Blog Post 4



Vietnam and PTSD

           The war in Vietnam is considered one of the worst wars in American history, mostly due to the gorilla warfare and the high amount of civilian and soldier causalities. Many veterans suffer PTSD from the war and also from the ways they were treated when they returned home from the war. 15% of male veterans suffered PTSD upon return and 8% of women did as well. Half of male veterans suffering PTSD ended up being arrested for a felony after the war. Most PTSD sufferes resigned from jobs and became homeless. Also some people became so depressed they killed themselves. People who have PTSD suffer from nightmares, anxiety, depression, delusions and intrusive memories (which can also be hallucinations).

         An engineer who served in Vietnam, named Roy, still suffers PTSD today. When he got back from the war he bounced from job to job and when he finally got a stable job as a reporter, he had his mental break. Roy took off to Massachusetts, where he spent 8 years locked in house contemplating suicide and barely living. He suffered severe depression and anxiety. When Roy almost killed himself he decided to seek help. he credits his counselor with saving his life. Years later, Roy had a college degree from UMass Amherst and was living with a friend. Roy now lives in a Vietnam Veteran house and runs an animal advocacy center. There are so many people like Roy who still suffer from PTSD. This mental disorder leaves a person isolated, scared and alone. The only way to get better is to receive therapy and possibly medication.

        Roy has a theory that the reason why Vietnam caused so much PTSD is because the soldiers were isolated. Roy describes having no training, knowing no one, and feeling completely alone. I believe that in other wars people were trained as a group and always stayed together; in Vietnam, according to veteran accounts, that didn't happen. Everyone got separated to different camps or units, or they died in front of you.


http://www.veteransinc.org/services/case-management/roy/