Civil War doctors called it hysteria, melancholia and inanity. During the First World War it was known as shell shock. By World War II, it became combat fatigue. Today, it is clinically known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a crippling anxiety that results from exposure to life-threatening situations such as combat. This film explores the lingering effects of combat stress and PTSD on military personnel and their families throughout recorded American military history. Beginning with the first documented cases from the Civil War, the film examines occurrences of PTSD through two World Wars and Vietnam, as well as more recent cases involving soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The stories are told through soldiers' revealing letters and journals; photographs and combat footage; first-person interviews with veterans of WWII, the Vietnam War, Operation Desert Storm, and Operation Iraqi Freedom; and interviews with family members of soldiers with PTSD. "Wartorn 1861-2010" brings urgent attention to the invisible wounds of war.

Originally broadcast in 2010. Special features: The Pentagon post-premiere panel discussion. Title from container.

Letters from Angelo Crapsey -- PTSD -- Battle fatigue -- Lasting images -- Jason's unheard cry -- Fighting a culture -- Shell-shocked and after -- Bringing the war home.