A study has found that even after 40+ years, close to 11 percent of Vietnam veterans still suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and it seems that many more of them are gradually getting worse rather than getting better.
Dr. Charles Marmar, chairman of the psychiatry department at New York University Langone Medical Center and director of the NYU Cohen Veterans Center, is one of the authors of this study and confirms, “Most people who serve in war are resilient.” He goes on to explain that among those that do develop post-traumatic stress disorder, “if they’re going to recover, they’re going to recover early on”.
PTSD: An Ongoing Battle for Many Vietnam Veterans
This study has found that close to 270,000 Vietnam combat veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder which includes symptoms such as startle reactions, flashbacks and nightmares and as many as one third of those veterans who suffer from PTSD also suffer from depression and anxiety.
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One of the major findings in the study has raised policy questions regarding the access that veterans have to mental health services and what attention is being paid to the fact that aging may intensify symptoms. According to the study, “an important minority of Vietnam veterans are symptomatic after four decades, with more than twice as many deteriorating as improving.
This insight may be key to predicting the future mental health of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as many of these troops have been diagnosed with similar rates of PTSD according to Dr. Charles Hoge of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Dr. Hoge wrote a companion editorial for JAMA Psychiatry, a publication of the Journal of American Medical Association.
“This is a very important study,” said Dr. Hoge. “It tells us we may well see a chronic course in our veterans in Iraq and Afghanistan if they can’t get the treatment they need. Hopefully, things will look a little different 40 years from now.”
Both Dr. Marmar and Dr. Hoge have said that the study in no way brought into question the efficacy of PTSD treatments. Both have stated that evidence-based treatments were available but that the affected veterans often did not access them or left the treatment too soon.
Due to the stigma of PTSD, many Vietnam veterans may not seek treatment for their symptoms and miss out on the disability compensation that they deserve. If you have questions regarding your PTSD disability or need assistance getting veterans compensation, please contact our experienced veteran disability attorneys, we are here to help.
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