An estimated 700,000 Vietnam veterans—almost 25% of those who served in the war—have required some form of psychological care for the delayed effects of combat exposure. 10 The diagnosis of PTSD was not adopted until the late 1970s, and it became official in 1980 with inclusion in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 11
How do we treat Vietnam War veterans with PTSD?
Treatment of Vietnam War veterans with PTSD: a comparison of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, biofeedback, and relaxation training
What is the best treatment for PTSD?
CPT has been widely supported as an effective treatment for PTSD. While CPT was developed to treat survivors of rape (Resick and Schnicke, 1992), it has been researched and implemented successfully across trauma types and populations (Chard et al., 2012).
How common is PTSD in the military after treatment?
According to a review of trauma-focused treatment among military samples, approximately 60% to 72% of military patients retained PTSD diagnosis after treatment (Steenkamp et al., 2015).
Do Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans need help for PTSD?
The last several years have seen a dramatic increase in the number of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans seeking help for PTSD,1shining a spotlight on this debilitating condition and raising critical questions about appropriate treatment options and barriers to care.
What percentage of Vietnam veterans suffered from post traumatic stress disorder?
In the 1970s, a study showed that 15 percent of Vietnam War veterans developed PTSD. However, as time has gone on, that number has doubled to a staggering 30% of Vietnam veterans with PTSD, or 810,000 of the 2.7 million service members, in the National Vietnam Veteran Readjustment Study.
What percentage of veterans who have served in the Vietnam War meet diagnostic criteria for PTSD?
Vietnam War Veterans: The National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study, conducted from 1986 to 1988, found that 15.2% of men and 8.1% of women who served in Vietnam met diagnostic criteria for PTSD. Additionally, the estimated lifetime prevalence of PTSD was 30.9% among men who served in Vietnam and 26.9% among women.
Why was PTSD so common after the Vietnam War?
Many mental health professionals in Psychiatry attribute the high incidence of PTSD in Vietnam-era veterans to a lack of “decompression” time.
What is the success rate of PTSD treatment?
Proven Breakthrough In PTSD Treatment Has A 90% Success Rate In Eliminating Post-Traumatic Stress.
How many veterans with PTSD seek treatment?
According to a study conducted by the RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research, less than half of returning veterans needing mental health services receive any treatment at all, and of those receiving treatment for PTSD and major depression, less than one-third are receiving evidence-based care.
How many US soldiers have PTSD from Vietnam?
New findings from the National Vietnam Veterans Longitudinal Study show that about 271,000 veterans who served in Vietnam still suffer from PTSD and other major depressive disorders. PTSD is prevalent in about 12% of those veterans who served in the brief Gulf War, or Desert Storm, in the early 1990s.
What are the effects of PTSD for Vietnam War veterans?
They reported lower satisfaction with their marriage, sex life, and life in general. They also indicated having more parenting difficulties, higher divorce rates, lower happiness, and more physical health complaints, such as fatigue, aches, and colds. Veterans with chronic PTSD were also more likely to be smokers.
How were veterans treated after the Vietnam War?
Veterans returned from Vietnam not with their battalion or company, but alone on a plane after their 365-day tour. Many of them were anguished by their countrymen's condemnation of their war, felt abandoned by their government, and suffered grievous physical and psycho-spiritual injuries.
Which war caused the most PTSD?
World War One and Vietnam are the wars most closely associated with post-traumatic stress - but it was also a huge problem for the combatants in World War Two, and one that may still be affecting their children and grandchildren today.
Do all combat veterans get PTSD?
Although about 60 percent of the general public have experienced one or more traumatic events, only around 8 percent suffer from PTSD at some point in their lives. For veterans deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan the rate of PTSD is higher, ranging from 11 to 20 percent.
Is combat PTSD curable?
As with most mental illnesses, PTSD isn't curable — but people with the condition can improve significantly and see their symptoms resolved.
Why do veterans not seek help for PTSD?
Many veterans don't receive treatment at all, because of the stigma around seeking mental health care. More than 63% of returning veterans say they would not seek the help of mental health professionals as they believe it may affect their military or civilian careers.
