PTSD has been called many names throughout history, evolving from terms like Soldier's Heart (Civil War) and Shell Shock (WWI) to Battle Fatigue/Combat Stress Reaction (WWII) and Vietnam Syndrome, before being officially recognized as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in the DSM-III in 1980, reflecting growing understanding beyond just combat trauma.
PTSD was called "soldier's heart" during the Civil War, "shell shock" in World War I, "battle fatigue" during World War II, and "Vietnam syndrome" after the Vietnam War.
By the 1800s, mentions of PTSD in relation to combat and war zone participation were merely characterized as “battle exhaustion” or “soldier's fatigue” — a reference to the repeated forays into battle by traumatized soldiers, resulting in exhaustion of the body's adrenaline-fueled responses, particularly during long ...
What is PTSI? PTSI stands for Post-Traumatic Stress Injury, a term increasingly being used in place of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Advocates for the term "PTSI" believe it better describes the condition as an injury, rather than a disorder.
Post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSS) refers to symptoms that occur in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) refers to symptoms that occur at least 1 month later. Another name for PTSS is acute stress disorder, which can be a precursor to PTSD, but not always.
'Shell shock' cases. Probably over 250,000 men suffered from 'shell shock' as result of the First World War. The term was coined in 1915 by medical officer Charles Myers.
The main difference is the conceptualization of what has caused these symptoms. While PTSD refers to a psychiatric disorder, the PTSI definition provided by the Global PTSI Foundation refers to a biological injury.
Shell shock, Battle Fatigue, and Post Vietnam Syndrome were all names given to symptoms of PTSD before it was officially added to the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) as an anxiety disorder in 1980. It has since been changed to a trauma and stressor related disorder.
The term “shell shock” originated in World War 1 and described the responses some people had to warfare. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) became a medically recognized term in the 1980s.
Symptoms labeled “shell shock” or “combat fatigue” in later wars were poorly understood during the Civil War, and writings of the period imprecisely labeled them “homesickness,” “nostalgia,” “irritable heart,” or sometimes “sunstroke.” Of course, homesick soldiers were not unusual during the war.
Between 1990 and 1996, 632 patients, the vast majority of whom suffered from combat-related PTSD, were treated. Historically, many PTSD patients were treated with benzodiazepines, often in high dosages.
Lady Gaga has been very open about her PTSD diagnosis. She has used her platform to raise awareness and advocate for mental health, especially for survivors of sexual assault. Through public interviews and on talk shows, she has discussed the impact PTSD had on her life and the journey to healing.
Hartmann and Gone (2014) describe historical trauma as differing from common lifetime psychological trauma in four key ways: It is colonial in origin, collective in impact, cumulative across adverse events, and cross-generational in transmission of risk and vulnerability (called: 4Cs).
Shell shock is a term that originated during World War I to describe symptoms similar to those of combat stress reaction and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which many soldiers suffered during the war.
The Army's reasoning was that the term “disorder” is stigmatizing, and that removing or replacing it—for example, with the term “injury”—would encourage more U.S. military service members suffering from symptoms to access care.
Shell shock was first thought to be the result of hidden damage to the brain caused by the impact of the big guns. Thinking changed when more soldiers who had not been near explosions had similar symptoms. "War neuroses" was also a name given to the condition during this time.
During the world wars, the condition was known under various terms, including "shell shock", "war nerves", neurasthenia and 'combat neurosis'. The term "post-traumatic stress disorder" came into use in the 1970s, in large part due to the diagnoses of U.S. military veterans of the Vietnam War.
PTSD stems from a single traumatic event, while Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) arises from prolonged, repeated trauma (like abuse or captivity) and includes core PTSD symptoms plus additional issues with emotional regulation, negative self-concept (shame, worthlessness), and relationship difficulties, as recognized by the ICD-11. Both involve fear, flashbacks, and hypervigilance, but C-PTSD reflects deeper disturbances in self-organization due to ongoing interpersonal harm.
The thousand-yard stare, commonly known as a blank, emotionally empty gaze, is related to severe trauma issues. It can make a person appear lost in an abyss and detached from the real world. This psychological issue often links itself with post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) and other significant trauma experiences.
In WWI it was called Shell Shock; in WWII, Battle Fatigue. Korean War veterans were diagnosed with War Neurosis, and Vietnam vets with Post-Vietnam Syndrome. Whatever you call it, Post Traumatic Stress (PTS), as it's now known, continues to affect hundreds of thousands of veterans.
Criteria for Diagnosis
To receive a diagnosis of PTSD, a person must have at least one re-experiencing symptom, at least three avoidance symptoms, at least two negative alterations in mood and cognition, and at least two hyperarousal symptoms for a minimum of one month.
Using clinical terms like post-traumatic stress disorder — “rối loạn căng thẳng sau sang chấn” — can cause confusion because the Vietnamese translations are so literal and require additional explanation.
When our brain then recognises similarities between our present situation and our past trauma (e.g. a colour, smell or noise), it can activate the fight, flight, freeze, flop or friend response, even if we're not currently in danger.
The highest form of PTSD is considered extreme PTSD, often manifesting as Complex PTSD. It involves chronic symptoms, emotional detachment, and deep psychological distress from prolonged trauma.
Supporting someone with PTSD means understanding their unique neural bridges - those fragile connections between trauma and safety. The worst thing to do to someone with PTSD is to destabilize these bridges further through dismissive words, sudden actions, or ignoring their need for stability.