Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ( Ptsd ) - 1513 Words

America has participated in many wars since her birth as a nation. She has been known as a war machine, and the country thrives economically during these periods. The aftermath of war has affected each individual differently. Post-traumatic stress disorder is nothing new, yet it is now finally known as a condition that may not be treatable, however some has developed ways of managing it. Veterans from the Vietnam and Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts are in the spotlight now for suffering with this condition. Are the Vietnam Veterans offered the same care as the recent combat Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, and does the timing of when PTSD interventions take place determine the outcome of the soldier? The conflict in Vietnam was a different war†¦show more content†¦To understand each individual soldier’s PTSD diagnosis, we must examine the war theater they were in. For the Vietnam veteran the public support they encountered was that of violent negativism. The combat front line consisted of little sleep, ragging gun fights that went on for hours or days, and facing the challenge of the racial war between the ranks. They did not have the modern convinces of calling home, e-mailing, or skyping home on a daily basis. Their mindset was shut off from the world of home they left behind, and focused on the war they found themselves in. Also, many lives were lost during Vietnam, and some soldiers did not go out of their way to say hello to a new soldier that was replacing one that died since they to would probably be gone in a day or so (West, 2014). When those that survived the combat battles of war finally came home the only PTSD help they received was that through family, friends, and other soldiers. This could be since the American Psychiatric Association (APA) released a second edition of their manual Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Disorders (DSM-II) that eliminated PTSD as a diagnosis. However, in the first released edition it was considered a diagno sis, however it would be cured in 6 months’ time, or a different diagnosis would be needed (Friedman, 2015). For the current combat Veteran, the experience of war was a vast difference. For