PTSD and Vietnam Veterans: A Lasting Issue 40 Years Later
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is defined as having flashbacks, upsetting memories, and anxiety following a traumatic event. It was first of...
National Vietnam Veterans Longitudinal Study
More recently, Congress requested that VA conduct a follow-up study among the participants of the NVVRS, known as the National Vietnam Veterans Lon...
Text Version of Infographic
Key FindingsThe 2013 NVVLS measured the long-term health and mental health of Vietnam Veterans. Results of the study were compared to the results o...
What is PTSD in Vietnam?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is defined as having flashbacks, upsetting memories, and anxiety following a traumatic event. It was first officially recognized as a mental health condition in 1980, only five years after the end of the Vietnam War. For hundreds of years, these symptoms have been described under different names in soldiers from many wars. However, Vietnam Veterans with these symptoms were the first to have the term ‘PTSD’ applied to them. Despite the passage of 50 years since the war, for some Vietnam Veterans, PTSD remains a chronic reality of everyday life.
What was the first study to evaluate the prevalence of PTSD among Vietnam veterans?
This was the first study to evaluate the prevalence of PTSD among Veterans, and became known as the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study (NVVRS). The NVVRS brought greater attention to the issue of PTSD as it found that as many as 15 percent of Veterans had PTSD.
When was the Vietnam Veterans Longitudinal Study completed?
The NVVLS was completed in December 2013, and was the first study to measure the long-term health and mental health of Vietnam Veterans.
Why is the VA using the results of this study and other similar studies?
VA is using the results of this study and other similar studies to better understand the long-term effects of military service. The results will allow VA to improve care and to better address Veterans’ long-term health needs, as well as anticipate future health needs of recent Veterans.
Do people with PTSD have a history of chronic conditions?
Those with current warzone PTSD were more likely to report a history of chronic conditions.
Is Vietnam theater healthy?
While NVVLS findings confirm that the majority of Vietnam theater Veterans are both mentally and physically healthy, a significant number are still suffering from PTSD symptoms and other chronic health issues related to their service.
How many Vietnam veterans have PTSD?
Incidence of PTSD in Vietnam Veterans. The findings from the study mandated by Congress in 1983 were alarming. At the time of the study (middle- to late-1980s), among Vietnam veterans, approximately 15% of men and 9% of women were found to currently have PTSD. Approximately 30% of men and 27% of women had PTSD at some point in their life ...
How many people had PTSD at the first interview?
At the initial interview, approximately 12% had PTSD. Fourteen years later, the rates of PTSD had dropped only slightly to approximately 11%. Those who had experienced high levels of combat exposure were most likely to have PTSD at both interviews.
Why was the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study conducted?
government to better understand the development of PTSD from the Vietnam War, as well as other problems. In the past few years, many more studies have looked at the impact of the condition over time, with many important findings.
What are the physical effects of PTSD?
PTSD affects physical health as well. It's important to note that any treatment plan for PTSD in Vietnam veterans should take account of not just the psychological impact, but the physical aspect of the disorder. Physical conditions which are more common in those living with PTSD include: 4 1 Heart disease 2 Arthritis 3 Chronic pain 4 Respiratory-related disorders such as emphysema 5 Digestive tract disorders such as GERD and peptic ulcer disease 6 Diabetes
What are the conditions that veterans are coping with?
PTSD's Role in Other Conditions. In addition to the symptoms of PTSD, veterans are now coping with many of the conditions that can go hand in hand. Some of these include: PTSD and substance abuse: It's thought that substance abuse occurs in roughly a third of men with PTSD.
What are the physical conditions of Vietnam veterans?
Physical conditions which are more common in those living with PTSD include: 4. Heart disease. Arthritis. Chronic pain.
Is PTSD considered late onset?
In many cases, the PTSD was categorized as "late-onset.". A different study found these numbers to be 22% for theater and 15.7% for "non-theater" Vietnam veterans. It's clear that PTSD continues to affect the lives of many Vietnam war veterans today.
