Symptoms And Injuries Of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can certainly have a negative effect on a returning service member’s life. Approximately 30% of people who have been in war zones develop PTSD. The rates of PTSD for veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are conservatively estimated to be 11% and 18% respectively, with a higher rate for veterans of the war in Iraq because of greater combat exposure (Collie, 2006, p.1). Because of the debilitating affect of the disorder many veterans are trapped in this endless seeming cycle agony and helplessness. Individuals with PTSD describe years of declining invitations to social and family events to avoid anxiety and anger. In extreme cases, individuals endorse fear and discomfort about leaving the house at all, which they characterize as shameful and demoralizing. Thus, many individuals with PTSD perceive themselves as trapped in a cycle that reinforces avoidance of situations, which may trigger anxiety and depression (Smyth, 2007, p.1).

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

After the Vietnam War, thousands of veterans suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). For over fifty years PTSD previously referred to as “Shell Shock” has been a significant problem for Vietnam veterans. The National Veterans Readjustment survey conducted in 1988 found that 31% of men and 27% of women suffered from PTSD upon their return home from the Vietnam War. Important to realize, it was not until 1989 did the Veterans Administrations (VA) list PTSD as one of the leading conditions treated by their medical professionals.

Over the last decade, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have drastically increased the need for effective mental health services and treatment for U.S. veterans and service members, especially those suffering from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Nearly 1.5 million American service members have been deployed in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) since the attack on the Twin Towers in September 2001 (Price, Gros, Strachan, Ruggiero, & Acierno, 2013). Approximately 25% of soldiers and wounded warriors returning home from OEF/OIF present with mental illness due to combat-related violence and other trauma exposure (Steinberg & Eisner, 2015). According to Price and colleagues (2013), OEF/OIF soldiers and veterans are at greater risk for developing mental illness compared to others who served in past military operations.

The National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study (NVVRS) findings indicate that of the 1.7 million veterans who ever experienced significant symptoms of PTSD after the Vietnam war, approximately 830,000 still experience clinically significant distress and disability from symptoms of PTSD. (Weiss, et al. par.1) Soldiers deployed into war zones are exposed to a broad spectrum of traumatic events that they are forced to cope with on the

Many veterans are unable to leave behind the trauma of Vietnam and psychologically return home. They struggle with a variety of extremely severe problems that neither they nor their families, friends, or communities knew how to understand

It is a well known fact that war is gruesome and changes those involved. We have all heard the stories of soldiers risking life and limb to protect our beliefs, but until recently we have believed that the scars of war were merely physical. While mental disorders like PTSD were debated shortly after World War II it was not diagnosed until around 1980. Even now, there is a plethora of other factors that contribute to the mental health of war veterans. These same factors are being ignored not only by the public and the medical professionals, but sometimes even the veterans themselves.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is defined by the National Institute of Mental Health as a “disorder that develops in some people who have seen or lived through a shocking, scary, or dangerous events”. This being one of the titles strapped on to most returning veterans from war is an issue that is heavily debated and relevant to future war veterans. There is no known cure for this disorder and can be destructive to one who has it. This report will be going over 1) A brief history of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 2) Why does Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder pertain to Vietnam veterans specifically how the veterans helped PTSD be what it is today 3) Some evidence from other sources that

Many veterans struggle coping with symptoms of PTSD which has a negative effect on one's emotions. A survey conducted suggest that, veterans with a positive diagnosis of PTSD reveals measures of worry, self-punishment, social control, behavioral distractions, and avoidance coping strategies (Pietrzak et al.). From this survey, many veterans who have difficulty dealing with negative emotions are most likely suffering from Post traumatic stress disorder. Unfortunately, more than the majority of veterans have dealt or is dealing with Post traumatic stress disorder because of warfare

Memories of war are like poison in the minds of the broken soldiers calling for help, only to find out that their voices have become a distant echo. Their words lost in the society of the land they've slaved to protect, robbed of the aid, and crippled by their illness. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), became a documented mental disorder in 1980, when the American Psychiatric Association (APA) added PTSD to the third edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. For about 30+ years, since the Vietnam war began, veterans have experienced the pain of this ailment. Human beings experience PTSD in varying degree, but often we associate it with war. Since the recognition of PTSD as an illness, the government has failed

As the Vietnam War began preventative measures were being taken to decrease the psychological impact of war on soldiers. Unfortunately as the war ended soldiers were often met with hostile demonstrations by anti-war activists and society offered little acceptance of Vietnam veterans even years after the war. This is when early studies on PTSD and the effects on military families began being documented. Early research showed that PTSD can have devastating, far-reaching consequences on the patients functioning, relationships,

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among veterans has been prevalent in the United States ever since the diagnosis of shell shock after World War I. PTSD continues to be prevalent in veterans from the Vietnam War, to the Gulf War, to Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The estimated lifetime prevalence of PTSD among veterans during the Vietnam era was 30.9% for men and 26.9% for women (U.S. Department of Government Affairs, 2015). Based on a population study the prevalence of PTSD among previously deployed Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom was 13.8% (U.S. Department of Government Affairs, 2015). PTSD in combat veterans can be very difficult to understand. This is widely due to the lack of research

Hundreds of thousands of United States veterans are not able to leave the horrors of war on the battlefield (“Forever at War: Veterans Everyday Battles with PTSD” 1). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the reason why these courageous military service members cannot live a normal life when they are discharged. One out of every five military service members on combat tours—about 300,000 so far—return home with symptoms of PTSD or major depression. According to the Rand Study, almost half of these cases go untreated because of the disgrace that the military and civil society attach to mental disorders (McGirk 1). The general population of the world has to admit that they have had a nightmare before. Imagine not being able to sleep one

With the ever growing epidemic of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and extended and more frequent deployments, the supportive approach is not only utilized, but is essential. The average deployment for the Army is 12 months deployed, followed by 12 months at home station, quite an extended separation from family. Reports have also shown that 5.5% of the population has been diagnosed with PTSD, whereas 13.2% have been identified within operational military units that have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan (Crum-Cianflone, Frasco, Armenta, Phillips, Horton, Ryan, Leardmann, 2015). These numbers emphasize the importance of leaders within the military to utilize the supportive approach to provide for their follower’s well being and assist

In the study, the participants were sampled for convenience, there were a total of 31 subjects. These subjects were patients that were in a major New York hospitals Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, the reason they were in the unit was so that they could be treated for their acute myocardial infarction. These subjects were patients in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit between August and December of 2006. The subjects who were selected to take part in this study were selected bases on certain criteria. The criteria that was used to select the subjects included the ability of the subject to speak English, there being evidence of their myocardial infarction, the stability of the patient, the ability of the subject to give informed consent for the