Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Afflicting Vietnam Veterans Essay, Research Paper

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder afflicts a number of vietnam veterans who suffered extremely traumatic, and often consistent, experiences in the vietnam war. Many who do not understand the disorder at all view PTSD(post traumatic stress disorder) as an elaborate diagnosis for a vague set of symptoms that would otherwise be associated with other psycological problems. PTSD wasn’t a recognized disorder after the Vietnam war until 1980, when it was included in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic Manual. Every Industrialized society has The Validity of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Affecting Vietnam Veterans

had a commonly know concept of “war sickness” or a similar affliction for war veterans, but the development of the Psychiatric proffession allowed for the serious scientific treatment of this type of disorder. In 1980 Congress mandated numerous vet centers aimed at helping all veterans “readjust to society”, and these centers have become more and more concerned and innovative in treating PTSD in Vietnam veterans (Mclellan 1). PTSD is by no means a falsely diagnosed pseudo-disorder, and in analyzing accurate persectives (as well as the innaccurate ones) concerning the treatment of PTSD, one can view the disorder in a more truthful and knowledgable light, as a valid affliction that does and has always deserved specific medical attention.

In order to understand the nature of PTSD it is necessary to evaluate how the disorder is defined by the psychiatric profession. Commonly accepted symptoms of PTSD are Depression, feelings of isolation, Recurrent nightmares, irrational behavior, poor coping skills and a sense of guilt (Manson 3). Some physical symptoms include hypertension and heart dissease, thyroid and harmonal abnormality, weekend immune system, physical desensitization, and behavioral symptoms such as alcoholism and excessive smoking and drug abuse (3). All of these symptoms are often characteristic of the many veterans who are diagnosed with PTSD.