The Mental Health Status Of The Civilian Population

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.

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.

One example of Boricevic Marsanic and their colleagues is, “Children of male veterans have a higher chance of attempting suicide” (Boricevic Marsanic et. al.).This quote explains how the disorder affects children who may never have a traumatic experience in their life. The disorder has mental effects on all the people associated, the veteran, their family, friends, everybody. Another example of how PTSD affects children and teens is “The presence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in trauma survivors has been linked with family dysfunction and symptoms in their children, including lower self-esteem, higher disorder rates, and symptoms resembling those of the traumatized parent” (Mellor et. al.). Mellor and the other authors of this article in an Australian magazine express how children tend to have more problems internally. The quote also states how the children may even have symptoms the parent with PTSD had, which means that it could cause problems for the child without them even having a traumatic moment in their

Among survivors of urban violence, 79% had not sought help from mental health care institutions (Van der Ploeg et al., 1985). This implies that many individuals who have been exposed to war and to other violence are not seen by health care professionals. An important question is how these individuals have adapted. If they did well without professional help, then we might learn from their ways of coping. If, on the other hand, they did not adapt well, this would raise the question why they did not seek support from health care professionals. Knowledge about motives for (not) seeking professional help may enable policy makers and health care professionals to improve the fit between the needs of survivors of war and other violence and the health care organization. The present study was conducted among a large random community sample of people who experienced World War II (WWII) to find out what proportion of the Dutch WW II survivors sought medical or mental help and what the characteristics of these help-seeking survivors are as compared to non-help-seeking survivors. The majority of these survivors experienced the German occupation of the Netherlands (1940-1945). Others experienced the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies (1942-1945) and the subsequent violent Indonesian independence struggle (1945-1950). (pp. 243-61)

When living with PTSD, there are outbreaks of panic and intense thoughts that relate to the event. (Parekh) These come from flashbacks and nightmares that lead to sadness, fear, anger, and a feeling of detachment. “But at night some of us would wake up from nightmares, sweating, screaming, and punching our own heads to drive out the images that continued to torment us even when we were no longer asleep.” (Beah 148) A diagnosis comes from exposure to an event that causes the victim enough trauma to have these types of episodes. These children soldiers are exposed to a large amount of violence within common massacres and village raids, desensitizing them to the act, and not be aware of the acts. Everything these kids go through in war leaves them with many traumatic memories that lead to PTSD, causing harsh flashbacks and nightmares that lead to hurting themselves and

Generational influences on survivors of war have lasting effects and among the consequences of war, the mental health impact of secondary trauma and grief on the civilian population is noteworthy in the context of war casualties. Long term traditions of spirituality, culture and biological aspects play a significant role in core beliefs leading to war. Regardless of the causal factors, the occurrence of parents losing their children as well as children losing fathers and mothers in scenarios they have no control over is a painful event that often leads to generational pain. (Stroebe, Schut, & Stroebe, 2007).

For starters, when it comes to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the children of war-torn countries, such as Sierra Leone, suffer more mental challenges before they are sixteen than most people in America will ever experience. The adolescent child soldiers in particular battle the struggles of PTSD the hardest:

When you think of who is affected by war, who comes to mind? Your immediate gut instinct will take you to thoughts about the individual involved in that war. It will make you think about all the awful things they must have encountered during their time at war. You’re not wrong for thinking this. I just want you to take a step back and look at the whole picture. Although most people believe the trauma from war is confined strictly to military personnel, there are war-affected children that are left with many physical, psychosocial, educational, and safety needs.

We knew war affected civilians before this research but didn’t realize to what extent it affected them, so reading these articles taught us a lot about what is happening during and after the wars. Some of the new facts that stood out while reading the articles were that trauma and mental health distress due to war had no specific age group it affected and how it reached people of all ages. Furthermore, that all types of people, even ones that experienced different wars had similar health effects from their mental disabilities. Lastly, that in some areas in the Middle East, mental health is still considered a stigma but physicians from other areas within this part of the world are starting to realize that mental health is a real and serious issue to

All around the world kids are facing a dangerous reality. A reality when they are not able to live their childhoods free and innocent but instead are forced to a scaring childhood where they are scared of their own dreams. Africa, 1999-- 120,00 children are forced into the army to fight for the government. But; now, the vicious civil war is over and these children must face the consequences of PTSD. This mental disorder affects veterinarians of war who have been scared by the blood and gore. This is amplified in a child when they are included in a war because of their mentally unstable state. Childhood PTSD is an ongoing problem that requires citizens to take action because this generation of children will grow up with problems that affect their mental health and overall well being. It is essential for the public to understand that children growing up in this mental state it can put their country in danger with fewer people being able to

Research had shown that children who live in violent and terrorized environments experiences may develop severe post-traumatic stress order (PTSD). Children who have had more years exposed to violent conflict will struggle to recover from years of compounding traumas. War-affected children have the feelings of depression, anxiety, hopelessness, grief, resentment, anger, and fear. If without

Ian Greaves and Paul Hunt have given a great overview of psychological effects of armed conflicts and terrorism in his book “Responding to terrorism”. According to them, “psychiatric morbidity and disability are among the many outcomes of armed conflicts - nor are the victims confined to the military” (Greaves and Hunt. 11). It specifically targets unarmed civilians that are their prime targets. This hostile activity of spreading terror uses civilian casualties and suffering as a weapon to spread a specific agenda. Unfortunately, these disastrous events destroy communities and cultural factors that otherwise support and help individuals to withstand traumatic events. Scientists believe that it is not necessary

War also affects the elicit on the psychological dimension of well-being and in times creates subconscious memories of terror that can lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in children as they grow up. This is a condition where the child experiences terror, flashbacks, and panic attacks triggered by any slight stimulus linked to the war experience. When children witness the death of loved ones and fellow children at this tender age, it is a traumatic experience which increases their susceptibility to this disorder. For many children, PTSD symptoms go away on their own after a few months. Some children show symptoms for years if they do not get treatment. There are many treatment options, described

Argument: Summerfield’s article is largely a critique of a modernised approach to humanitarian aid in the form of psychotherapy. This article argues, through the example of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), that in many ways Humanitarian aid is still a Westernised way of approaching post-war intervention. Summerfield critiques seven assumptions that are made when psychological trauma programs are deployed, assumptions which are largely taken for granted facts in the West such as war causes traumatisation, mental health emergencies and requires urgent psychological help.

The objective of this brief study is to examine the psychological and social consequences of war, acts of terrorism and disasters upon the civilian and military population as well as the treatment options available for military members and their family members. The work of Matthewson (nd) states that it is not the battlefield "upon which the attacks take place, but rather, it is in the mind the psychology of those who survive." (p.192) Matthewson additionally states that disasters both "natural and human-made, can elicit fear, anger and worry in victims, their family and friends and could lead to psychological symptoms of anxiety and depression." (p.192)