PTSD has been around and its symptoms diagnosed for centuries. During the Civil War, PTSD symptoms were diagnosed as Da Costa’s Syndrome. Since then, it has variously been referred to as Soldiers Heart, The Effort Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Exhaustion, Railway Hysteria, Shell Shock, War/Combat Neurosis, and Combat Fatigue. It wasn’t until the Post-Vietnam era that the name Post-Traumatic was used.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is defined in the fourth edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV). For a doctor or medical professional to be able to make a diagnosis, the condition must be defined in DSM-IV or its international equivalent, the World Health Organization’s ICD-10.