Vietnam: Post-Traumatic Stress and Other Lessons

The casualties of war don't always have a limp, scar, or missing limb. Oftentimes, the soldiers injured most show no outward sign; the devastation is internal. Their affliction--Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD-often goes undiagnosed for years, causing a tremendous amount of suffering to the victim. The Iraq/Afganistan conflicts have produced even more victims of the troubling disease. With the mistakes of Vietnam as a learning tool, military psychologists are trying to make sure that no one suffers unnecessarily.

The official end of the Vietnam "Conflict" is said to be 1975. At that time, thousands of GI's were trying to adjust to life back in the states. The U.S. military was interested in how the soldiers were adjusting, but not much was being done to see just how successful they were. Congress, however, was interested.

Many reports of psychological issues amongst the veterans led to the congressional study of the mental affects of war on the ex-soldiers. Named The National Vietnam Veterans' Readjustment Study, it was performed from 1986 to 1988. Those that responded to the study were asked about their mental health since leaving combat. The results were startling.

The Readjustment study found that 30.9% of men and 26.9% of women suffered from PTSD at some point in since returning from action. In addition study also found that 22.5% of men and 21.2% of women suffered from "partial PTSD" at some point since the Vietnam conflict. Researchers concluded that these two groups together made up almost the men and women who experienced action in Vietnam. These results were menacing enough for the U.S. government to establish a new agency charged with the treatment and research of PTSD and other psychological issues suffered by Vietnam vets.

Today, that agency, The National Agency for Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (NCPTSD) is helping to prevent the years of suffering most Vietnam vets endured after returning home from combat. The NCPTSD website has many resources to aid GI's before and after their homecoming. There are also resources for the spouses and children of the returning vet, which show how to spot the psychological problems, as well as how to give support during treatment. The agency also has resources for soldiers and families who have yet to experience combat, in an effort to educate them before the problems start.

Although some lessons from Vietnam have not been heeded, one has been learned and is being retaught to a new generation of veterans. The incidents of PTSD in the Iraq/ Afganistan wars often reported and better treated. The NCPTSD is making sure that the mental scars of the battlefield are not brought home to cause even more damage.