Jessica Hankin
Wilkie
Honors Tenth Grade Literature/ Composition
14 March 2016
Impact Vietnam Had on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatments Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has always been an occurring issue in soldiers returning home again after serving their country. In the beginning, the problem of PTSD was pushed aside and disregarded by American citizens, but the Vietnam War was the defining moment that opened up the countries eyes to the severity of the psychological problem. Vietnam marked the turning point in not only mental treatment, but also triggered the various programs and research that are currently in effect today. As early as the first civilization known to man, PTSD has always been present. However, it was not until the Civil War that it was acknowledged that intense combat situations could lead to psychiatric symptoms (Burgess, Stockey, and Coen 60). PTSD is a mental health condition that is triggered by a terrifying event, whether by experiencing it or witnessing it. Some “symptoms [that are often seen] . . . include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event,” (Stein 501). It has become a present issue in society and without it; our civilization would not function as it does currently. Lives would be changed because of the absence of their post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD affects everyone whether it is themselves that has it or simply a person near him or her. It affects the way people interact; the way they live their lives, and create, many hurdles that make it difficult do certain tasks. For these challenges to be overcome, the people require certain treatments and therapy. The only issue during the time before Vietnam was that those treatments were unavailable. Society did not acknowledge that PTSD was a severe mental and sometimes even physical health issue. Not only to soldiers, but also people who have experienced traumatic events. The veterans however, where the ones that finally made an effort to change the care of PTSD victims. It was not until after Vietnam that major social movement’s lead by veterans arose that addressed these issues. Movements that address the improper care of PTSD would not have had to be made if PTSD received the correct classification and emphasis as it does today. Originally the “American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders (“DSM-1”) . . . did not recognize post-traumatic stress disorder or its many precursors as a psychiatric condition,” (Burgess, Stockey, and Coen 61). Instead, PTSD was placed under the description of gross stress reactions. By incorrectly categorizing PTSD, people who had it were not getting the proper care. Thus resulting in the worsening of their conditions. Treatments are based on the …show more content…
Treatments vary based on the sections of the brain affected. Best results for PTSD therapy have been seen in the “cognitive schemas [which have been] . . . a key role in the development and maintenance of psychological disorders as in their recurrence and relapse,” (Cockram, Drummond, and Lee 166). Psychologists have come to understand that schemas, organized pattern of thought or behavior that organizes categories of information and the relationships among them, helps to explain vulnerability to PTSD. However, this was not known before the Vietnam War. If it had been, then the impact on veterans after the war could be significantly different. PTSD in veterans is not always just the things they have seen in battle, but also the treatment they receive when they return home. Today veterans are highly respected so people never understand the exact impact human interactions have on veterans. Both positive and negative interactions have significance with victims of PTSD. When veterans returned home from Vietnam, they were faced with hostile reception. A lack of social support contributed to the high levels of …show more content…
Flexy Neurotherapy System (FNS) has proven to be an effective “treatment [that] may be of potential benefit for the partial amelioration of symptoms,” (Nelson and Esty eIIII). FNS involves offsetting stimulation of brain wave activity by means of an external energy source (Nelson and Esty eIIII). Treatments that utilize FNS induce strategic distortion of ongoing brain wave activity to facilitate resetting of more adaptive patterns of activity. FNS treatment is only one of many that use science and parts of the brain to their advantage while treating
Wilkie
Honors Tenth Grade Literature/ Composition
14 March 2016
Impact Vietnam Had on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatments Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has always been an occurring issue in soldiers returning home again after serving their country. In the beginning, the problem of PTSD was pushed aside and disregarded by American citizens, but the Vietnam War was the defining moment that opened up the countries eyes to the severity of the psychological problem. Vietnam marked the turning point in not only mental treatment, but also triggered the various programs and research that are currently in effect today. As early as the first civilization known to man, PTSD has always been present. However, it was not until the Civil War that it was acknowledged that intense combat situations could lead to psychiatric symptoms (Burgess, Stockey, and Coen 60). PTSD is a mental health condition that is triggered by a terrifying event, whether by experiencing it or witnessing it. Some “symptoms [that are often seen] . . . include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event,” (Stein 501). It has become a present issue in society and without it; our civilization would not function as it does currently. Lives would be changed because of the absence of their post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD affects everyone whether it is themselves that has it or simply a person near him or her. It affects the way people interact; the way they live their lives, and create, many hurdles that make it difficult do certain tasks. For these challenges to be overcome, the people require certain treatments and therapy. The only issue during the time before Vietnam was that those treatments were unavailable. Society did not acknowledge that PTSD was a severe mental and sometimes even physical health issue. Not only to soldiers, but also people who have experienced traumatic events. The veterans however, where the ones that finally made an effort to change the care of PTSD victims. It was not until after Vietnam that major social movement’s lead by veterans arose that addressed these issues. Movements that address the improper care of PTSD would not have had to be made if PTSD received the correct classification and emphasis as it does today. Originally the “American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders (“DSM-1”) . . . did not recognize post-traumatic stress disorder or its many precursors as a psychiatric condition,” (Burgess, Stockey, and Coen 61). Instead, PTSD was placed under the description of gross stress reactions. By incorrectly categorizing PTSD, people who had it were not getting the proper care. Thus resulting in the worsening of their conditions. Treatments are based on the …show more content…
Treatments vary based on the sections of the brain affected. Best results for PTSD therapy have been seen in the “cognitive schemas [which have been] . . . a key role in the development and maintenance of psychological disorders as in their recurrence and relapse,” (Cockram, Drummond, and Lee 166). Psychologists have come to understand that schemas, organized pattern of thought or behavior that organizes categories of information and the relationships among them, helps to explain vulnerability to PTSD. However, this was not known before the Vietnam War. If it had been, then the impact on veterans after the war could be significantly different. PTSD in veterans is not always just the things they have seen in battle, but also the treatment they receive when they return home. Today veterans are highly respected so people never understand the exact impact human interactions have on veterans. Both positive and negative interactions have significance with victims of PTSD. When veterans returned home from Vietnam, they were faced with hostile reception. A lack of social support contributed to the high levels of …show more content…
Flexy Neurotherapy System (FNS) has proven to be an effective “treatment [that] may be of potential benefit for the partial amelioration of symptoms,” (Nelson and Esty eIIII). FNS involves offsetting stimulation of brain wave activity by means of an external energy source (Nelson and Esty eIIII). Treatments that utilize FNS induce strategic distortion of ongoing brain wave activity to facilitate resetting of more adaptive patterns of activity. FNS treatment is only one of many that use science and parts of the brain to their advantage while treating