Analysis Of Post Traumatic Stress: The Battle After War

"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)", Retrieved May 27, 2013, from the WebMD Website: HYPERLINK "http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd" http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity, overwhelming the individual's ability to cope. As an effect of psychological trauma, PTSD is less frequent and more enduring than the more commonly seen acute stress response. Diagnostic

For Eldon it was war that helped persuaded him to turn to alcoholism as a way of escaping the mental injuries. As examined in War and Public Health by Berry S. Levy and Victor W. Sidel it can be seen that victims must rebuild their lives and focus on many issues associated with mental traumas post-war. More specifically, “given the brutality of war, many people survive wars only to be physically or mentally scarred for life. Millions of survivors are chronically disabled from injuries sustained during war or the immediate aftermath of war” (Sidel 2008). These mental scars can be observed throughout Eldon’s life after the war.

The abuse John got from his father lead to John gaining multiple mental issues. Machisa explains how child abuse can have multiple effects on the child when they grow up, “Child abuse had direct effects on PTSD symptoms and depression together with indirect effects on binge drinking” (pg 10). This quote shows child abuse can lead to a form of PTSD and cause the child to become an alcoholic. John was verbally abused by his father and, whether he knew it or not, had lasting effects on John. This study shows that people who are victims of child abuse are prone to a predisposition of depression and alcoholism because they are dealing with a subconscious trauma, which is a form of PTSD. John’s PTSD and the trauma that he gained as a child and his experiences in Vietnam pushed him over the edge and caused him to kill Kathy. PTSD doesn’t just disappear after a traumatic event for someone, it sticks to with them for the rest of their life. John, like many other soldiers are plagued with PTSD but do not notice until it affects their everyday life and the people around them. Korinek and Teerawichitchainan explains what PTSD is and does to a person in a war time setting when they say, “Studies of American Vietnam War veterans indicate posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a central mechanism through which war trauma influences later-life health” (pg 1). The quote is saying that war

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is "an anxiety disorder, characterized by distressing memories, emotional numbness, and hyper vigilance, that develops after exposure to a traumatic event" (Doyle-Portillo, Pastorino 490). Traumatic events include physical abuse, rape, military combat, death of a close friend or family member, natural disasters, or witnessing events such as terrorist attacks, a violent crime, or a horrible accident (Doyle-Portillo, Pastorino 490). All these different events lead men and women to have nightmares, flashbacks, and tormenting memories, especially the men who fought in the Vietnam War. Around "19% of Vietnam veterans developed PTSD at some point after the war" (Doyle-Portillo, Pastorino 491) from the events they witnessed out in the Vietnamese jungles during combat that it would have been highly unlikely for them not to develop PTSD.

Soldiers from combat missions face a variety of challenges when conforming to a civilian lifestyle. The fact that there are many of the identification issues and the influence of the environment, soldiers tend to exhibit Post-Traumatic stress disorders. The manifestation of the Post-Traumatic disorder PTSD leads to the development of traumatic brain syndrome and other problems. Service men and women have taken part in many war missions, and a number of them return from mission with mental health problems. Through the years, the USA military has conducted a lot of studies and clinical trials on the influence of Post-Traumatic stress disorder on men and women in service. The aim of these studies is to prevent the development of the disorders in adult populations. Populations of these studies include patients in treatment or those already treated in DOD hospitals. The clinical setting is conducive for the study and health professionals abide to some guidelines (Mulhall, 1998).

The battles that go on between countries of the world are not just left on the grounds in which they were fought. The trauma of everyday exposure to the elements of war has created a lasting and often debilitating disorder for many veterans. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD has been a recurrent result of war leaving many survivors with prolonged physical, mental and emotional distress. Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have experienced daily stressful situations including bombings, combat fire, and injuries. For those that make it home, PTSD is a common development of these stresses. Those who develop this disorder may experience relentless sleep disturbances, triggers, and recurring “flashback” or vivid memory recollections

These symptoms have lead victims to dangerous coping mechanisms and many have found comfort in alcohol. This greatly increases endangering themselves as well as everyone else around them. Although these people may feel like they are escaping themselves, they are actually endangering everyone around them, including themselves. Veterans with this disorder are fighting to get back to normal again because all of the death and destruction has had such a big impact on their lives. The horrifying experience has had a detrimental effect on their lives. Combining alcohol with the symptoms of the disorder is a disastrous idea.

America the beautiful, land of the free, but at what cost is that freedom attained? Freedom is usually attained through war and suffering. Many soldiers lose their lives fighting for their country. Even though many returned physically healthy, some of the men and women are fighting a new battle on the home front of their own minds. Living with something as mentally tormenting as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is something many veterans have to deal with on a daily basis. Not only do these men and women have to deal with the regret of their own actions, but they have to deal with the horrible treatment of those around them. They are living a life of torture knowing there is no cure; however, some people have found natural and positive ways to treat the symptoms. Even though many skeptics believe this disorder doesn’t exist, tests have been run proving the nightmare is as deep as

There is often an expectation that someone who has survived a traumatic event would be happy for being alive. But there are those who have gone through a traumatic event and have developed a condition known as survivor’s guilt and/or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and are actually unhappy or depressed that they survived. This condition not only affects the survivors, but those around them as well.

The data from this report is telling us that alcohol will increase in quantity and use after exposure to combat or extreme stress and the abuse of alcohol will more then likely continue in veterans as they try to re integrate into civilian world.

Twenty veterans a day take their own lives in this nation. Suicide among military veterans is a tragic epidemic in our country. Out of every 100,00 veterans, 3.53% commit suicide; however, for every 100,000 civilian adults only 1.52% take that same drastic action (Thompson). A man by the name of Peter Kaisen from Islip, NY was denied treatment at the Northport VA for mental health issues. He was upset that he was turned away for treatment so he went directly to his car outside the VA and shot himself in the head (Rebelo). Multiple tales such as this graphic suicide are happening across the country. I felt this shockwave when my close friend and team leader, Corporal Christopher J Carter took his own life by crashing and burning alive in his car. His suicide was another demonstration of failing to receive the proper treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. A veteran commits suicide every 72 minutes, this is a problem fueled by the incompetence and difficulty of receiving treatment by the Veterans Health Affairs, a negative stigma that causes veterans to suffer silently from their mental issues, as well as a failed preventative approach on stopping destructive behavior before it’s too late.

Morris states that the worst things in the world enter the brain in an instant, though it may take the rest of someone’s life to understand what they saw (Morris 45). Monjaraz says that he saw brutal things and did not get affected by it until the night time came around. He cried in his sleep, made groaning noises, mumbled things and had night sweats (Monjaraz). Morris states that fundamentally, we do not know why some people are damaged by terror and some are not. He adds that according to the Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, the

troops suffered extremely dangerous and unsettling conditions throughout the duration of the war. In fact, the war conditions were so bad, that many soldiers had later developed Posttraumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD), a condition which was discovered a few years after the end of the Vietnam War. PTSD is a condition in which a person experiences a number of adverse effects in his/her psyche due to the result of a single, or a sequence of intensely traumatic event(s) that occurred in his/her lifetime. This disorder is now known to have severe long-term effects on the human mind, particularly those that distort how the brain perceives and reacts to stress. In many instances, those who have PTSD are likely to develop cognitive dissonance and various other mood disorders.

There is often an expectation that someone who has survived a traumatic event would be happy for being alive. But there are those who have gone through a traumatic event and have developed a condition known as survivor’s guilt and/or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and are actually unhappy or depressed that they survived. This condition not only affects the survivors, but those around them as well.