PTSD Vietnam War

Post-traumatic stress disorder (commonly referred to as PTSD) is one of the most common, consequential and perilous illnesses a soldier returning home can face. Yet, here

It is common knowledge that with every war, there always comes casualties. Soldiers can lose an arm or a leg, or even their life when they go to war. Unfortunately soldiers can even lose their minds because of war. Specifically, this research paper will focus on PTSD, or in other words: post traumatic stress disorder. PTSD has shown up as a factor from many wars, but for some reason, one war in particular stands out from all others regarding the the PTSD numbers. It is called the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War (1956-1975) was part of the cold war. The US wanted to prevent Vietnam from becoming a communist country, so after Vietnam split into a north and south, they began to support South Vietnam. The US thought that if Vietnam were to

World War II is still seen today as one of the most lethal wars in history. As technology advanced, more destructive weapons were created. In the hands of the wrong people and those forced to use them, these weapons paved the way for physical and psychological destruction. Furthermore, the mentality of individuals during this time enabled more marring upon themselves and upon other individuals. Even though what we now refer to as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, existed before World War II, this time period brought about a higher prevalence of PTSD, as well as began to change the way this disorder was perceived by people.

Some veterans experienced feelings of depression and distrust, and that the war impacted them negatively. PTSD is a severe emotional disorder that an individual can get after a traumatic life event they experienced, and for the veterans it was the Vietnam War. War includes witnessing terrible violence, the feeling of guilt of having to kill people and seeing your friends injured or dead, and the mixed emotions in the battlefield. In 1988, the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study reported that 481,000 men and 716 women currently suffer from some degree of PTSD as a result of their experience in war, and overall 40% of Vietnam veterans have suffered from PTSD at some time of their life. In addition, it has been estimated that 900,000 Vietnam spouses and partners, and approximately 1,098,000 children are affected by their respective partner's and father's combat-related PTSD. These statistics showed that the Vietnam War extremely affected the veterans', and not in a good way. PTSD could have been very common among the veterans', because of the traumatic experiences they went through in the war. The war was not to be treated like a game. The war was a reality for the soldiers, and they could have constantly had the feeling of "I am going to die any minute now". Another issue that they developed was domestic violence. About one-third of six hundred men were reported of physically violating their partners. Their violent behaviour towards their partner/family could have also linked to PTSD. Veterans who were reported to perform domestic violence were treated with therapy to help them reduce their threatening behaviour. They either had group therapy with their family, or individual therapy. Not only was PTSD terrible for the veterans', but it was also bad for their children. Due to their children being raised in a home with their father having PTSD, the disorder could have

In the United States (US) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects 8 out of every 100 persons (United States Department of Veterans Affairs [USDVA], 2015). In which account for about 8 million people that include the military veterans (USDVA, 2015). About 10% of women and 4% of men will develop PTSD during some course of their lives (USDVA, 2015). Veterans are more susceptible to PTSD due to longer exposures to trauma, danger, or witness a violent life threaten incidence during their military service periods (USDVA, 2015). The development of PTSD becomes chronic after no longer seeing or under the “fight-or-flight“ experiences causing a psychological and/ or mental breakdown (National Institutes of Health [NIH], n.d). Such

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is described as a type of anxiety disorder that can occur after experiencing a traumatic event that causes extreme emotional trauma. This emotional trauma is more often than not contributed to a fear of injury or death to either oneself or others. It is currently projected that one in three returning military service members will suffer from PTSD. Along with the rise in PTSD the suicide rate for military service members and veterans has increased astronomically with an average of 22 suicides per day. With so many of the nation’s veterans suffering from this disorder it has become the center for research and studies within the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). The focal point of this research being how to improve PTSD sufferer’s quality of life and if it is possible to prevent PTSD altogether.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is defined by the National Institute of Mental Health as a “disorder that develops in some people who have seen or lived through a shocking, scary, or dangerous events”. This being one of the titles strapped on to most returning veterans from war is an issue that is heavily debated and relevant to future war veterans. There is no known cure for this disorder and can be destructive to one who has it. This report will be going over 1) A brief history of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 2) Why does Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder pertain to Vietnam veterans specifically how the veterans helped PTSD be what it is today 3) Some evidence from other sources that

