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Stories of Veterans Still Suffering from PTSD 

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Stories of Veterans Still Suffering from PTSD 

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Philip Paolini served four years in the Vietnam War as a marine. In the years since then, he's faced a number of hardships, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse and homelessness.

And Paolini's story is far from uncommon. New research shows that four decades after the Vietnam War ended, more than 270,000 veterans who served in the war zone suffer from symptoms of PTSD, a mental health condition characterized by painful flashbacks, severe anxiety, and uncontrollable thoughts about the disturbing events they experienced.

The study, published online Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry, also found that at least one-third of those veterans exhibiting symptoms of PTSD suffer from major depression, as well.

Researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center followed up with Vietnam War veterans who had participated in a study from 1984 to 1988. Of the 1,839 men and women still alive from the original study, over 1,400 participated in at least one phase of the new study, which involved a health questionnaire, health interview and clinical interview.

The study authors used three different scales to measure PTSD. Depending on the method, the results suggest that between 4.5 percent and 11.2 percent of the male Vietnam veterans and 6.1 and 8.7 percent of the female vets are experiencing serious PTSD symptoms today.

About 16 percent of veterans in the study reported an increase of more than 20 points on a PTSD symptom scale, while only 7.6 percent reported a decrease of greater than 20 points.

"The primary message is that the majority of men and women who served in Vietnam are resilient across 40 years," lead study author Dr. Charles Marmar told CBS News. "However, equally important, the minority of individuals who were symptomatic 15 years ago or more are likely to have increases rather than decreases in the severity of the symptoms. A case of PTSD that is chronic -- lasting more than five years after war -- is likely to persist because most spontaneous recovery occurs in the first two to three years."

He pointed out that although rates of overall depression are very low among Vietnam veterans today, one third of those with PTSD also have major depressive disorder, compounding the mental illness.

In addition, the ordinary stresses of aging, including increasing health problems and declining cognitive function, tend to exacerbate PTSD symptoms even more, the authors said.

"Also impacting PTSD are other sociological factors of aging, such as retirement which can lead to greater social isolation and opportunities to reminisce on memories," Marmar said. "All of these make it more difficult to suppress and control traumatic memories."

Now 70-year-old veteran Joe Jackson says that when he got home from a year of combat in Vietnam, "I tried to bury it." But ignoring the trauma didn't work; instead he experienced anxiety and outbursts of rage. He and his family suffered for 20 years before he got help.

Experts say that the research highlights what may be ahead for other generations of veterans and the importance of getting treatment to those who need it.

"For Vietnam veterans, I would say they really did not have services for PTSD available to them when they came home, and if they haven't received treatment it's never too late," said Dr. Charles Hoge, senior scientist at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. "For Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, there are many more treatment options available."

At his daughter's urging, Jackson finally got counseling, and he says it has helped. "It made it a lot easier for me to accept," he said.

As for Paolini, about two years ago he went Veterans Inc., a non-profit organization aimed at ending homelessness among veterans, to get support. He received counseling and medication and said he has since turned his life around. Despite his struggles, he said he is proud to have served his country.

"I don't choose to live in the past," he said. "I don't choose to live in the future. I choose to live in the moment now and make the best day I can every day."

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Many Vietnam veterans still suffer from PTSD decades later

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Philip Paolini served four years in the Vietnam War as a marine. In the years since then, he's faced a number of hardships, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse and homelessness. And Paolini's story is far from uncommon.

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A Vietnam Veteran's Experience with PTSD, Chris Lambert's Story   

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A Vietnam Veteran's Experience with PTSD, Chris Lambert's Story   

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Veterans of recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are not the only ones struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder.

According to Veteran's Affairs, 30 percent of Vietnam veterans have experienced PTSD at some point in their lives.

Chris Lambert, who served in Vietnam, said the realities of war affected him for decades. He received three Purple Heart medals.

"Almost everyone in a fire fight, sooner or later, urinates on themselves. But you never see something like that in a movie," Lambert told ABC10 News. "So here you are in a firefight and the next thing you know, you're wet. And the next day you don't talk about it. Now you think you're a coward. There's a lot of trauma created because we haven't been able to express ourselves."

Lambert finally sought help for PTSD when he retired from work in the auto sales industry.

"I no longer had the ability to hide from the carnage of Vietnam. As long as I was working 80 hours a week, as long as I had big inventories to raise and lower, people to motivate, I never had to sit down and take a deep breath," Lambert said. "There was a light switch that turned on in Vietnam. Just because we came home, it didn't mean it turned off."

Now, Chris serves as a volunteer chaplain at the Sacramento Veteran's Administration hospital. He works to connect veterans struggling with PTSD to resources like therapy dog programs.

"One of the reasons I'm so into helping the people I volunteer with is I can't bring [men from Vietnam] back, but we can sure help a lot now," Lambert said.

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Vietnam veteran shares his journey coping with PTSD

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Veterans of recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are not the only ones struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. According to Veteran's Affairs, 30 percent of Vietnam veterans have experienced PTSD at some point in their lives. Chris Lambert, who served in Vietnam, said the realities of war affected him for decades.

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Group Therapy-offers sense of belonging and no judgement, life-long help from people who care
Equine Therapy- Alternate form of therapy that one vet,John, found helpful
Yoga
Acupuncture
Sports
Expressive arts
Nature
Service to other veterans
Veteran retreats-Soldiers Heart
Neuro-Feedback

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Training- puts brainstem into heightened survival awareness, numbs emotions in limbic system and in the neocortex they learn black and white thinking
Constant state of unknown danger brings on PTSD
When coming back home the brain is still in this mode and makes it hard to adjust

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Nurses would also experience PTSD
Guilt over not being able to save soldiers
10% of females diagnosed with PTSD 14-22 years after service

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Factors aiding in PTSD in Vietnam veterans

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Factors aiding in PTSD in Vietnam veterans

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Returning Veterans were not celebrated
Psychological factors of the war such as not knowing who the enemy was
Some were forced to fight
High stress situation
Given date of expected return

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National Vietnam Veterans' Readjustment Study

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National Vietnam Veterans' Readjustment Study

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Formed in1983 to investigate to investigate PTSD
Found that most were able to adapt back to society, but some did not
Those that have PTSD are less likely to seek treatment
Those in combat are more likely to have it and experience worse symptoms

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15 of 100 veterans were diagnosed in late 1980s
30 of 100 are estimated to have had it at one part in their life

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Selective Serotonin Reuptake inhibitors
Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors
Prazosin can help with nightmares about trauma

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy which consists of Cognitive Processing Therapy-a therapy where the patient learns how to understand how trauma changed their thoughts and feelings  and Prolonged Exposure-a therapy where the patient talks about their trauma until they are no longer as upsetting and will go to places they avoided that remind them of the trauma
Eye Movement Desensitized Reprocessing- focuses on hand and sounds movements while the patient talks about trauma which allows the brain to work through the even

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Feeling hopeless, shame or despair
Depression
Anxiety
Substance abuse
Physical symptoms such as chronic pain
Employment issues
Relationship problems

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Reliving the Event
Avoiding Situations that remind you of the event
Having more negative beliefs and feelings
Feeling hyper arousal

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Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that develops after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event that makes the person experience many negative feelings