Personal Narrative: A Lasting Impact

“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.

Growing up with a father in the military, you move around a lot more than you would like to. I was born just east of St. Louis in a city called Shiloh in Illinois. When I was two years old my dad got the assignment to move to Hawaii. We spent seven great years in Hawaii, we had one of the greatest churches I have ever been to name New Hope. New Hope was a lot like Olivet's atmosphere, the people were always friendly and there always something to keep someone busy. I used to dance at church, I did hip-hop and interpretive dance, but you could never tell that from the way I look now.

As this paper will reflect, PTSD has both short and long term consequences and reaches far beyond those who have the disorder. Emotionally and financially, PTSD affects all of our lives in some form, whether from being exposed to the symptoms of a friend or loved one to the financial burden the disorder places on our society to treat those with the disorder.

War can be and has been proven to be a deeply scarring experience for many soldiers. Evidently, nothing can prepare them for warfare, seeing close friends die, and narrowly escaping death themselves. Yet, the worst part of it all is having to live with those memories for a lifetime and the inability to forget. “But the thing about remembering is that you don 't forget” (O’brien 34, 1998). The war which is fought in the minds of soldiers lasts a lifetime, and its effects stretch far beyond the actual battle that is being fought. War can significantly affect a soldier mentally, as seen in the novel “The things they carried” by Tim O 'brien, an interview with Richard Dlugoz, and the poem “Coming Home” by Joe Wheeler.

Over my years of school, one big influence on me has always been sports. Ever since a young age, I have always enjoyed playing and watching sports. In my four years in high school, I have fell in love with the sport of lacrosse.

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

War, no matter how long or brief, can have a tremendous impact upon a person’s

I woke up and took one bite out of my pop tart but that one bite was all I could eat. My legs were shaking, and my heart was pounding. My dad told me, “It is a true honor to even make it this far so go out there and have some fun.” Once I heard this statement, I knew I was ready to go. I arrived at school and boarded the bus. The car ride was an hour and fifteen minutes of hearing the squeaking of the wheel on the bus. My teammates were getting their heads ready for the big game.

Imagine walking through the front door of your home after a long day of school excited to see your parents. You slam the door behind you, hearing a huge thud and someone scream “Get on the ground!” You are shocked and follow the noise, only to discover it was your father, who had just returned from war just weeks earlier and was diagnosed with a severe case of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The door slamming gave him a flashback of war and he had felt like he was back in service under attack. This is a possible situation for many men and women who have returned home from war or other traumatic experiences during their service. This type of scenario influenced a group of veteran friends who were looking to give

In exploring PTSD one can make life easier for those suffering from it. First, in looking at what it is and its genetic and social causes. Second, the effects on soldiers sensitivity to loud sounds and their work life going away leading to homelessness and sustaining a relationship with their family. There is work being done to solve PTSD involving medicine and other therapy the condition is

Soldiers are impacted by their experiences in war however; surviving the challenges of war can be rewarding, maturing, and growth-promoting (e.g. higher self-efficacy, enhanced identity and sense of purposefulness, pride, camaraderie, etc.) on the other hand, demands, stressors, and conflicts of participation in war, could also be also be traumatizing for veterans, highly destructive, and cause change in potentially damaging ways; with significant impact to quality of life, well-being, and mental health (Department of Veterans Affairs). Indirect effects of combat veterans PTSD may also occur with family members (Berger, 2015). Writer will discuss combat veterans exposure to stressful events, mode of coping and impact on mental health.

The purpose of this study is to profoundly understand and explore the effects of trauma and war experience in

For survivors of traumatic events, the trauma itself is often only the beginning. While some are relatively unaffected, many others will develop post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, an affliction that haunts its victims with terrifying memories, nightmares, and panic attacks. (For a comprehensive list of symptoms and diagnostic criteria, the reader may refer to the DSM-IV, relevant portions of which may be found online (7).) The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 3.6 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 54 suffer from PTSD; 30 percent of those who have spent time in war zones - one million veterans of Vietnam alone - are

PTSD is a growing problem today, but it is not new. For decades, families have dealt with PTSD resulting from traumatic experiences associated with military operations (Xue et al. 1- 2). Military PTSD is when veterans develop “a complex and chronic disorder caused by exposure to a traumatic event,” commonly

One of the most debilitating mental illnesses caused from combat is called Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and can produce a range of unwanted emotional responses to the all past memories and experiences. It can emerge weeks, months or years later. If left untreated, it can severely affect the lives not only of veterans, but their families as well. Though you may not feel depressed, or feel anxious, these emotions can come screaming back at the most unexpected times. Many can come and go, or are re-experienced later through memories, nightmares, hallucinations or flashbacks, and can be triggered by anything that symbolizes or resembles the trauma. A 36 year old marine and