The Deer Hunter Film Analysis

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

Post-traumatic stress disorder abbreviated PTSD is a response to traumatic events in someone’s life. Traumatic events are events that provoke fear, helplessness or horror in response to a threat or extreme stressor (Yehuda, 2002). Soldiers and other military members are at a much higher risk to Post traumatic stress disorder due to combat and other stressful situations they are put into. People effected by Post-traumatic stress disorder will have symptoms including flashbacks, avoidance of things, people or places that remind them of the traumatic event. Also, hyper arousal which includes insomnia, irritability, impaired concentration and higher startle reactions. In this paper I will discuss post-traumatic stress disorder, its signs, symptom and effects on culture as portrayed in the movie, American Sniper.

Today, hundreds of thousands of service men and women and recent military veterans have seen combat. Many have been shot at, seen their buddies killed, or witnessed death up close. These are types of events that can lead to Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder ("Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD: A Growing Epidemic. “) Anyone that has gone through a traumatic event can be diagnosed with PTSD but research shows, military men and women are more susceptible to having PTSD (PTSD: A Growing Epidemic.) And, with little help from the US, many Veterans do not get the help they need or get treated for PTSD. Military men and women begin to

PTSD is increasing with expanding population today while the decreasing levels of mental healthcare services is making the mismatch more problematic for affected individuals and for the society as a

The government is not doing all they can to help returning vets, it is incredibly hard and stressful to get treatment, it is woefully underfunded, it doesn 't have the proper classification so therefore treatment is not as accessible. It seems as if the U.S. Government is struggling to pay attention to PTSD treatment, because it may bring the ailment into the public eye, and the Military might suffer in morale and number of volunteers, due to people not wanting the risk of PTSD. The thing about the military is that, “No one teaches anybody had to deal with that. And it also gets back to the, in the military it 's the John Wayne mentality of you don 't show emotion. You 're not allowed to admit that you 're sad or upset or anything ever. It 's not manly.”(Beer Is Cheaper 51:23)

War can destroy a man both in body and mind for the rest of his life. In “The Sniper,” Liam O’Flaherty suggests the horror of war not only by presenting its physical dangers, but also by showing its psychological effects. We are left to wonder which has the longer lasting effect—the visible physical scars or the ones on the inside?

The freedoms Americans enjoy come at a price; brave military men and women often foot the bill. Many men and women pay with their lives; others relive the sights, sounds, and terror of combat in the form of PTSD. Several causes and risk factors contribute to the development of PTSD. Combat-related PTSD appears slightly different than traditional PTSD. History tells of times when soldiers diagnosed with PTSD were viewed as “weak.” Resources have not always been available to struggling soldiers. The adverse symptoms of PTSD on soldiers and their families can be crippling.

Rates of trauma and mental illness are reported to be disproportionately higher among American veterans, especially those of the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The barriers to care after civilian reentry further disadvantage this already vulnerable population. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been the longest sustained US military operations since the Vietnam era, sending more than 2.2 million troops into battle and resulting in more than 6,600 deaths and 48,000 injuries. Veterans are at risk mental health challenges, as well as family instability, elevated rates of homelessness, and joblessness. Veterans have disproportionate rates of mental illness, particularly posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse disorders, depression, anxiety, and military sexual trauma.

These words left the pen of judge Stephen Reinhardt two years ago from the 9th circuit court of appeals on a case of veterans against the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); The dispute for a veterans right to healthcare is still raging. The United States is facing a larger population of veterans every year, who suffer from a number of debilitating ailments, and finding itself with less means to take care of them. The VA is allowing health assessments go unnoticed for years due to lack of funding. Without this necessary treatment veterans who suffer from mental disorders like depression, anxiety or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) will build up tension and develop a risk for breakdowns which can cause not only mental, but physical damage to themselves and their community. These valiant men and women deserve proper treatment by means of formal evaluation, cognitive therapy, and monitored medication. Our service members have been promised treatment and it is our obligation as a country is to ensure it is

As we learn more about the cause and effect of PTSD we can better equip ourselves to help those in need. It is a process that has a clear beginning but an unclear ending. A person who can function normally for many years after seeing combat may find it increasingly difficult to sit in a classroom day after day. With raising awareness on not only the severity but the scope of impact of mental health disorders it can eliminate the stigma of weakness and get these men and women who have put themselves second much of their lives the help they

Junger writes about his experience with PTSD and gives the reader evidence that this disorder needs to be taken seriously, but instead it keeps rising and America has more people with PTSD than we do in anything else. Junger writes about a time when PTSD kicked in: “I Suddenly I found myself backed up against a metal

PTSD is a severe mental condition that several veterans are impacted by. These severe conditions cause these men and women who have experienced tragic episodes in their life to re-live that same horrific scene over and over again. Some cases in veterans result in suicide. Something can very well be done to help these veterans living with PTSD and lower the suicide numbers to keep our veterans living prosperous lives.

In the past, veterans who disclosed suffering from signs of PTSD encountered a great deal of ignorance and bias. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (n.d.), veterans who had the illness were often considered weak, were rejected by comrades, and even faced discharge from military service. In fact, even physicians and mental health specialists often questioned the existence of the disease, which of course led to society’s misconception of PTSD in general. Sadly because of this existing prejudice it appears even today soldiers are still worried to admit having PTSD symptoms, and therefore they do not receive the proper support they need. While individuals are assured that their careers will not be affected, and seeking help is encouraged, most soldiers see it as a failure to admit having a mental health illness (Zoroya, 2013). Educating military personal of this illness, and making sure no blame is put on the veterans who encounter this disease is therefore vital.

In looking at the The Deer Hunter as a model for the effects of war on people, we have to consider the type of community they come from. This isn’t the the same community that Ron Kovic -and I’m using BOFJ because it poses questions of how war affects people as a prominent theme- came from and therefore the experience is not the same. Similar, yes, in the sense that there is loss in both experiences, but the depth of the suffering is very different. The nature of their surroundings very much affected how the war had an affect on them and their community back home. I would argue that unlike Ron Kovic’s struggle with having to reexamine his ideas of America and “what it was all for”, so to speak, The Deer Hunter portrays a separate set of problems that don’t -in my opinion- point in the same direction. There is an intersection of their experience with war with and that of others like Ron Kovic especially in that of Steve’s storyline. Problems with masculinity, acceptance, and acclimating to civilian life are all present in these stories. It is each person’s background, their upbringing, their personality that determines how war changes them, what it takes away from them.

Good Will Hunting is an interesting story of a young genius orphan growing in a slums of South Boston with a group of best friends, written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and directed by Gus Van Sant. In this film, Will Hunting is the main character played by its father Matt Damon who is trying to himself identify his value in the world. He is not a normal teenager, he has a special ability that called the “photographic memory” so that he could remember and solve academic problems in a really quickly way. This film also tells us the journey of Willy as he is required to experience psychotherapy by Professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgard) unless he wants