Vets Who Repress Traumatic Memories May Not Be Worse Off

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A little more than half of the men had served in Vietnam, while the remainder had served elsewhere during the Vietnam era. A little over 7 percent of them were determined to have had PTSD.

The authors then used a psychological scale to determine that about 4 percent of the men had a so-called "repressive personality trait," and had coped with their PTSD by internalizing their emotions and repressing their traumatic memories.

Boscarino and Figley found no evidence to indicate any particularly acute threat to the health of those afflicted with PTSD who had engaged in this repressed coping style.

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They drew on the fact that between 1985 and 2000, 250 men had died as a result of cancer, cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, gastrointestinal issues, suicides, homicides, and/or accidents. While nearly 18 percent of the deceased had PTSD, those who handled their PTSD in a repressive manner were no more likely to be among the dead than those who did not have a repressive personality.

The authors called for more research, while noting that their exclusive focus on male patients as well as their use of older PTSD and repression measures (which had been in effect during the initial CDC study) could limit the accuracy of their findings.

The finding, they said, is important because "exposure therapy" techniques designed to get patients to heal by reliving their trauma can, in certain cases, actually aggravate PTSD symptoms and bring about renewed emotional distress.

"The urban legend, if you will, has emerged, that you have to get this out and talk about it," noted Boscarino. "There is this bias to bring it out. But that may not the best situation in all cases. Managing these issues may be different by patient. So, of course, you don't want to say to avoid therapy. But we need more research. And meanwhile, I'm saying we've got to stand back and take a look at this, and have a more patient-focused approach."

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