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PTSD and Vietnam veterans

Profile image of Eric VermettenEric Vermetten

Abstract
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This analysis addresses misconceptions in the assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) prevalence among Vietnam veterans as presented in a recent debate surrounding the National Vietnam Veterans' Readjustment Study (NVVRS). It critiques the methodology of various studies and urges a reconsideration of PTSD-estimates, highlighting the need for rigorous verification procedures in trauma research, and ultimately emphasizing that exposure to diverse war zone stressors contributes significantly to the risk of developing PTSD.

Key takeaways

  • 's findings show that NVVRS critics [e.g., (3)(4)(5)] were wrong when they argued that only veterans in combat roles could experience war zone stressors sufficient to produce PTSD and that veterans' reports of exposure to war zone stressors could not be independently verified.
  • Among veterans with lifetime (but not current) PTSD, over 90% were rated within the top three categories of functioning; none were rated in any of the four lowest categories.
  • McNally nominated as our "most newsworthy" finding the discrepancy between our somewhat lower rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the original National Vietnam Veterans' Readjustment Study (NVVRS) rates (1).
  • As we show, the large majority of war-related PTSD involved substantial impairment when the disorder was at its worst, even for veterans whose onsets had remitted (our Report and SOM text).
  • In 1993, 1994, and 2000, the General Social Surveys asked how true is the statement, "Human beings evolved from earlier species of animals."

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