How to use shared decision making in PTSD?
Shared decision making using a patient centered, collaborative approach that includes the treatment team and the Veteran is recommended (33) to help engage and retain Veterans in care. Because there is no single level of care or evidence-based treatment that is recommended for all Veterans, using a patient centered, collaborative approach allows for tailoring of treatment to best meet each Veteran’s circumstances. Measurement based care (MBC) should be used to assess progress and to contribute self-reported outcome data into shared decision-making. Self-reported outcome data can be invaluable in PTSD and SUD treatment for Veterans and their treatment team in assessing whether gains are being made in symptoms and/or functional status, or whether discussions of a shift in services may be warranted in order to optimize treatment outcomes.
How many times more likely are women to have PTSD than men?
Men were 2. 06 and 2.97 times more likely, respectively (2).
Do veterans with PTSD have comorbid substance use?
A substantial majority of Veterans with PTSD have met criteria for comorbid substance use at some point. The National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study, conducted in the 1980s, found 74% of Vietnam Veterans with PTSD had comorbid SUD (3). Whether these findings generalize to other cohorts is unknown.
Do PTSD and SUD co-occur?
PTSD and SUD often co-occur. According to one national epidemiologic study, 46.4% of individuals with lifetime PTSD also met criteria for SUD (1). In another national epidemiologic study, 27.9% of women and 51.9% of men with lifetime PTSD also had SUD (2). Women with PTSD were 2.48 times more likely to meet criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence and 4.46 times more likely to meet criteria for drug abuse or dependence than women without PTSD. Men were 2.06 and 2.97 times more likely, respectively (2). There are few comparable population prevalence estimates among Veterans. A substantial majority of Veterans with PTSD have met criteria for comorbid substance use at some point. The National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study, conducted in the 1980s, found 74% of Vietnam Veterans with PTSD had comorbid SUD (3). Whether these findings generalize to other cohorts is unknown.
Can PTSD be treated with substance use disorder?
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder (SUD) often co-occur among Veterans seeking Veterans Affairs (VA) care.#N#Patients with PTSD and SUD can tolerate and benefit from evidence-based trauma-focused PTSD treatment such as Prolonged Exposure (PE) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT).#N#Per VA policy, patients with PTSD and SUD should be offered evidence-based treatment for both disorders. Having one should not be a barrier to receiving treatment for the other.#N#Shared decision making about treatment for co-occurring PTSD and SUD using a patient-centered collaborative approach that incorporates measurement based care (MBC) is recommended.
Does SUD help with PTSD?
A meta-analysis suggests that patients with PTSD and SUD who received trauma-focused cognitive behavioral psychotherapy for PTSD along with SUD psychotherapy were more likely to reduce their PTSD symptoms and substance use than were patients who received SUD only treatment or treatment as usual (11).
Does seeking safety help with PTSD?
The same meta-analysis found that therapies that were not trauma-focused and instead centered on improving coping skills were not associated with higher dropout than SUD only treatment or treatment as usual but also did not have better PTSD or SUD outcomes. For example, Seeking Safety, an integrated psychotherapy focused on improving coping skills that does not include trauma processing or exposure, has been widely implemented in VA and elsewhere, with high acceptability to patients and providers. Although early studies found support for Seeking Safety, the more rigorous randomized controlled trials in Veterans and non-Veterans suggest that it is only comparably effective to SUD treatment alone for reducing symptoms of PTSD and substance use (15-17).
How many Vietnam vets have PTSD?
About 15 out of every 100 Vietnam veterans (15%) were currently diagnosed with PTSD when the most recent study of them (the National Vietnam Veteran Readjustment Study) was conducted in the late 1980s. It’s believed that 30% of Vietnam veterans have had PTSD in their lifetime.
How to help someone with PTSD?
Connecting with networks, particularly of other people who’ve had similar experiences, can be a powerful antidote to PTSD. Cognitive behavioral therapy is considered the frontline treatment for PTSD and medications can help some individuals as well.
