Trauma Exposure

Perhaps attesting to the enhanced understanding of PTSD and alarm at the troubling suicide rates of veterans, the media seems to be raising the public’s attention about the condition, for example, through the use of documentaries. In 2005, during the second push of the Iraqi and Afghanistan war PBS FRONTLINE released a documentary entitled, “The Soldier’s Heart,” This documentary gives an overview of the history of PTSD, but focuses specifically on the psychological toll of the Iraq war. It illuminates the fact that despite advances in our understanding of PTSD, there continues to be a stigma against psychological problems in the

It was not until the 1980’s that the diagnosis of PTSD as we know it today came to be. However, throughout history people have recognized that exposure to combat situations can have profound negative impact on the mind s and bodies of individuals in these situations. But there are other catastrophic events that can have such profound impact on people resulting in PTSD…

The study of psychology refers to collective trauma as the effect experienced by many people in the aftermath of a tragedy or event. The pain of collective traumatic disorders is common among soldiers who experienced military combat, but has the potential to affect an entire community. Although, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can alter relationships with the family and the community, future generations will not have to endure combat directly to experience collective trauma. Many Veterans suffering from PTSD might shy away from others due to stigmas associated with the diagnosis. Some might have difficulty concentrating, or have guilty feelings, cannot find work, feel helpless, fearful, or have a loss of interest in usual activities. All

It is natural for a person to experience worry after a disturbing event. According to Junger it is nearly impossible to not react to a traumatic event. “Almost everybody exposed to trauma reacts by having some sort of short-term reaction to it--acute PTSD” (Junger 80). Most people are able to recover at a rate much faster than war veterans, even though many rape instances may have been significantly more traumatizing than the aspects of the war. This is related to the fact that rape victims do not wish to retain any of their memories, while war victims have many positive aspects of the war. “Treating combat veterans is different from treating rape veterans don’t have this idea that some aspects of their experience are worth retaining” (Junger 81). Comparatively, the war veterans do have a lot of negative experiences, but they also have many great experiences of camaraderie with fellow soldiers. Many soldiers were able to form lasting relationships preceding and during the war, but after the war had trouble forming new relationships. This resulted in the implementation of service dogs to help transition soldiers back to society again. “In this regard, reporters' media accounts of the experiences of veterans with PTSD and the general public's social media response comments were subjected to a triangulated

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

Since September 1, 2001, America has been involved in warfare in the Middle East with over 2.2 million men and women serving in combat zones experiencing more tours, higher levels of perceived risk and more cultural integration within ranks than ever seen in history (Crocker, Powell-Cope, Brown & Besterman-Dahan, 2014). According to Clark-Hitt, Smith and Broderick (2012) 14% of returning veterans are diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which they define as “an anxiety disorder that may occur following exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened”. In a military setting these events could consist of an environment of repeated bombing or threat of death, watching a comrade die, killing another human-being, even witnessing immoral violence on a daily basis. According to work done by Polusny et al. (2008) exposure to traumatic events can be a contributor to the perception of a lesser health status, an increase in physical health illness and increasing health care utilization and cost. Polusny et al. (2008) focused their research on the relationship between natural disaster trauma and physical health with a finding that natural disasters that produce PTSD symptom clusters do effect an individual’s physical health as well as the health care of the effected community for some time after said disaster. This paper however focuses on PTSD as it pertains to physical symptoms of American soldiers

Exposure to traumatic experiences has always been a part of human life. From back hundreds of years ago till now, for example, attacks by saber tooth tigers or twenty-first century terrorists have likely led to similar psychological responses in survivors of such violence. Literary accounts offer the first descriptions of what we now call posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For example, authors including Homer (The Iliad), William Shakespeare (Henry IV), and Charles Dickens (A Tale of Two Cities) wrote about traumatic experiences and the symptoms that followed such events. The PTSD diagnosis has filled an important gap in psychiatry in that its cause was the result of an event the individual suffered, rather than a personal weakness. PTSD became a diagnosis with influence from several social movements, such as Veteran, feminist, and Holocaust survivor advocacy groups. Research about Veterans returning from combat was a critical piece to the creation of the diagnosis. War takes a physical and emotional toll on service members, families, and their communities. So, the history of what

