Prevalence of PTSD 45 to 57% American Indian Vietnam Veterans

If you want an answer, it is a good place to begin where the most answers can be found. If you look at the Native Americans, dealing with PTSD since they first set foot on this land, then had to deal with other tribes as well as the "whites" coming to take their land, you have hundreds, if not thousands of years to look back on. While non-Indian veterans returned from Vietnam and scattered across the country, most Native Indians returned to their communities.

There are many psychology students trying to understand the relationship between mind, spirit and body. The documented evidence between war and the consequence paid by the spirit have been found within ancient documents across the globe. We can learn a great deal from ancient cultures. The American Indians are a living history of the answers we need to find.

The American Indian Vietnam Veterans Project found lifetime prevalence of PTSD to be 45 to 57% among AI veterans, rates significantly higher than among other Vietnam veterans.

http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/cre/fact4.asp

PTSD and the Legacy of War Among American Indian & Alaska Native Veterans
For Mental Health Care Providers
Run time: 54 min, in 9 parts

Contains interviews with native veterans and family members, providing powerful personal examples of military experience and readjustment to civilian life. Also describes experiences and perceptions about problems that occur when seeking or obtaining assistance from the VA, the Indian Health Service (IHS), community and tribal resources.

Will help staff recognize the cultural impact on the veteran and enable them to interact with the veteran in a manner that demonstrates respect for the cultural and social values, as well as the spiritual and emotional needs of those suffering from PTSD.
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Part 1: Introduction
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Part 2: Overview
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Part 3: Interviews
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Part 4: The Nature of PTSD
(5:40)
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Part 5: Cultural Formulation
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Part 6: Cultural Factors
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Part 7: Factors, Families
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Part 8: Traditional Medicine
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Part 9: Psychotherapy
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Also available in version for:

General Audiences

Native Veterans and their Families

Health Care Providers * (*with web based electronic guide)

Native Americans and Military Service
American Indian and Alaska Native veterans have a proud history of service in the United States military. Unfortunately, the stereotype that American Indians are members of a martial race is at least as old as the U.S. itself. For example, Colonel James Smith, held captive by an unnamed Indian tribe between 1755 and 1759, wrote an account of American Indian modes of warfare that was accurate enough to popularize the idea that Indians were uniquely brave and adept warriors. Later, Secretary of the Interior Ickes furthered these ideas in his writings for a national magazine, saying that, "the rigors of combat hold no terror for American Indians and, better than all else, they have an enthusiasm for fighting." Thus, by the end of World War II, the stereotype of the American Indian as a martial race, with special propensities and desire for warfare, was firmly and pervasively entrenched in the American mind.
From the American Indian perspective, war is viewed as a major disruption of the natural order of life and of the universe. Native American peoples conceptualize no separation between mind, body, spirit, and "religion," while the western society world-view (that of the U.S. majority) embraces a reductionistic/separatist conceptualization of a mind, body, and spirit. Thus, a more holistic paradigm of self, spirit, and nature is embraced by American Indian and Alaska Native peoples. Warriors are viewed as people who are placed not only in physical danger, but also in spiritual danger by their participation in war. All tribes see the warrior as sacrificing self (purposefully exposing oneself to trauma or even death) on behalf of the people; it is a role and an undertaking worthy of the highest respect. Thus, only the most serious reasons legitimize war.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
The risk of exposure to trauma (e.g., combat or rape) is a risk of the human condition. A possible consequence of trauma is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Historical accounts and world literature provide us with many illustrations of trauma and its sequelae. One example is Homer's ancient story of the battle between the Greeks and the Trojans. In a more modern-day work, Shakespeare's Henry IV appears to have met many, if not all, of the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. Yet, as familiar as clinicians and the general public have become with PTSD in general, knowledge about its prevalence, incidence, comorbidities, treatments, and cultural aspects specific to American Indian and Alaska Native peoples remains relatively underinvestigated and undisseminated.
This section contains information about PTSD and various topics:
What Causes PTSD
Making the Diagnosis
Is PTSD Different for Native Veterans?
Social Readjustment
Quality of Life
Relationships
Mental Health
PTSD, Alcohol Problems and Drug Abuse
PTSD and Physical Illness

Native American Healing
Native American healing encompasses a very broad spectrum of practices and beliefs. These practices and beliefs vary throughout the different tribes of Native American, yet they all are generally based on spirituality, herbs, religion or a combination of all three. Native American healing practices and rituals were used to treat not only medical conditions but emotional and spiritual conditions, too.
There are many different Native American tribes. It would be impossible to list all of them in this article. It should be noted that some Native American healing practices are not even known by the general public. Many healing practices and rituals are kept as closely guarded secret among the tribes. They are only passed down from healers to the next generation of healers. What is known about Native American healing and rituals is very general and remains part of the mystery which continues to surround Native Americans.
The concept behind Native American healing is much different than Western medicine. Native Americans looked at the person as a whole and treated the individual’s entire person, instead of focusing on just the illness or ailment. As many of you know, Native Americans believe that everything is interconnected – nature, plants, animals, the Earth, sky and so on. Many Native Americans believe that everything has a spirit. If a person had an illness it was thought to be due in part to a spiritual problem.
An important part of Native American healing involved cleansing and purifying the body. Sweat lodges, special drinks and herbs were often used by tribes for the purpose of cleansing the body. Another ritual was called smudging. This is when they would “smoke” a person or a place with the smoke from a sacred herb or plant. Sometimes the entire tribe was involved in ceremonies that were supposed to promote healing for an individual or the tribe as a whole. These ceremonies sometimes included painting their bodies, singing, praying, dancing, chanting, or taking substances that were reported to alter the mind.
Native American healing is very old. It is said to have roots in ancient East Indian and Chinese traditions. When the United States was settled many of the ancient healing practices became lost or were hidden from the whites. It was until the United States passed the American Indian Religious Freedom Act in 1978 did many of these rituals and practices become “legal.”
To put it plainly, because many of the Native American healing practices are shrouded in mystery and spirituality there are few scientific studies to prove whether it is a valid form of medicine that actually heals the body. However, many people swear by Native American healing. They say it not only heals, but it calms and relieves stress. Many people who have disease or illness will incorporate it in with their Western medicine plans.
http://www.native-languages.org/composition/native-american-healing.html