Depression is the most common symptom among Vietnam veterans. Depression can take the form of sleep disturbances, feelings of worthlessness, and difficulty in concentrating. Many Vietnam veterans have few close friends. They tend to avoid others and mistrust those in authority. This isolation may be increased by how others view them.
Some civilians view what a soldier does in a war a horrible crime.
Rage and anger are common among veterans, who do not always know themselves why they are angry. Rage can be as frightening to the veterans themselves as to others, but rage may not often be obvious to others. Avoidance of Feelings. Numbing the pain, a technique that was learned in Vietnam as a survival skill, is still intact with many veterans. Events such as deaths of significant others often do not produce feelings.