Posttraumatic stress disorder from Vietnam to today: the evolution of understanding during Eugene Brody's tenure at the journal of nervous and mental disease.

The psychological and behavioral consequences of exposure to traumatic events have been described throughout our history. However, the term posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was not formally introduced into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition, until after Dr Eugene Brody--whose broad interests included refugee populations and victims of trauma--had already served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease (JNMD) for 15 years. Advances in molecular biology, genetics, and imaging that occurred during Brody's tenure at the JNMD contributed significantly to our current understanding of the human fear response and the neurobiology of PTSD. Comprehensive treatment guidelines summarizing evidence-based treatment were published during his tenure, and the most recent American Psychiatric Association update to practice standards was published in the year before his passing. Thus, this review of the history and present state of the science of PTSD summarizes the lessons learned while Dr Brody dedicated his life to teaching us.