to right now where people can keep making the same stupid mistakes until someone stops paying them out raising costs for all of us.

[AntiSilence]

Originally Posted by Mr Angry

Stuart,

Give it a few months and I'm sure we'll have the first case of PTSD compensation from someone who was erroneously "unduly traumatised" by the national influenza helpline - it's inevitable.

Or being swore at by the police.... That's gotta be nasty

[Dai]

In addition this culture is destroying businesses and killing off traditional events that have survived for centuries.
A friend of ours that ran a small riding stable has been forced to close because the increasing demands for insurance cover finally ate up all her profit.

Parades and fetes, traditional local items that have gone on for years are increasingly being handicapped or even stopped by these same requirements.

It's time somebody called BS on the majority of these claims and pruned it back to reality.