BF2S Forums Ptsd

Everything is a disease nowadays.

Psychiatric diagnoses are very political. My understanding is that PTSD became an official diagnosis partly as a political reaction to Vietnam. It just seemed fair that soldiers coming back should get generous benefits, especially if they weren't functioning very well.

I learned about it in school but I barely remember so it's possible I am totally making that up.

No PTSD here. 

I have a friend that got in a car wreck, he claims he's got PTSD.

I think he's just a pussy.

We had vets come into our Vietnam class.

One of them was sent into a flashback when the bell went off...

http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/suicide- … 13439.html

"Few folks realize that twice as many Vietnam veterans died of suicide than the number who died in combat." -- comment at the end.  Many of the veterans also commented on that, and that they had contemplated suicide and still do from time to time.

I dunno, from the Vietnam vets that I've seen, I have no doubt PTSD is something to worry about.

One of the guys talked about how he had to kill women and children running towards his Huey... he was pretty fucked up tbh.

Last edited by CommieChipmunk (2007-07-16 23:35:15)

PTSD is a very difficult disease to deal with, because it's easy to fake, and hence everyone who has it (truly has it) is suspected of being a liar. However, if it actually DOES effect someone... boy...

If people like GS and 2005 can handle it, fucking good on them.  Fact is, war is a pretty traumatic/intense experience and not everybody handles it so well.

An uncle of mine served in the pacific during WW2.  Started out as a private and ended up as the platoon sergeant by way of "necessity".  He died a few years ago and to that day would dive under his bed whenever he heard a plane flying overhead at night.

I see the comment about more Vietnam vets dying of suicide than in combat...then I wonder about the number of WW2 and Korea vets that died of suicide after the war. Don't think that stat was even kept. A big part of the problem in Vietnam was the pervasiveness of mind-altering drugs. Who knows if that had an intensifying effect?

BL is, my grandfather was a medic during WW2...lived through some horrendous shit. My father and uncle were both in Vietnam. None of the three had or have PTSD...all thought it was bogus as a "syndrome". Doesn't seem we had nearly as many problems with PTSD until people started getting "diagnosed" with it...kind of like ADHD (or pick your syndrome of the week).

War is some bad shit. It's bound to affect someone. I'd say if you're not affected by war, you've probably got more problems than someone who is. I think that our society has stopped expecting people to deal with their own problems and overcome their internal demons in those situations. Now they're "victims" of a "syndrome" and can't possibly be expected to deal with it without therapy, drugs, and professional help. I'm sure that paradigm does wonders for one's psychiatric situation. Perpetual employment for mental health professionals, anyone?

FEOS wrote:

I see the comment about more Vietnam vets dying of suicide than in combat...then I wonder about the number of WW2 and Korea vets that died of suicide after the war. Don't think that stat was even kept. A big part of the problem in Vietnam was the pervasiveness of mind-altering drugs. Who knows if that had an intensifying effect?

BL is, my grandfather was a medic during WW2...lived through some horrendous shit. My father and uncle were both in Vietnam. None of the three had or have PTSD...all thought it was bogus as a "syndrome". Doesn't seem we had nearly as many problems with PTSD until people started getting "diagnosed" with it...kind of like ADHD (or pick your syndrome of the week).

War is some bad shit. It's bound to affect someone. I'd say if you're not affected by war, you've probably got more problems than someone who is. I think that our society has stopped expecting people to deal with their own problems and overcome their internal demons in those situations. Now they're "victims" of a "syndrome" and can't possibly be expected to deal with it without therapy, drugs, and professional help. I'm sure that paradigm does wonders for one's psychiatric situation. Perpetual employment for mental health professionals, anyone?

WWI and WWII had plentyful examples of what was then known as 'shell shock'. It's not new, it's just that people are actually doing something to help these days rather than ignoring it and hoping it will go away.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_shock

Does anyone agree that man is not designed, mentally, to kill other people?

BN wrote:

Does anyone agree that man is not designed, mentally, to kill other people?

I do, and so does On Killing by Dave Grossman.

Last edited by jonsimon (2007-07-17 16:33:45)