Delayed onset PTSD among Israeli veterans of the 1982 Lebanon War

This is an exploratory study of the nature, course and rates of delayed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We reviewed 150 medical files of Israeli soldiers who sought help between 6 months and 5 years after the 1982 Lebanon War. Results indicated that only 10% of the cases were truly examples of delayed PTSD; in a large proportion of the cases, help-seeking rather than onset was delayed.