Long Buried, PTSD Emerges in WWII Veterans

1 in 20 surviving vets affected
By Sarah Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 16, 2009 12:30 PM CDT
Long Buried, PTSD Emerges in WWII Veterans
Herman Zeitchik of Silver Spring, Md., a World War II veteran, places his hand on the inscription for the Battle of The Bulge at the World War II Memorial in Washington, May 25, 2009.   (AP Photo)

For many World War II veterans, decades-old memories of war aren’t as deeply buried as they once believed. The veterans administration estimates that 5% of the 2.5 million US World War II vets suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Older vets came of age when “expressing psychological symptoms or distress was pretty stigmatized,” a psychiatrist says—meaning emotional wounds often went untreated.

So why is PTSD emerging just now? The changes that come with aging are a factor. The death of a spouse or friend can trigger symptoms, as can health problems. For some, old age simply allows more time to think. “We find many individuals who have … worked out ways to develop defenses,” says one VA pschologist. “But as they get older those defenses don’t work quite as well.” (More World War II stories.)

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