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Research Question and Thesis
Research Question: What effects did the Vietnam War have on the study of traumatic mental illness? Thesis: The Vietnam War had a positive effect on the study of traumatic mental illness because, it was given a name and diagnosed, and treatments were developed. -
Nostalgia
The word nostalgia was first described by Swiss physician named Dr. Johannes Hofer. He used this to describe Swiss soldiers from despair and homesickness, as well as PTSD like symptoms. -
Inventum Novum: Book about nostalgia
An Austrian physician named Josef Leopold Auenbrugger wrote about nostalgia in his book, Inventum Novum. In his book he wrote, “The soldiers, he reported, became listless and solitary, among other things, and efforts could do little to help them out of their torpor”. This meant that soldiers didn't want to be occupied by other people because they were already so occupied with their minds. -
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The Civil War
During this time, nostalgia which was seen as a disease in Europe had reached America during the time of the Civil War. Nostalgia was diagnosed throughout the camps during the war. Most military doctors, or at least some of them believed the illness was a sign of weakness, and that public ridicule was a recommended “cure” for nostalgia. Doctors never saw this as a big deal, and this was almost expected in soldiers as if it were normal. -
After the Civil War
This condition would later be diagnosed as soldiers heart, irritable heart, or Da Costa's syndrome. The reason for this is that a US doctor by the name of Jacob Mendes Da Costa studied many veterans who shared the same type of issues that were unrelated to physical battle wounds. These were palpitations. This is when someone's heart rate increases rapidly, get constricted breathing, and other cardiovascular symptoms (chest pain, shortness in breath). -
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World War I: Part 1
During World War I PTSD was described and known at the time as “shell shock”. Captain Charles Myers of the royal Army Medical Corps, described symptoms such as anxiety, nightmares, tremor, and impaired sight and hearing. These were all results of what happened on the battlefield. -
World War I: Part 2
Medical and Military authorities noticed some shell shock symptoms in the soldiers who had been nowhere near exploding shells. There were 80,000 diagnosed cases of shell shock in the British army alone by the end of World War I. Soldiers were treated for shell shock through hydrotherapy or electrotherapy. Hydrotherapy involves exercises which calm someone down and electrotherapy is the use of electrical currents to stimulate nerves in someone's body. -
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World War II
During the second World War, Britain and America described “shell shock” as “combat battle fatigue” and “battle fatigue” to describe traumatic responses. More than half of armies were experiencing PTSD like symptoms according to the National Center for PTSD. Again, this type of behavior was expected in soldiers since it was happening to so many of them. -
End of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War finally ended after 10 years for the Americans and 20 years overall. 3 million people were killed during Vietnam. 58,000 were American casualties. “500,000 of the 3 million troops who served in Vietnam suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, and rates of divorce, suicide, alcoholism and drug addiction were markedly higher among veterans” (Vietnam War, 2019). -
Stress disorders among Vietnam veterans
Vietnam war veteran Charles Figley, published a book called Stress disorders among Vietnam veterans. In his book he describes soldiers experiencing PTSD like symptoms before it was called or diagnosed as PTSD. Agitation, irritability, hostility, social isolation, etc. -
PTSD is diagnosed
“American Psychiatric Association creates a new diagnosis, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), by adding it to the third edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III)” (TIMELINE: THE HISTORY OF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AND HOW WE TREAT IT, 2017). This is threatening to soldiers, but could also be threatening to their loved ones if the person with PTSD becomes aggressive or on edge because of flashbacks. -
U.S. Department of Vietnam Affairs
Congress requested for the VA to conduct studies on PTSD. Because the research of PTSD was such a big deal the VA had a separate group called the National Vietnam veterans Readjustment Study (NVVRS). The NVVRS really brought great attention to the issue of PTSD and found that 15% of war veterans had post traumatic stress syndrome. This continued to give doctors and civilians a better understanding of traumatic mental illness. -
PTSD: Treatment and Research
Francine Shapiro a US psychologist began to develop a technique involving Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). This helps overcome and stabilize PTSD symptoms such as anxiety, random sweating, and depression. This is one of the most effective ways to treat PTSD. PTSD is not curable at the moment, and yet the stress caused is so bad, stress hormones are increased and or signaled more often. -
Advancement in Technology
With developments in neuroimaging and or brain imaging, doctors were able to identify that if a person experiences trauma, it could cause physical changes to their brain. “Parts of the brain can become sensitized, causing you to be on high alert and to perceive threats all around, leaving you jumpy and anxious” (How Trauma Can Affect Your Body & Mind, 2018). PTSD can change the whole structure and foundation of someone's brain causing them to do scary things because of flashbacks and anxiety. -
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What is PTSD?: Part 1
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a psychiatric disorder that can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, a serious accident, a terrorist act, war, combat, rape, or other violent personal assault. PTSD affects approximately 3.5 percent of U.S. adults, and an estimated one in 11 people will be diagnosed PTSD in their lifetime. Interestingly, women are twice as likely as men to have PTSD. -
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What is PTSD?: Part 2
PTSD can be triggered by something slight, which could cost that person to have a flashback and experience that traumatic event.
Treatments were created such as talk therapies, such as exposure therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, and medications such as sertraline (Zoloft) and paroxetine (Paxil) because of the studies done after the Vietnam War.
