Many soldiers can relate to developing post traumatic disorder because of war. The article “For Soldiers With PTSD, A Profound Daily Struggle” discusses the story of Dexter Pitt who was deployed to Iraq in the year 2004. Pitt was diagnosed with PTSD after a bomb injured him while in Iraq, which left him with many serious injuries that affected his physical health. Pitt shares the story of when his cousin was consistently very energetic, jumping around and bothering him after returning from war and had hit his injured arm. According to page 1 of the article, Pitt says, “I just lost it. I blacked out… picked him up and punched him in his chest as hard as I could.” He was over reacting and made the situation worse than what it should be, and …show more content…
These fighters develop aggressive behavior and several depression issues, even suicidal thoughts run through their mind. These type of problems can lead soldiers to use alcohol and drugs, as well as abusiveness towards others. According to the Headquarters, Department of the Army, “From 2001 to 2011, alcohol use associated with physical domestic violence in army families increased by 54% and with child abuse by 40% This trend may be associated with research linking increased alcohol consumption with partner aggression among veterans suffering from combat related wounds, injuries and illnesses” (1). Alcohol and drug use rates have increased rapidly, and this can result from the soldiers anger towards the pain and suffering they went through during battle. They react to everything in a different way when returning from war because they in their mind they think they are in danger, when they are not. In paragraph 4, the author says, “High risk behaviors that have resulted in elevated numbers of car crashes and drug overdoses, elevated levels of homelessness and divorce.” This example demonstrates that war leads soldiers to use more alcohol and develop the habit of using drugs. This can result in a real bad situation where these fighters partners might want a divorcement, as well as they can end up homeless on the streets because of the drug use. Sarah A.M. Ford states,
Military Pathway (2013) concluded “Military life, especially the stress of deployments or mobilizations, can present challenges to service members and their families that are both unique and difficult”. Hence, it is not surprising that soldiers returning from a stressful war environment often suffer from a psychological condition called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This paper provides a historical perspective of PTSD affecting soldiers, and how this illness has often been ignored. In addition, the this paper examines the cause and diagnosis of the illness, the changes of functional strengths and limitations, the overall effects this disease may have on soldiers and their families, with a conclusion of
In his article, Creamer discusses and differentiates how civilian and veteran cases of PTSD are treated. He also discusses the details of PTSD and the treatments and classifications of it. This article receives its credibility by being published in the popular medical journal called the “International Review of Psychiatry”.
In the story, Clinical Histories: From Soldier’s heart to PSTD, the author laid his foundation for understanding the reasons behind PSTD stress after combat engagement in veterans. PSTD is generally considered to be a mental illness. Combat stress is defined as the “expected and predicable emotional, intellectual, physical, and/or behavioral reactions of service member who have been exposed to stressful events in war or military operation other than war”. The American military community realized that engaging in combat could have physiological effects on individual. After World War 1, physiologist concluded that individuals reacted in wide ranges of ways during wartime, and it was their predisposition that resulted in neuropsychiatric disorder,
Being in war is definitely one of the most life changing events a person will ever have whether it be for the better or for the worst. Soldiers will witness events that are impossible to forget or see back at home in the states. Some soldiers may have even seen one of their best friends that they’ve known for forever get blown up into pieces right next to them, or they might even get one of their own limbs blown off of their own bodies, becoming handicapped for life. As a result of seeing something so intense like that, most soldiers are usually traumatized. In matter of fact, a great amount of soldiers are traumatized from the very beginning of being in war. It’s without a doubt difficult to deal with this but there are some ways where
Every American soldier endured rigorous training to become the soldier they are today, but throughout all this training, there are a few things that a soldier can't simply learn. Training and development is treated as preparation for war situations, and much like ordinary grade school, they are tested to see how well each soldier does in each area (Huerta, 2014). Even after all this organizing and teaching, a soldier's mind is still just as human as it was before seeing action in battle. Once a soldier learns to control every situation imaginable, they are sent overseas to put all their training to use; but simulations can only get you so far. At some point, there is a moment when a
This paper explores post-traumatic stress and how it is seen as a disorder. Post-traumatic stress can manifest into post-traumatic stress disorder. The evaluation and review books and articles seem to reveal a relation to these symptoms and military member, either active or non-active veterans. These symptoms do not manifest strictly into the full-extent of the disorder in all cases of military, however, things such as depression and other physical symptoms are discussed through the readings. The end result is that we discovered that through the readings PTSD will in fact lead to suicide if left untreated.