Approximately 30% of men and 27% of women had PTSD at some point in their life following Vietnam.” In examining the mental health condition of Persian Gulf War veterans have found, “… rates of PTSD stemming from the war range anywhere from almost 9% to approximately 24%. “In Iraq Afghan War “After deployment, approximately 12.5% had PTSD, a rate greater than that found among these soldiers before deployment”.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition that occurs after one has been exposed to a traumatic event. Within the article, “Facts About Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder”, the number of war veterans who suffer from PTSD is introduced in the second sub-section as “about 30% of men and women who have spent time in war zones experience PTSD” (Facts about PTSD 1). This quote goes to

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is defined as “a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event. (1)” This issue is most commonly associated with war veterans who have given their life to the service of the country and have suffered because of it. These men and women suffer emotional, physical, mental, and neurological trauma, which is “a disordered psychic or behavioral state resulting from severe mental or emotional stress or physical injury(2) ” In fact, the suicide rate of soldiers has increased since last generation, indicating that this is a very serious issue that must be understood from all perspectives. Psychologists, and those who study and help PTSD victims, including loved one of victims, must understand the neurological and spiritual elements

The military serves as a major component in our nation 's security. Everyone around the country continues to rely on them each day to defend our freedom. Undeniably, the responsibilities of military members comes along with large amounts of anxiety, self-less service, and occasionally terrifying events that can have a negative influence on the individuals life. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a serious illness among the men in our military. Gates et al. (2012) defines PTSD as, "a psychiatric condition that is experienced by a subset of individuals after exposure to an event that involved life threat and elicited feelings of fear, helplessness, and/or horror in the individual" (p.361). In some environments, this is a

Although PTSD is a somewhat new diagnosis that was related with military service members when it was first introduced. "During a period roughly from the end of the Second World War to the early 1990s, neither epidemiology, medical geography, nor medical sociology tended directly to study the impact of the local social or physical environment on human health," according to Perspectives in Medical Sociology (Brown 2008). PTSD was accepted everywhere when it was introduced as a diagnosis in the early 1980s in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) of the American Psychiatric Association. Although PTSD diagnosis met largely with skepticism by the public of the validity of the illness when first came out. Blair Wheaton and Shirin Montazer provided a detailed definition of Traumatic Stress in their chapter of Stressors, Stress, and Distress by stating, "some stressors are thought to be so serious and so overwhelming in their impact that we must give them a separate status to distinguish them from the usual class of events that we designate as stressful. The most applicable term for these stressors is traumas" (Wheaton & Montazer 2010). In other words, PTSD is a complex mental disorder that develops in response to exposure to a severe traumatic event that stems a cluster of symptoms. Being afflicted with the disorder is debilitating and disrupt an individual’s ability to function and perform the basic tasks. PTSD affects 3.5 percent of the U.S. adult population and approximately about 7 million Americans. Women however are more likely to develop PTSD than men, and about 37percent of those cases are classified as severe. Although PTSD can occur at any age, however the average is in the early 20s in person's

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is described as a mental condition that results in a series of emotional and physical reactions in individuals who have either witnessed or experienced a traumatic event in their life. The person experiencing or witnessing this traumaticevent may feel intense fear, helplessness, or horror. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is defined as an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders cover different forms of abnormal, pathologicalanxiety, fears, phobias and nervous conditions that may come sudden or gradually over a long period of several years andmay make a hard for a person to complete their daily activities. There ismore than just emotional trauma that follows PTSD, there is also the physical preventions. PTSD

Before the Vietnam War, it was not uncommon to know very little about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); however, after a large percentage of Vietnam soldiers were affected by the disorder, the symptoms of PTSD were widely known. PTSD is caused when a person faces a traumatic event that causes a mental pain deep inside of them. PTSD affected 31% of the Vietnam soldiers. PTSD causes a person to feel emotionally numb to the world around them. There are many different symptoms that can be linked to PTSD, and every person will experience it differently. Some symptoms include, reliving the situation through nightmares, becoming aggressive, and coming home with the feeling of being broken.

Imagine sitting with your platoon, taking a break from patrol in Vietnam. The sky is clear and blue. The sun is shining, and it is hot and humid, but you and your buddies are cracking jokes. On the radio, your favorite is playing. You’re still on guard, but for once you feel kind of relaxed. Suddenly, out of nowhere, you encounter enemy fire. As shells zip past you and you return fire, you catch glimpses of the enemy firing from behind a burned-out truck. A buddy takes a bullet in his stomach and falls beside you, and you pull him to safety behind cover. You return fire again, and this time it is clear to you that you killed one of the enemies. After a few more