Combat Medics Also Victims of Delayed Stress

Thousands of nurses and medics who served in Vietnam are suffering the same kind of post-traumatic stress syndrome as combat troops, but the U.S. military is not offering them formal treatment programs, a Navy doctor said.

Cmdr. James T. Sears told a convention of military medical personnel last week that combat-duty doctors may have an even higher incidence of stress-related problems than soldiers because they saw more death and were unable to vent their frustration through combat.

“It is my belief that among corpsmen and medics, we will find the highest rate of post-traumatic stress disorder,” Sears said. “Where a soldier is able to ventilate his frustrations and anger through combat, medical personnel do not have this outlet.”

Sears, a psychiatrist, said the delayed psychological disorders associated with Vietnam veterans have afflicted medical people in many wars, but only recently were recognized for what they are.

The famous English nurse, Florence Nightingale, apparently suffered from the disorder after her tour of duty in the Crimean War, as evidenced by crying fits, isolation and preoccupation with death and guilt, Sears said.

He said combat-duty medical people in Vietnam were not adequately trained, either emotionally or professionally, to cope with being in life-threatening situations and having the responsibility of trying to save the lives of their combat “buddies.”

“The corpsmen not only have to adjust to the dangers of being regular combatants, but also adjust to a greater responsibility and proximity to those they care for,” Sears told about 6,000 nurses, physicians and other medical professionals at a meeting of the Assn. of Military Surgeons of the United States.

Sears said military officials are beginning to study medical people who served in Vietnam, but have not yet established formal programs to treat their psychological disorders.

“Time is a great healer, but healing can be helped with an organized program,” Sears said.