Want to write about Combat and PTSD?

There are times when I hate tracking reports on PTSD from news sources. This is one of those times because this morning I read this utter load of bullshit!

PTSD didn't exist for Vietnam Vets
Freddy Groves
Veterans Post
Before 1980, there was no diagnosis called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Think about that for a minute. If you need a timeline to consider, we had 16,000 soldiers in Vietnam by 1963, and the number escalated rapidly from there. Saigon fell in 1975.

There was no diagnosis for what was surely an existing condition.

There is no way in hell I'd sign up to read the rest of whatever this editorial had because the damage had already been done.


First the author of this nonsense picked the year 1963. What about all the others before that date?

Year Troop Level
1959 760
1960 900
1961 3,025
1962 11,300
1963 16,300
1964 23,300
1965 184,300
1966 385,300
1967 485,600
1968 536,100
1969 475,200
1970 334,600
1971 156,800
1972 24,200
1973 50

But this doesn't seem to mention the number of troops up to the last battle of the Vietnam War, SS Mayaguez May 12, 1975.

Then the author says that "there was no diagnosis called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" but did not do his research because there was, it was researched and started to be treated.

PTSD Forgotten Warrior Project Forgotten About but that is nothing new. People need to pretend this is all new because then they can justify how sickening all of this is. If they acknowledged how many years researchers have been spending money researching the research already done, compare the appalling results we have today with suicides, attempted suicides topping off a very long list of other issues, we'd have to accept the fact none of this suffering should have happened.

The truth is as much as some want to pretend this is all new, it used to be called "shell shock" before PTSD and other names before that.

So if you want to write about PTSD, do some basic research first. This person just did more harm than good not knowing what the hell he's talking about.