When Rabin died, there was very little understanding of the role of trauma-based illnesses. And except for Vietnam veterans, many patients who suffered from post-traumatic illnesses had their traumas questioned, downplayed, or even denied; they were sometimes told it didn’t matter if their traumas were real or imaginary, for the purposes of treatment, something we would never consider saying to someone traumatized in combat. I think, honestly, most Americans didn’t really take PTSD very seriously until after 9/11, when the traumas and their impact were undeniable, and shared by so many.