Why do veterans have higher rates of PTSD than veterans returning from World War I?
For example, these populations may have higher rates of PTSD than veterans returning from World War I and World War II in part because the nature of warfare has changed significantly since the mid-20th century, and there are new pressures and challenges more recent veterans experience.
How do you know if you have PTSD?
Symptoms of PTSD may include: 1 Re-experiencing the initial trauma via intrusive thoughts, unwanted recollections and memories, nightmares and flashbacks. 2 Avoidance of certain activities, particularly difficult emotions and places that remind the individual of the trauma. 3 Increased arousal, such as feeling anxious or on edge all the time, being jumpy, having difficulty sleeping, being irritable, having angry outbursts or engaging in self-destructive behaviors. 4 Negative changes in mood and thinking that can include mood swings, difficulty focusing or concentrating, depression, isolation from friends and family and apathy.
How does living in a combat zone affect your brain?
The heightened danger of living in a combat zone leads to a release of many powerful hormones and chemicals in the brain and body, causing powerful changes to the brain and how people respond to everything. “It’s not just a change to their thought process. It also involves cortisol levels, hormone stress responses, blood pressure responses, heart rate increases and other hormones that are released like oxytocin, which is widely touted as the hug neurotransmitter. When you have oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin all working at very high levels, the individual feels very connected to their combat buddies, which they should be. But when they return home, that’s absent and it’s missed and it can very quickly then lead to issues of depression. It can very quickly lead to feelings of isolation that one doesn’t fit in,” and some people will try to fill that void with fast cars, alcohol, substance abuse or other potentially dangerous or self-destructive activities. “They want that adrenaline rush again,” Yeager explains.
How many veterans have suicides in 2016?
Sadly, the worst outcome of PTSD, namely suicide, is also increasing among veterans. The VA reports that there were more than 6,000 veteran suicides each year from 2008 through 2016, and from 2005 to 2016, veteran and non-veteran adult suicide rates increased 25.9% and 20.6% respectively. “In 2016, the suicide rate was 1.5 times greater for veterans than for non-veteran adults, after adjusting for age and gender.”
What are some non-traditional treatments for trauma?
A lot of the non-traditional treatments like yoga, meditation, acupuncture and acupressure are also very effective tools in managing one’s trauma,” he says.
How many Vietnam veterans have PTSD?
Vietnam War Veterans: The National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study, conducted from 1986 to 1988, found that 15.2% of men and 8.1% of women who served in Vietnam met diagnostic criteria for PTSD. Additionally, the estimated lifetime prevalence of PTSD was 30.9% among men who served in Vietnam and 26.9% among women. In a more recent study, researchers also found that PTSD was more prevalent among Vietnam veterans who had served in the theater of combat.
What is PTSD in veterans?
Individuals with PTSD experience a diverse array of symptoms, and veterans with a diagnosis of PTSD may face several kinds of challenging thoughts and feelings . However, PTSD is generally characterized by a few distinct categories of symptoms, which mental health professionals use to assess and treat the disorder.These symptom categories, as described in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), capture the kinds of mental health problems that veterans with PTSD experience to differing degrees. These DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for PTSD are widely accepted in psychiatry and related mental health fields. To understand the daily struggles that PTSD can entail – or to assess whether you might be experiencing this condition yourself – consider the following:
Why do veterans have lingering pain?
Unfortunately, lingering pain can often serve to remind veterans of their traumatic experiences, exacerbating their PTSD symptoms. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Due to the nature of modern warfare, military personnel now experience high rates of traumatic brain injuries.
Why do people with PTSD avoid people?
Because recalling traumatic events can be emotionally distressing, many individuals with PTSD avoid people, places, or things that might remind them of these experiences. Either intentionally or unconsciously, people with a diagnosis of PTSD typically steer clear of stressors that might “trigger” the painful thoughts and feelings associated with their trauma.
How long does it take for PTSD to show?
While most individuals with PTSD experience symptoms within three months of the traumatic events in question, symptoms can also appear post-deployment. For veterans with PTSD, symptoms may emerge weeks or months after a period of combat or active-duty service.
