The Human Brain Anxiety Disorder (PTSD)

“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.

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

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

The chapter ‘Clinical Histories: From Soldier’s Heart to PTSD’ from the book ‘Fields of Combat’ by Erin Finley, examines U.S. military community’s perception of combat stress casualties. From the Civil War times until now, there has been growth in the understanding that soldiers face extreme psychological consequences, like behavioral and functional problems, after returning home from war. In 1980, this behavioral and functional problem is formally recognized as Post-Traumatic Stress order (PTSD) in the U.S. and it was internationally recognized in the late 1980’s. Not only was the diagnosis given to survivors of combat, but also noncombat traumatic experiences, such as rape, natural disaster, rape and etc. The chapter looks at the historical

Berger (2015) discusses PTSD historical roots and facts from previous war eras, about combat-related trauma and mental health conditions, that compasses today’s PTSD in veterans. In similarity, (Martin , 2012) also discuss historical facts about combat trauma in veterans, and their struggles with re-integration of life and communities they left behind and understood, since the Civil War and other wars that followed (Martin, 2012). Post-war veterans also experience trauma because of chemical and toxic exposure that caused a chronic illness, less expectation of quality of life, and mortality (Martin, 2012). Consequently, many of today’s combat veterans, experience similar traumatic events that resemble those of pre-war eras such as, nightmares,

When people think of war, there first instinct is to think about the physical pain soldiers have gone through, the physical demand of training before and during. What people miss is the mental trauma that affects soldiers during and after the war. In today’s society it is much more acceptable to speak about mental health issues due to the war and we have established a term for it Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). We have established many options for soldiers and families who are affected by PTSD. The two books that I am analyzing speak about the idea of mental health or war trauma during World War I and World War II, instead of calling it PTSD the authors call is shell shock, which is close to the definition of PTSD. The two books that I am analyzing is Pat Barker 's Regeneration, which is focused on a mental institution and how soldiers deal with shell shock and many other internal struggles. The second is Elie Wiesel’s book Night, which speaks about a family that is taken to a concentration camp and is dealing with the mental trauma that they experience and how they are forced to change the way they think and feel in order to survive. Both touch upon very similar themes when it comes to trauma and survival during and after the war.

The infamous collection of lasting mental effects of warfare has been classified as a disorder known by many names: shell shock, Soldier’s Heart, and combat fatigue. Today, this disorder is classified as post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. According to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, PTSD symptoms include persistent nightmares, constant avoidance of trauma-associated stimuli, and emotional numbing that was not present before trauma. PTSD is unlike other mental disorders because it is linked to a specific traumatic event, and it is often associated with combat (Institute 1). World War I was the catalyst for interest and research on war neuroses; at the time,

“When I was in serious danger I was almost completely paralysed by fear, I remember sitting with a coffin (a fellow soldier) on the fire-step of a trench during an intense bombardment, when it seemed certain that we must be killed”(The Psychological Effects Of The Vietnam War). Our soldiers that we send to war to protect us against the countries trying to harm us are put into dangerous situations that affect them physically and mentally and leave them with permanent damage to their minds and bodies. The server damage that our military soldiers faced when returning from war is PTSD which stands for post traumatic stress disorder and is the most common disorder that returning soldiers are diagnosed with , but a more tragic diagnosis from war

Throughout the time of modern man, great conflicts have occurred. When man is placed in a position that is not natural, it can be difficult on a human’s mind to process events and deal with the effects on long term health of a person’s psychological. War is defined as conflict between two different groups of individuals. There are many reasons for why wars and other conflicts happen, but the warfighter has the greatest psychological burden placed on them. Over time understanding and acceptance on dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has increase dramatically. Although PTSD can be associated with any event that a person develops a strong emotional response to a remembered event. Conflict environments have the greatness number of victims that suffer from PTSD symptoms. Increased awareness about PTSD, continuation of treatment, and choices of treatment therapies for victims suffering with PTSD will help suffering victims.

At the beginning of Humanities Core in fall quarter, my understanding of war was primarily centered around soldiers and how killing others permanently scarred them, often leading to post-traumatic stress disorder. Being a Cognitive Sciences major, I am naturally interested in how extreme situations such as war affect people’s psychology. However, my focus drifted in an entirely new direction, towards civilians in wartime (See: Tags), as the year progressed and my view of war became more complex.

At the beginning of Humanities Core in fall quarter, my understanding of war was primarily centered around soldiers and how killing others permanently scarred them, often leading to post-traumatic stress disorder. Being a Cognitive Sciences major, I am naturally interested in how extreme situations, such as war, affect people’s psychology. However, my focus drifted in an entirely new direction, towards civilians in wartime (See: Tags), as the year progressed and my view of war became more complex.

The Second World War (WW2) was a global war that involved most of the great powerful nations, which formed two military alliances the Allies and Axis. WW2 is regarded one of the most widespread wars that involved 100 million people and thirty countries and the worst form of human conflict in history. Contrary to the previous wars, WW2 involved the use of nuclear bombs and sophisticated weapons, which exposed soldiers at high risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). During WW2, the U.S army psychiatrists understood that involvement on warfare may have devastating consequences on the well-being of soldiers and they introduced screening programs and intervention strategies to detect and address psychological disorders associated with combat missions . Despite these measures, the U.S army psychiatrists were puzzled with high number of soldiers who suffered from PTSD during and after the ww2. More than one million soldiers were thoroughly screened during the ww2, but 50% of them developed and suffered from PTSD thus raising a health concern among the health professionals. The reason WW2 soldiers did suffer from PTSD was because of witnessing horrible things, combat trauma and events that had happened before the start if the war.

War, the incarnation of hate and ignorance that plagues both the human name and mind. It is evident that throughout history, “ war is one of the constants,” and “in the last 3,421 years of recorded history, only 268 have seen no war” (Purwar). For the longest time, the only obvious negative outcome of war is being on the losing side. As of the First World War, the term “PTSD” had not been developed, however the term “shell shock” had been created as a precursor to an unknown condition. As the field of medical examinations advances, psychological disorders such as PTSD became noticed and identified; however, these terms went only as far as to label disorders in the involved combatants, not the affected bystanders. The psychological impact of

Many soldiers walk away from war with psychological disorders such as shell shock and post traumatic stress, while others with mild to critical injuries or life taking situations. Soldiers who have fought in a war and make it out alive usually come back home and experience psychological disorders that can cause them to have hallucinations and cause them to react strongly to anything that reminds them of being in the war. On the other hand, some soldiers face human casualties that can change their lives forever anywhere from facing a disability that can put them out of the work force to not making it home alive. War can be a deeply scarring experience that can cause psychological disorders and brutal trauma

Since before documented history there have been always been war whether for religion or just for expansion of territory. As we know now wars come with many psychological disorders, the most common one being Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD for short. PTSD was officially added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or DSM-III in 1980 by the APA or American Psychiatric Association. This was due to ongoing research into “Vietnam War Veterans, Holocaust survivors, sexual trauma victims, and others. Links between the trauma of war and post-military civilian life were established.”( ptsd.va.gov) PTSD is most common amongst soldiers and other military personnel but can be found among civilians. With all the terrorist attacks and oversea wars there are an overwhelming amount of cases of PTSD. “An estimated 7.8