From Smithsonian.com Iver 250,000 Veterans of the Vietnam War STILL have PTSD 40 years later
According to the article, PTSD may be a relatively recent psychological concept, but historians are exploring its impact on soldiers from the American Civil War and even back to ancient Assyria circa 1300 B.C. Clinical symptoms include reliving events through nightmares or flashbacks, avoiding people or situations that might be reminders of traumatic events, negative changes in feelings toward oneself and others and a state of hyperarousal that makes it hard to concentrate or sleep and includes a common feeling of imminent danger.
These veterans, who are now in their mid- to late-60s and still really want to tell their story,” says Marmar (study author Charles Marmar, director of The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Veterans Center at the NYU Langone Medical Center.
“There is something very powerful in the social fabric of the American experience about Vietnam and how controversial Vietnam was, and maybe for these veterans the fact that many of them were unwelcome when they returned. For them it's very important to be able to tell their story now.”
To read some Vietnam Veterans' experiences, go to this website.
Thank a Veteran every day.
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