Memories Of The Gulf War Syndrome

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can do a range of things to the brain. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder makes the victim continuously remember the event. It was originally known as “shell shock” where vets were struggling going through daily life. Finally after the Vietnam War Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder was “identified and given its name.” When these discoveries were made, proper treatment was then given to the victims. Research shows that

World War II is still seen today as one of the most lethal wars in history. As technology advanced, more destructive weapons were created. In the hands of the wrong people and those forced to use them, these weapons paved the way for physical and psychological destruction. Furthermore, the mentality of individuals during this time enabled more marring upon themselves and upon other individuals. Even though what we now refer to as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, existed before World War II, this time period brought about a higher prevalence of PTSD, as well as began to change the way this disorder was perceived by people.

Throughout American history wars have played a huge part. From the start of the country to the present wars have played a lagrge part in shaping America into the national power that it is today. Not only is America the most pwerful nation in thwe world but it is also the policeman for the entire world, making and checking up on the world and all the interactions of foreign countries worldwide. Being born in born in the early eighties prohibitied me from experiencing many of the Americas war firsthand. This however changed early in the 1990's.

“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.

There have been many diagnoses of PTSD in American soldiers. As Mark Thomas said in a magazine article, “The National Academy of Sciences have report estimated that up to 20% of 2.6 million US men and women who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq may have it (PTSD)”(Thomas). This quote expresses that nearly 520,000 US families have been affected by this disorder. It also shows that PTSD has become a large enough issue that more and more people and

The effects of war are often very lessen, some factions wanting to downplay those effects in order to support your efforts and others wanting to inflate them in order to support peace. There is a disagreement in terms of persistent post concussive symptoms that are reported by Iraq combat veteran who have had repeated episodes of mild traumatic brain injury from being in close proximity to explosive blasts. This represents functional and structural brain damage and may also present with epiphenomenon of comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder

It was not until the 1980’s that the diagnosis of PTSD as we know it today came to be. However, throughout history people have recognized that exposure to combat situations can have profound negative impact on the mind s and bodies of individuals in these situations. But there are other catastrophic events that can have such profound impact on people resulting in PTSD…

The main point of this article was that recently deployed service members and their families are affected by the deployment. A research was conducted in order to see what kinds of effects deployment had on military families, to include if a service member returned with symptoms of

This link was made most evident in the veterans who returned home from service in the Gulf and Iraq Wars due to them suffering from a wide variety of behavioral and physical issues, including PTSD, injuries sustained from blast exposure, chronic joint pain, substance abuse, long term effects to substances used in biological warfare, injuries from working with chemicals and machinery during their time of service (Heady, Gale). These issues are made worse for veterans living in rural areas due to the lack of access to VA healthcare.

“... historians and sociologists note that the high-profile involvement of civilian psychiatrists in the wake of the Vietnam War was another feature that set those returning veterans apart from society”(Satel 4). Many veterans developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which a psychological disorder that last months or years, which triggered memories of trauma accompanied by intense emotional and physical reactions. Sally Satel, Resident Scholar of American Enterprise Institute stated, “ The Vietnam era labeled problems such as anxiety, quilt over comrades who died, and chronic sleep as a disturbance of mental illness” ( Satel 6). The use of chemical warfare left a sense of terror that distressed combatants. It dramatically changed the way veterans live and the way troops would prepare for war. “History’s first systematic use of chemical warfare left a legacy of fear that haunted armies on the world’s battlefield ever since…”(Corelli 1). “ Traumatic stress disorders are caused by events that actually happen to people”(Satel 4). Veterans enduring and sustaining a mental disorder based on anxious anticipation from a traumatic experience affected them in a workplace and this explains why the quote above was used. “Not everyone confronts horrific circumstances develops PTSD”(Satel 2). “After a disaster, fewer than 10% of victims are affected”(Satel 2). However,

At least 50% of all adults and children are exposed to a psychologically traumatic event (such as a life-threatening assault or accident, humanmade or natural disaster, or war). As many as 67% of trauma survivors experience lasting psychosocial impairment, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); panic, phobic, or generalized anxiety disorders; depression; or substance abuse.(Van der Kolk, et al, 1994) Symptoms of PTSD include persistent involuntary re-experiencing of traumatic distress, emotional numbing and detachment from other people, and hyperarousal (irritability, insomnia, fearfulness, nervous agitation). PTSD is linked to structural neurochemical changes in the central nervous system which may have a direct

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

When soldiers get deployed the main goal is for them to complete their duties and make it back to home just like they left. Getting back home in one piece includes what is inside as well, the brain. The complex system that runs everything from your emotions, anxiety, optimism, pain management and impulse control is shaken up by extreme experiences like exposure to death or dreadful experiences. War veterans may experience flashbacks, nightmares, intense anxiety, panic attacks, depression and self-destructive thoughts or actions long after the trauma has occurred. The cause of this is because the neural pathways in the brain have actually been damaged and transformed by that experience, this is called Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.

The Gulf War Syndrome is fake, but is also a very real disease. Herbert Block published a political cartoon about a sensitive topic, not knowing how people might react. The political cartoon has a so called military troop and he was leaves over his eyes, this might imply that the public thinks they know about what’s going on when they are far from it (Block). The Gulf War syndrome is not believed to be an actual disease, but there are patterns linked between veterans and their disabilities (“Public Health”). In Virginia, the veterans must have the symptoms of the syndrome for at least 6 months, and with that time they need no proven indication the he/she was in the military (“Public Health”). In the cartoon, the man also holds up a sign saying

One part of being an American, is giving yourself to your country when deemed necessary. In 1991, the United States took action in the Gulf War, where many US solders were sent. In fact, a total of 697,000 solders took part in the Gulf War. And of that amount, 6% (about 45,000) veterans have reported an ailment related to this war. Much chaos arose from these sicknesses, and from this a syndrome was born. The syndrome is called the Gulf War Syndrome. Wether this is myth or not has been throughly researched, but how can one claim 45,000 veterans to be falsely accusing an ailment they believe to be at fault of the Gulf War?