What's it called when soldiers went crazy in Vietnam?

From Combat Trauma to PTSD: The Invisible Wounds of War

For generations, the severe psychological toll experienced by military personnel was often misunderstood or dismissed under vague labels like "shell shock" or "combat fatigue." The prolonged, intense trauma faced by veterans of the Vietnam War highlighted the deep, lasting impact of combat on human psychology, eventually forcing the medical community to re-evaluate how mental trauma is diagnosed and treated.

Many returning soldiers suffered from persistent nightmares, severe anxiety, emotional detachment, and intense flashbacks. In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association officially recognized these symptoms by introducing the formal clinical diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III).

The official recognition of PTSD marked a crucial shift in healthcare and public perception. It transformed trauma from a misunderstood stigma into a recognized medical condition, validating the experiences of millions of veterans and opening the door to effective psychological care.