Why do veterans have PTSD?
Because of the nature of their service, military veterans face particular risk of experiencing traumatic events and subsequently developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Drawing from the latest authoritative research, this page presents several important statistics pertaining to the incidence of PTSD among United States veterans.
What are the negative beliefs that veterans have about themselves?
Negative beliefs about oneself, others, or the world more generally, such as “I’m a bad person,” “I’m a weak person,” or “People can’t be trusted”.
What is the best treatment for PTSD?
The recommendations of these two sets of guidelines were mostly consistent. See Table Table11for an overview of the “strongly recommended” and “recommended” treatments for adults with PTSD. Both guidelines strongly recommended use of PE, CPT and trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The APA strongly recommended cognitive therapy (CT). The VA/DoD recommended eye movement desensitization therapy (EMDR; APA “suggests”), brief eclectic psychotherapy (BET; APA suggests), narrative exposure therapy (NET; APA suggests) and written narrative exposure. In our discussion of PTSD treatments, we will focus on treatments that were strongly recommended by both guidelines, which includes PE, CPT and CBT. First, we will describe each treatment and evidence for its use and then we will discuss dropout, side effects and adverse effects of these treatments together.
What are some ways to treat PTSD?
A number of psychological treatments for PTSD exist, including trauma-focused interventions and non-trauma-focused interventions. Trauma-focused treatments directly address memories of the traumatic event or thoughts and feeling related to the traumatic event. For example, both Prolonged Exposure (PE) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) are trauma-focused treatments. Non-trauma-focused treatments aim to reduce PTSD symptoms, but not by directly targeting thoughts, memories and feelings related to the traumatic event. Examples of non-trauma-focused treatments include relaxation, stress inoculation training (SIT) and interpersonal therapy. Over the last two decades, numerous organizations (e.g., American Psychiatric Association, 2004; National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, 2005; Institute of Medicine, 2007; ISTSS [Foa et al., 2009]) have produced guidelines for treatment of PTSD, including guidelines by American Psychological Association (APA) and the Veterans Health Administration and Department of Defense (VA/DoD) that were both published in 2017. Guidelines are lengthy and contain a great amount of information. Thus, the purpose of the current review is to briefly review the methodology used in each set of 2017 guidelines and then discuss the psychotherapeutic treatments of PTSD for adults that were strongly recommended by both sets of guidelines. The guidelines recommended several medications for treatment of PTSD, such as Sertraline, Paroxetine, Fluoxetine, Venlafaxine (see American Psychological Association, 2017; VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline Working Group, 2017) however, for the purposes of this review we will focus solely on psychotherapy. The combination of psychotherapy and medication is not recommended by either these guidelines.
What is PTSD in the military?
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic, often debilitating mental health disorder that may develop after a traumatic life event, such as military combat, natural disaster, sexual assault, or unexpected loss of a loved one. Most of the U.S. population is exposed to a traumatic event during their lifetime (Sledjeski et al., 2008) and shortly after exposure, many people experience some symptoms of PTSD. Although among most individuals these symptoms resolve within several weeks, approximately 10%–20% of individuals exposed to trauma experience PTSD symptoms that persist and are associated with impairment (Norris and Sloane, 2007). Lifetime and past year prevalence rates of PTSD in community samples are 8.3% and 4.7%, respectively (Kilpatrick et al., 2013), with similar rates (8.0% and 4.8%) observed in military populations (Wisco et al., 2014). PTSD is associated with a wide range of problems including difficulties at work, social dysfunction and physical health problems (Alonso et al., 2004; Galovski and Lyons, 2004; Smith et al., 2005). Fortunately, effective psychological treatments for PTSD exist.
How many sessions are needed for PTSD therapy?
