Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Their Effects on Vietnam War Vets: The Linguistic Difference Between Self and Applied Diagnosis

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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Their Effects on Vietnam War Vets: The Linguistic Difference Between Self and Applied Diagnosis

Robles, Melina - Thesis

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title: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Their Effects on Vietnam War Vets: The Linguistic Difference Between Self and Applied Diagnosis

creator: Robles, Melina

subject: Academic theses.

description: War contains the most inhumane acts of violence. It follows people home. It invades lives, from the highest levels of government to a soldier’s living room. The effects of war preoccupy not only the minds of those in power, but also the majority of returning soldiers. Sometimes time does not heal all wounds. These mental scars worn by the Vietnam veterans would influence changes in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM) from the 1980s onward. The move from “Gross Stress Reaction” to “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder” (PTSD) would bring a broader definition of what happens after a traumatic event, but also give rise to a stigmatizing label. This thesis takes a closer look into how soldiers returning from war influence dramatic changes in the medical field as well as how a society copes with the return of those unable to adjust back to civilian life. The changes influenced shifts in psychology and expanded the vocabulary of those that originally did not have the words to explain their experiences. Through the investigation of soldiers’ accounts, the examination of the DSMs and the analysis of the scholarly literature surrounding this topic, this thesis concludes that the soldiers’ return from war influenced changes in the DSMs. This then affected not only how the medical field saw the effects of war trauma, but also how a soldier and the society around them are changed. The importance of examining these psycho-historical linguistic shifts becomes evident in today’s society as countries continue to engage in warfare.

publisher: Simmons College (Boston, Mass.)

contributor:

date: 2015

type: Text

format: 1 PDF (56 Pages)

identifier: td_his_2015_mr

source:

language: English

relation:

coverage:

rights: Material from the Simmons University Archives collections are made available for study purposes only. For more information, or to request rights to reproduce or reuse any material, contact the University Archives at archives@simmons.edu.

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