Many veterans are unable to leave behind the trauma of Vietnam and psychologically return home. They struggle with a variety of extremely severe problems that they and their families, friends, and communities do not understand or know how to cope with:
Fears (such as of closed spaces, crowds, unfamiliar places, or sudden attack)
Anxiety (such as restlessness, obsessive worries, compulsive rituals)
Panic (such as a terror of losing control, suffocating, or going crazy)
Depression (such as hopelessness, loss of all interests, suicidal impulses)
Rage in the form of either intense violent emotions or violent actions
Irritability (such as feeling constantly annoyed, on edge, and critical)
Shame (such as feeling embarrassed, exposed, violated, or like a misfit)
Guilt (such as feeling others should have lived and he should have died, or feeling that he failed or made mistakes that had terrible consequences)
Isolation (such as being physically present but emotionally absent, going off alone for long periods of time, or refusing to talk about family matters)
Emotional emptiness (such as staring off into space blankly or refusing to show any feelings when everyone else is very emotional)
Alienation (such as feeling that no one understands or that everyone makes too much fuss about unimportant things and too little about big problems)
Being over-controlling (such as being extremely demanding or needing to make all decisions even if they are really someone else's responsibility)
Inability to relax (such as always being on the go, never able to have fun, or turning everything into serious work or a crisis)
Addiction (such as compulsive overuse of alcohol, drugs, or gambling)
The Hidden Enemy: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
What neither these veterans nor their families (nor even many VA counselors and doctors) knew was that many of these veterans were and are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder include:
Unwanted distressing memories or a feeling of reliving traumatic Vietnam experiences (flashbacks)
Nightmares and difficulty falling or staying asleep restfully
Bodily stress and tension, especially when reminded of traumatic Vietnam experiences
Loss of interest in activities and difficulty concentrating on activities or projects
Detachment or withdrawal from emotional involvement in relationships
Difficulty feeling or expressing emotions other than irritability or frustration
Feeling like there is no future or their lives will be cut short by an untimely death
Feeling jumpy, on edge, and easily startled
Feeling constantly unsafe and unable to let down their guard (hyper-vigilant)
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