(1) “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is an anxiety disorder than can develop after a person witnesses a traumatic event. A traumatic event can take many forms; a natural disaster, sexual abuse or a terrorist attack such as 9/11, but for veterans, PTSD is most often related to combat or military exposure. In wars prior to Vietnam, the disorder was referred to as “shell shock” or “battle fatigue” and was not very well understood beyond the fact that it limited the soldier’s performance on the battlefield. Today, the disorder is more widely studied. We know that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can lead to other mental health problems such as depression, social withdrawal, and substance abuse.” This disorder is such a heavy price to pay for our soldiers. Many come home and can not function in normal society and never really get the help they need to cope with their problems. Many more soldiers suffer in silence and never even tell anyone that they may have these issues because so many of them feel they are ‘macho’ and can handle it alone, but the truth is that they simply can
The wars’ violence has rippled through the nation, affecting families and the communities where they live. A 2010 report found that child abuse in Army families was been three times higher in homes from which a parent was deployed. From 2001 through 2011, alcohol use associated with physical domestic violence in Army families increased significantly. This phenomenon could be attributed to increased alcohol consumption among military veterans suffering from combat-related wounds, injuries and illnesses.
Due to current operations in the Middle East and the recent combat operations in the past decade, many citizens have met somebody who has experienced their share of combat related stress. When you look at somebody who has been in combat, they may look like your average person on the outside, but on the inside lays memories of the violent scenes of war torn countries. Their mental health may not be noticeably altered, but they could very well suffer from haunting memories, flashbacks, and even post-traumatic stress disorder.
These studies reveal that those in the military who have been exposed to combat through operations such as Operation Iraqi Freedom are associated with having higher levels of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems. This correlation of combat exposure to the increase in alcohol consumption was attributed as a result of the challenges of war and in using alcohol as a coping mechanism for stressful or traumatic situations (Bray 800). This research parallels Hari’s findings that the Vietnam soldiers’ addiction to heroin was a result of coping in the environment they were in - a situation in which the soldiers were dislocated and separated from a place where their life had meaning (174). The use of different drugs as a coping skill for soldiers in combat seems to be a common trend throughout different wars in
Over the past few decades, there has been an increased concern about rising violence among war veterans specifically those with possible mental health problems and in a need of psychiatric treatment [40]. A newsletter published in 2014 stated that combat veterans are responsible for about 21% of domestic violence all over the U. S. and it is predominantly linked with PTSD. Further, it is also mentioned that 20% of U. S. suicide committers are war veterans. Therefore, the newsletter calls the problem of veteran suicide an “epidemic”
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is an anxiety disorder that runs through our military system and is often vastly overlooked. It is a little-known mental health problem that is poorly understood. It can be traced back to the times of the Civil War and has been given names like shell-shocked syndrome, PTSD, soldier's heart, and combat fatigue. A soldier who has experienced combat or military exposure of any level of severity can be susceptible to this anxiety disorder and its symptoms. The Hollywood film The Hurt Locker, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, depicts the American soldier’s battles with PTSD and shows how drastic its effects can be. There is a whole other world between life on the battlefield and life on the
On the top of that, multiple and prolong war zone deployment also negatively impact on marital health, sexuality satisfaction between the troop and spouse, the “overlooked casualties of war”. Prolong war zone deployment has psychosocial consequences for the spouses of military personnel, which may include in increased levels of anxiety, stress, depression, marital maladjustment, inter-partner violence. Spouses of those return with posttraumatic stress disorder are at significantly with greater risk of poor marital health, and may be particularly at high risk of spousal abused, at least verbally. Although female military personnel do deploy, and these represent a small minority of the military population, however their cohabiting partners endure the same consequences.
Soldiers wounded during combat in Iraq and Afghanistan often develop post-traumatic stress disorder and depression months after getting out of a hospital, instead of soon after suffering their injuries, a new study found. The earlier the syndrome is identified and treated, the better (Bernstein). Premature treatment is better because symptoms of PTSD may get worse. Dealing with them earlier aids in stopping the symptoms from worsening in the future. If the disorder progresses, an individual may fail to benefit from formal treatment or drop out of treatment early. Many soldiers tend to find it much simpler to self medicate with drugs or alcohol rather than using appropriate treatment. Unfortunately, use of alcohol and drugs can actually intensify symptoms of PTSD or depression over time. Increased substance use is also a potential risk factor for suicide. (Finnegan)
“My mind is on fire as I fear that any second, another enemy round will rip into my body and finish me off” (Johnson 2). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) effects the lives of many soldiers after returning home from war. PTSD is a psychiatric condition described in the DSM-IV as, a condition that requires a specific event to have occurred as a criterion for the diagnosis. The criteria for this disorder, according to the book Combat Trauma, can include flashbacks, times where you feel as if you are reliving the traumatic event, shame or guilt, upsetting dreams about the traumatic event, trying to avoid thinking or talking about the traumatic event, feeling emotionally numb or not feeling at all, anger or irritability, poor or destructive relationships, self-destructive behavior, trouble sleeping, memory problems, hallucinations, not enjoying activities you one enjoyed and feeling as if you no longer know who is living your day-to-day life.