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,

Exposure to traumatic stressors is a critical element of probation work. Despite the tremendous amount of research on primary and secondary trauma, there is a paucity of research regarding the risks and effects of primary and secondary trauma on corrections personnel, and specifically female probation officers. Working as a probation officer involves a variety of roles and includes exposure to direct danger from threatening clients as well as exposure to secondary trauma in the form of “trauma material, including graphic descriptions of violent events, exposure to the realities of people’s cruelty to one another”

Studies have found that post traumatic stress disorder affects almost 31% of Vietnam veterans. War has a catastrophic impact on people’s health and well-being. Soldiers aren’t only affected physically during war. Many are affected mentally as well. For example, during the war and post war many individuals suffer from what is known as shell shock, which was especially prominent throughout World War 1. Post traumatic stress disorder and shell shock are due to the brain’s failed attempts to cope with their trauma. The novel Slaughterhouse 5, the excerpt from The Yellow Birds, and the short story “Soldier’s Home” all describe the lives of soldiers post war. The repercussions of the traumatic experiences that soldiers survive through during war

After a traumatic experience, it is typical to feel startled, restless, and disengaged. It can seem as if a person/patient can never get over what happened or feel typical again. However, by looking for treatment, connecting for help, and growing new adapting abilities, the patient can overcome PTSD and proceed onward with life. PTSD does not just come from combat experiences, this disorder can come from many things such as, serious motor vehicle crashes, natural disasters, robberies, hostage situations, and also rape, to name a few. “In the United States, physical assault is the most common stressor causing PTDS in women, while military combat is the most common PTSD stressor in men. People directly affected by the events of 9/11 or by hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi in September 2005 might develop PTSD, though fortunately most people do not” (Group, 2006). While PTSD falls greatly amongst the adult and older adult age groups, PTSD in children may trigger the onset of learning disabilities, self-mutilation or other destructive behaviors, sleep terrors, and a variety of conduct disorders. Children may also develop abnormally close attachments to their primary caretakers or other dependency behaviors in their attempts to cope with the traumatic experience (Jacqueline N. Martin, 2013). The purpose of this paper is to elaborate on and

Despite war experiences, many combat veterans survive challenges and have new experiences that yield benefits, growth, and transformation (Iraq War Clinician Guide). Military demands and participation also traumatize veterans in the most damaging ways that affect their mental health and overall quality of life (Iraq War Clinician Guide). Furthermore, individuals exposed to combat veterans' trauma, such as family members and loved ones, may develop traumatic reactions, which post profound challenges related to traumatic events of the direct victim (Berger, 2015).

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition that is fairly common with individuals that have experienced trauma, especially war veterans. One in five war veterans that have done service in the Iraq or Afghanistan war are diagnosed with PTSD. My group decided to focus on PTSD in war veterans because it is still a controversial part of stressful circumstances that needs further discussion. The lifetime prevalence of PTSD amongst war veterans, which is 13.8%, has a higher percentage of the prevalence of PTSD in adult Americans, which is 7.8% (Tanielian & Jaycox, 2008). Veterans who return from combat are characterized as passively aggressive, physically abusive, and mostly unemployed or divorced (Prigerson, Maciejewskie, & Rosenheck, 2001). In addition to the general information regarding veterans and PTSD, there were also stressful situations that they encounter daily.

When Post Traumatic Stress Disorder first hits, veterans deal with numerous side effects, such as anger, anxiety, fatigue or depression. PTSD has always been an extremely complex topic to comprehend. The injuries faced by these victims do not reflect those of someone who had been shot or, hit by a blast, but it is something that nobody can see. It is what the Lone Survivor foundation calls an “Invisible Injury” (Education:LSF). Although it can look as if one with PTSD is normal, their minds are not. Although some may think PTSD is not a large-scale problem for veterans, “Researchers estimate that between 7% and 20% of veterans of the recent wars have suffered PTSD at some point” (Zarembo). Even though 7% or 20% is only a fraction of the overall

The human brain/psyche is (a phenomenon that we as humans barely understand) one the of the most fascinating and puzzling parts of the body. It controls every action, from the most basic to the very advanced. As people grow, so do their minds, shaped by their surroundings and the various events they experience. One of these very influential events is war: a rampant atrocity that puts people in situations requiring morally questioning decisions. War is a contributing factor to the growing rate of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is defined as “an anxiety disorder that is triggered by an event such as violence, a car accident, a natural disaster, and more”(Goldberg). Many soldiers experience this disease as they return from the war