The Nation - News from Dec. 29, 1988

Almost one in six Vietnam veterans suffers from post-traumatic stress syndrome and almost half have had a psychiatric disorder at some point in their lives, a study showed. The four-year study, conducted by the Research Triangle Institute of North Carolina for the Veterans Administration, found about 479,000, or 15.2%, of the 3.1 million male veterans who served in Vietnam presently have post-traumatic stress syndrome. About 8.5% of the 7,000 female Vietnam veterans have the stress syndrome. Post-traumatic stress syndrome is a mental disorder sparked by exposure to violent incidents, such as combat, which then return as recurrent images that disrupt normal life. Symptoms may include nightmares, insomnia, drug or alcohol abuse and depression.