Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Post Vietnam War - 1945 Words

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†¦show more content†¦PTSD has become quite common in war veterans, seeing that they have been around people being brutally killed and probably have even killed people themselves. Essentially what is happening from a neuroscientific standpoint is that the brain has become damaged, in that an incorrect synapse fires, making the body react as if it was going through or seeing something terrible. The National Institution of Mental Health describes it like so: When in danger, it’s natural to feel afraid. This fear triggers many split-second changes in the body to prepare to defend against the danger or to avoid it. This â€Å"fight-or-flight† response is a healthy reaction meant to protect a person from harm. But in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), this reaction is changed or damaged. People who have PTSD may feel stressed or frightened even when they’re no longer in danger. Some symptoms of PTSD include uncontrollable flashbacks/hallucinations and thoughts in which the body can seize up and even shut down (as if the experience is happening again), feelings of worry, guilt or sadness, feeling alone, trouble sleeping and/or nightmares, being on edge, depression, angry outbursts, and thoughts of hurting one’s self or others. As one can see, PTSD is a matter of high seriousness. Ever since Vietnam, PTSD has shown up in every war which the US has fought in. However,Show MoreRelatedAmerica ´s Hostile Response to the Vietnam War and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 1630 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Vietnam War contribute to the high number of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder victims? Plan of Investigation In this investigation, the personal side of the soldiers who fought in the Vietnam war will be examined- particularly the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that were most common in veterans, and the different experiences in the war or after returning home that could have caused them. The types of warfare, deaths, and differences from methods used in the Vietnam War willRead MorePost-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Causes Symptoms and Effects Essay1382 Words   |  6 Pagesor suffered from a Traumatic Brain Injury during Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom. What this number does not include are the 39,365 cases of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (more commonly known as PTSD). 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These are types of events that can lead to Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD: A Growing Epidemic. â€Å") Anyone that has gone through a traumatic event can be diagnosed with PTSD but research shows, militaryRead MoreThe Invisible Injury824 Words   |  4 Pagesby doing what others fear to do. -Unknown- Post traumatic stress disorder is defined as â€Å"A psychological reaction occurring after experiencing a highly stressing event (i.e. wartime combat, physical violence, or a natural disaster) that is usually characterized by depression, anxiety, flashbacks, recurrent nightmares and avoidance of reminders of the event.† PTSD has become synonymous with many historical war-time diagnoses such as railway spine, stress syndrome, nostalgia, soldier s heart, shellRead MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder ( Ptsd ) Essay1550 Words   |  7 PagesPost Traumatic Stress Disorder â€Å"PTSD is a disorder that develops in certain people who have experienced a shocking, traumatic, or dangerous event† (National Institute of Mental Health). Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has always existed, PTSD was once considered a psychological condition of combat veterans who were â€Å"shocked† by and unable to face their experiences on the battlefield. Much of the general public and many mental health professionals doubted whether PTSD was a true disorder (NIMH)Read MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder ( Ptsd ) Essay1401 Words   |  6 PagesAccording to the Mayo-Clinic Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, commonly known as PTSD is defined as â€Å"Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is 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† (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014). Post Trau matic Stress disorder can prevent one from living a normal, healthy life. In 2014, Chris Kyle playedRead MoreKurt Vonnegut s Slaughterhouse Five1246 Words   |  5 Pagesmechanism to deal with his traumatic experiences during the war. Billy attempts to reorganize his life’s events and cope with a disorder known as post traumatic stress (PTSD). â€Å"Post traumatic stress disorder is a debilitating condition that follows a terrifying event† (Marilyn 8). It occurs when one has witnessed or experienced a traumatic event, such as war, child abuse, or other types of violence. Victims may claim to relive or re-experience events that were traumatic to them. They may even â€Å"feel†Read MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder and Veterants733 Words   |  3 PagesNew York City is home to over between 200,000 veterans whom fought wars since Vietnam. The numbers have been increasing since the drawback of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Programs that service our veterans have been granted by the Department of Veterans Affairs to assist veterans. Since the Wars began, issues arose in the veteran community like unemployment, mental health such as PTSD (post-traumatic stress disease), and veteran without a home. Throughout the five boroughs of New York City theRead MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder ( Ptsd )987 Words   |  4 PagesPost Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) PTSD can be traced back to antiquity. It was called soldier s heart during the American Civil War and morphed into shell shock in the First World War and battle fatigue during the Second. It became operational exhaustion in Korea and PTSD only after Vietnam, when the American Psychiatric Association added the term to its list of recognized mental disorders (Thompson, 2015, pg. 41). PTSD was originally observed in the military context, but more recentlyRead MorePost Traumatic Stress Disorder ( Ptsd ) Essay1453 Words   |  6 Pagesin the Vietnam War, 84.8% of those diagnosed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder still show moderate impairment of symptoms, even 30 plus years after the war (Glover 2014). As of today, the Unites States has 2.8 million veterans who served in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, of those it is estimated that 11 to 20% currently suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. As of 2013, a total of 12,632 veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars are currently diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Glover