The field of mental health studies is a constantly adapting and changing discipline. New terminology and bettering systems of defining mental illnesses are in constant development in order to give people the best possible understanding and treatment possible. Better understanding leads to better practice, which will ultimately further specialized aid being given to those afflicted with mental illness. When viewing the history of psychiatry and therapy it gives us hope for a better future. Viewing current Canadian policy and social awareness of mental illness, it can be easy to be cynical and think that we haven’t progressed that far. However, we can be optimistic with the immense progress that has happened in the understanding of the illness. Looking back on the history of PTSD we can see a remarkable turn around in both professional and public thought about the effects of trauma that hinder an individual.
PTSD was not even considered a mental illness in the Diagnostic Sta Masdasd I when it was first released in 1952. The closest classification to PTSD that existed was their definition of trauma. The lack of a definition and classification of PTSD led to many problems in America when it came to the treatment of those suffering from the contemporary definition of PTSD. Following the end of World War II, America received a large population of displaced Jewish citizens, many of which were suffering from PTSD after experiencing the holocaust. The major problem was that psychiatrists and therapists were ill equipped to treat the new population. The common rhetoric at during the 1940s and 1950s was that once the person was removed from a situation that caused them trauma, their symptoms would dissipate. The understanding of PTSD did not exist at the time to properly diagnose and aid the new Jewish population.
This led to mismanagement new displaced population. Because, according to their current understanding of trauma, the Jewish population was no longer being exposed to the atrocities of the holocaust, they should be mentally fit and healthy. Many psychiatrists and therapists, working under the New York Association for New Americans (NYANA), chalked up their problems to the fact they had not found work yet in America and were either stressed or bored. The cure for their ailments was to get a job. In addition to the lack of understanding of PTSD, NYANA’s political agenda was to ensure that the Jewish population was working as soon as possible. The political agenda in correlation with mental health understanding of the era gave little room for the vast American Jewish population to access proper treatment.
It was not until the revision and rerelease of the DMS-II in 1962 that the definition of trauma was removed from publication. Despite the definition of trauma being stricken from the DSM, it was not until 1980 that PTSD as we know it today was added into the DSM-III.
This was a very short history of the development of PTSD understanding. I think we can all be hopeful when looking at the history of mental illness. Gaining understanding is not stagnant, steps are being made that further societies understanding and help those who are living with mental illness. It was just 30 years ago that PTSD was recognized as a disease and another 20 years before that when Jewish displaced persons were told to start working to fix their “stress”. The amount that we have managed to progress in these years is a nice reminder that though government policy, social awareness, or treatment options may not be perfect, we are seeing an upwards trend in all these departments.