The Whittaker Saga - 1950s (updated 02/21)
I was vastly inspired when reading the decades challenge, and as a history teacher, I could not stop myself from giving it a try. Of course, true to my nature or refusing to do things by the book, th...
Forum Discussion
oolonglong I wouldn't say it's accurate that PTSD wasn't recognized back then. It was called other things. During the war itself, it was originally called Guadalcanal Disorder because of the large number of psychiatric casualties from the Guadalcanal Campaign. When it was later recognized that it could happen to anyone who witnessed severe or prolonged combat, it was called "combat fatigue" or "combat exhaustion." In 1947 Dr. Abram Kardiner coined the term Chronic Traumatic War Neurosis to describe long term symptoms that remained after the war. It was relabeled PTSD in 1980 because of the increased recognition that a person did not have to experience combat to develop PTSD.
ETA: I forgot to point out the movie The Best Years of Our Lives, released in 1946, had one of the earliest film portrayals of PTSD.
Very good point. 🙂
