More robust studies are needed to examine the rates of PTSD among Vietnamese American older adults. It is evident that the connection between PTSD and depression can be seen in Vietnamese Americans who were affected by the traumas of the Vietnam war. As many as 70% of Southeast Asian refugees receiving mental health care were diagnosed with PTSD.
Individuals with depression may also be diagnosed with PTSD later in life. PTSD and psychological trauma associated with the Vietnam War contribute to the high rates of depression in the Vietnamese American population, which was estimated to be as high as 50%. One study found that among people with PTSD, between 48% to 55% have also experienced depression. In some cases, PTSD may also lead to depression. PTSD symptoms may vary depending on the severity of the disorder. PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that can occur after a person experiences or observes a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, accident, terrorist act, violent personal assaults or war. veterans who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
For many Vietnamese individuals, these memories may transpire psychological trauma similar to the many Vietnam War-era U.S. These people lost everything except for their memories of the fall of Saigon, the horrors of communist re-education camps, and the atrocities of the Vietnam War. Thousands of Vietnamese adults, children, and families crammed onto boats and traveled to the United States leaving their belongings, loved ones, and former lives behind. After the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, many Vietnamese people fled their war-torn country for the United States in search for a better life.