PTSD
From ‘Shell Shock’ to PTSD: How Understanding and VA Claims Have Evolved for Veterans
From the Desk of Attorney Matthew J. Brown
For decades, psychological injuries sustained during military service were widely misunderstood, underreported, and frequently left untreated. Following the Vietnam War, many veterans experienced persistent symptoms now commonly associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), yet the medical community had only begun to recognize the condition, and the military culture often discouraged discussion of mental health concerns.
Service members were expected to endure the psychological effects of combat and other traumatic experiences without complaint, and many feared that reporting mental health symptoms would be viewed as a sign of weakness, negatively impact their careers, or diminish their standing among their peers.
In the 1990’s, George C. Wilson of the Washington Post provided one of the earliest in-depth newspaper features examining PTSD as a chronic illness rather than a temporary adjustment problem.
In his article “Vietnam Revisited: Veterans Go Back to Battlefields to Lay Their Nightmares to Rest,” it was estimated that roughly 480,000 Vietnam veterans were suffering from PTSD at that time. Many veterans described survivor’s guilt over their experience in Vietnam – with Psychologist Erwin Parson arguing that guilt, not fear, was often the driving force behind chronic PTSD.
The evolution of society’s understanding of combat-related psychological trauma is perhaps best illustrated by comedian George Carlin’s well-known observation about euphemisms. Carlin noted that, over successive generations, the terminology used to describe the invisible wounds of war became increasingly sanitized and clinical, evolving from the blunt expression “shell shock” during the First World War, to “battle fatigue” during the Second World War, to “operational exhaustion” during the Korean War, and ultimately to “post-traumatic stress disorder.”
His point was not to diminish the seriousness of the condition, but to illustrate how language reflects changing cultural attitudes. While the terminology evolved, so too did the medical profession’s understanding that the psychological effects of trauma are genuine, diagnosable injuries as opposed to character flaws or evidence of personal weakness.
In a article titled “Fighting Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,” author Cristine Russell wrote about the contrasted lessons learned from Vietnam with efforts to better care for returning Gulf War service members.
She highlighted that unlike after Vietnam, VA established specialized PTSD treatment centers before Gulf War veterans returned. The article portrayed this as recognition that the government had underestimated Vietnam veterans’ psychological injuries and was then seeking to not only remedy but be proactive in helping veterans who suffered from psychological military-related trauma.
Service members are now encouraged to report psychological symptoms, seek appropriate medical care, and document traumatic in-service experiences without the stigma that existed for previous generations.
This evolution has also transformed the VA disability claims process. Veterans are now better informed of their entitlement to disability compensation for PTSD and other service-connected mental health conditions, resulting in a significant increase in claims.
While this represents meaningful progress toward recognizing the invisible wounds of military service, the Department of Veterans Affairs correspondingly subjects PTSD claims to careful review. Veterans enduring PTSD should be aware of the requirements and roadblocks when filing a claim for disability compensation.
Matthew J. Brown, Esq. is the VA-accredited attorney for the Veterans Department at Wolf & Brown Law Offices.
This page was updated on July 22, 2026
Learn more about PTSD disability claims on the NJ Vet-Wire ➡️