The Role Of PTSD In Soldiers

“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.

In this particular article, five authors collaborated and discussed the recent innovations in the PTSD treatment field such as new technologies and family/spouse therapy, where veterans who are diagnosed go through therapy sessions with a family member or spouse instead of alone. This article is extremely credible because it has five authors that are all in the medical field.

PTSD is listed among a group called Trauma-and-stressor-Related Disorders. For a person to be diagnosed with PTSD, they must have been exposed to, witness, or experience the details of a traumatic experience (e.g., a first responder), one that involves “actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence” (APA, 2013, p. 271). (PRU, 2016, p. 66). The aforementioned definition of PTSD relates to soldiers; the manifestations and causes experienced with traditional PTSD can look somewhat different. Obvious causes of PTSD in soldiers stem from exposure to stressful circumstances within combat, exposure to the suffering and death of others, destruction, personal danger, and injury. A study on Vietnam soldiers provides insight on less obvious causes of PTSD. The study suggests

Due to current operations in the Middle East and the recent combat operations in the past decade, many citizens have met somebody who has experienced their share of combat related stress. When you look at somebody who has been in combat, they may look like your average person on the outside, but on the inside lays memories of the violent scenes of war torn countries. Their mental health may not be noticeably altered, but they could very well suffer from haunting memories, flashbacks, and even post-traumatic stress disorder.

Being in war is definitely one of the most life changing events a person will ever have whether it be for the better or for the worst. Soldiers will witness events that are impossible to forget or see back at home in the states. Some soldiers may have even seen one of their best friends that they’ve known for forever get blown up into pieces right next to them, or they might even get one of their own limbs blown off of their own bodies, becoming handicapped for life. As a result of seeing something so intense like that, most soldiers are usually traumatized. In matter of fact, a great amount of soldiers are traumatized from the very beginning of being in war. It’s without a doubt difficult to deal with this but there are some ways where

They are just experiencing and expressing the mental stress that war has cause on them. Veterans are most likely claiming PTSD because their doctor told them they have it. It is not like the veterans are self-diagnosing and claiming that they have Post- Traumatic Disorder. The veterans that are not affected by the budget cuts were the Vietnam Veterans, is does not apply to the new veterans (VVA). The military created this mess when they decided to misdiagnose the veterans. There is no way you can prevent the soldiers from being affected by PTSD. The only option is to stop deploying soldiers to traumatic environments, and that is something that the military will not do. The veterans deserve to receive the benefits and resources that the VA is taking away and giving to fellow comrades. The benefits such as counseling, will assist the family but only so much if the veteran is still under stress and/ or not receiving the proper treatment for their

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

Some soldiers develop PTSD while others do not. It is easier for people to develop this disorder if they've dealt with trauma in their childhood such as physical abuse. Others with a pre-Vietnam psychiatric disorder other than PTSD. People who were also in prison and caused harm to others are more likely to get PTSD than people who weren't exposed to these happenings. Even simply being exposed to combat could trigger this disorder to take effect. PTSD is mostly seen in men 25 or younger

War impacts the soldier in more than the physical sense. It can also change someone psychologically and can cause PTSD. The Things They Carried is a book about the Vietnam war and what Tim O’Brien went through. The article 4 Kent State Students Killed By Troops is about a group of College students having a peaceful protest turned Violent. The Vietnam Veterans Still Have PTSD 40 Years After War article is about the horrendous things nurses had gone through when they were drafted into the Vietnam War. The Vietnam soldiers experienced PTSD, the Vietnam Veterans Still Have PTSD 40 Years After War article explained signs, symptoms, and treatments for the soldiers with PTSD. War not only affects soldiers physically due to injuries sustained in combat, but, more so the mental injuries sustained that no one can see.

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

Before the Vietnam War, it was not uncommon to know very little about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); however, after a large percentage of Vietnam soldiers were affected by the disorder, the symptoms of PTSD were widely known. PTSD is caused when a person faces a traumatic event that causes a mental pain deep inside of them. PTSD affected 31% of the Vietnam soldiers. PTSD causes a person to feel emotionally numb to the world around them. There are many different symptoms that can be linked to PTSD, and every person will experience it differently. Some symptoms include, reliving the situation through nightmares, becoming aggressive, and coming home with the feeling of being broken.

The reason PTSD is so important and why we should care is because they interviewed hundred veterans, nineteen out of hundred veterans interviewed attempted to commit suicide,fifteen more interviewed have had suicide thoughts since the war,half of the soldiers who were reported with PTSD receive the care they need twenty to fifty percent of soldiers who are receiving for PTSD walk away before they are done with

Ever since Jack was a little kid he wanted to join the army. He enlisted and after several years in 2007 his deployment went out to the battlefield in Iraq. Jack was one of the few survivors from his unit. Once he came back home he wouldn’t talk about what he saw and what happened. Back at home he became more distant and towards his family and kept quiet. It seemed like he wasn’t even there. In the middle of the night Jack would wake up screaming and from nightmares from the war. These are just some of the symptoms for PTSD in soldiers but are only somewhat small compared to others. To understand PTSD, first, one must comprehend the disease and how it effects the victim along with how its currently being treated.

When soldiers get deployed the main goal is for them to complete their duties and make it back to home just like they left. Getting back home in one piece includes what is inside as well, the brain. The complex system that runs everything from your emotions, anxiety, optimism, pain management and impulse control is shaken up by extreme experiences like exposure to death or dreadful experiences. War veterans may experience flashbacks, nightmares, intense anxiety, panic attacks, depression and self-destructive thoughts or actions long after the trauma has occurred. The cause of this is because the neural pathways in the brain have actually been damaged and transformed by that experience, this is called Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.

“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