Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Neuropsychology, General, Pathologies, Specialty Boutique 

Living in the shadowy interior of the brain’s limbic system and invisible to the untrained eye, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can not only torture its victims for a lifetime, but reaches beyond victims to negatively influence family members and loved ones. Soldier’s Heart, titled after one of the early names for PTSD, dives deep into the lives of otherwise “normal” American veterans who, seemingly for no reason, display lasting patterns of bad choices and erratic, and self-destructive behavior. Analysis of the life portraits of combat veterans brings the myriad symptoms of PTSD to light, equipping the lay reader to recognize the disorder and gain through a understanding that can be the foundation for steps to facilitate healing. Four men and one woman who served in Vietnam tell their stories, describing how PTSD still tears at their lives 30 years later.