The evidence-based manual describing PE indicates that this therapy is typically completed in 8–15 sessions (Foa et al., 2007). PE includes psychoeducation about PTSD and common reactions to trauma, breathing retraining, and two types of exposure: in vivoexposure and imaginal exposure. During psychoeducation, patients learn about PTSD, common reactions to trauma and exposure. Breathing retraining is a skill taught to assist patients in stressful situations but not to be used during exposure. The two main components of treatment are in vivoexposure and imaginal exposure. In vivoexposure assists patients in approaching situations, places and people they have been avoiding because of a fear response due to the traumatic event repeatedly until distress decreases. Imaginal exposure consists of patients approaching memories, thoughts and emotions surrounding the traumatic event they have been avoiding. Patients recount the narrative of the traumatic event in the present tense repeatedly and tape record this recounting to practice imaginal exposure for homework. The patient and therapist then process emotional content that emerged during the imaginal exposure. Through these two types of exposures, patients activate their fear structure and incorporate new information. PE is a particular program of exposure therapy that has been adopted for dissemination through the VA and DOD. The treatment manual has been translated into about nine different languages. A revised PE manual is due to be published in 2019. It has been shown to be helpful across survivors, in different cultures and countries, regardless of the length of time since traumatization or the number of previous traumatic events (Powers et al., 2010).
What are the APA guidelines?
The APA panel consisted of individuals from a number of backgrounds, including consumers, psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists and general medicine practitioners. The APA panel considered four factors in their recommendations: (1) overall strength of the evidence for the treatment; (2) the balance of benefits vs. harms or burdens; (3) patient values and preferences for treatment; and (4) the applicability of evidence to various populations.
What is the APA for PTSD?
In 2017, the Veterans Health Administration and Department of Defense (VA/DoD) and the American Psychological Association (APA) each published treatment guidelines for PTSD, which are a set of recommendations for providers who treat individuals with PTSD.
Who wrote the book Psychological sequelae of combat violence?
Galovski T., Lyons J. A. (2004). Psychological sequelae of combat violence: a review of the impact of PTSD on the veteran’s family and possible interventions. Aggression Violent Behav.9, 477–501. 10.1016/s1359-1789(03)00045-4 [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
Incidence of PTSD in Vietnam Veterans
The Long-Term Impact
- Studies continue to find that PTSD in Vietnam war veterans remains a concern. A 2012 study2 looking at twins, found that 10% of "theater" veterans and 4.45% of "non-theater" veterans continued to cope with significant symptoms of PTSD. In many cases, the PTSD was categorized as "late-onset." A different study found these numbers to be 22% for theater and 15.7% for "non-t…
PTSD's Role in Other Conditions
- In addition to the symptoms of PTSD, veterans are now coping with many of the conditions that can go hand in hand. Some of these include: 1. PTSD and substance abuse: It's thought that substance abuse occurs in roughly a third of men with PTSD. It could be that "self-medicating" may underlie some of this propensity to become addicted to alcohol or drugs. 2. Connection bet…
Importance of Recognizing PTSD
- Understanding how common PTSD is in Vietnam veterans, and the complications of the condition, it's clear why it is so important that the condition is recognized. Studies3 have found several types of treatment to be helpful, but in order to seek treatment, veterans need to be aware that what they are experiencing is something that canimprove with treatment.
Getting Help
- People exposed to severe traumatic events (such as combat exposure) are clearly at risk for PTSD, and it goes without saying that persistent or chronic PTSD can have a tremendous negative effect on a person's daily lifeas well as physical health. Yet even in cases of chronic PTSD, recovery can still occur. Whether you have been suffering from PTSD for many years, or recently …
Physical Health and PTSD
- PTSD affects physical health as well. It's important to note that any treatment plan for PTSD in Vietnam veterans should take account of not just the psychological impact, but the physical aspect of the disorder. Physical conditions which are more common in those living with PTSD include:4 1. Heart disease 2. Arthritis 3. Chronic pain 4. Respiratory-related disorders such as e…
Secondary Traumatization
- Those with PTSD do not live in a bubble, and partners and children are also affected by the disorder. Demoralization in partners has been well reported. Although the disorder has been found to affect both sons and daughters of Vietnam veterans in a number of ways—previous studies5 have found increased violence and hostility in children—it’s thought that the children of Vietnam …