Historical Context

The US is historically often at war. Since 1776, America has been in 113 wars/ conflicts. Though the United States is often at war, they still do not have adequate resources in mental health for its returning soldiers. The main issue that Veterans face when returning back home is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD is a disorder that affects people's ability to recover after going through something traumatic. For veterans, these traumatic events include combat environments and other high-stress situations. 

PTSD was not added to the third edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders until 1980, it was prevalent for decades before. Historically, soldiers have shown symptoms of PTSD, but the term is fairly new for its longevity. The term “shell shock” was often used to describe symptoms of PTSD during World War I. In World War II, soldiers who displayed symptoms of PTSD were called “battle fatigued,” or “combat stress reaction.” PTSD was recognized as a psychiatric diagnosis after the Vietnam War, where there was a high prevalence of mental health disorders among Veterans. 

For US Veterans, aid from the government dates back to the Revolutionary War, when the Invalid Pension Act of 1792 was passed. The Invalid Pension Act of 1792 was passed to help provide pensions for disabled Veterans. While Veterans had resources from the Revolutionary War, there was a turning point on the opinions of Veterans after the Vietnam War. Many Veterans had lack of support and experienced antagonism after returning home. Programs and organizations have evolved to help support Veterans, such as Veterans Health Administration, and numerous more.