Observations of Conversion Reactions Seen in Troops Involved in the Viet Nam Conflict

The authors were impressed with the relatively high incidence of "classical" conversion reactions among troops evacuated to a psychiatric referral center in the Philippines following combat service in Viet Nam. Social and environmental pressures seemed to be significant both in precipitating the symptoms and in the form the symptoms took. The authors speculate as to whether the cases reflect the patient's response to a recent traumatic event or an attempt to explain an emotional conflict of prior existence in a socially acceptable way.