War Affected Children And Mental Health Issues

We have all seen or read about the political and social upheavals caused by war. Some may have even experienced it first-hand. Throughout history war has had negative psychological implications on those effected. However, there is no greater negative impact of war than the psychological and emotional turmoil that it causes individual soldiers.

The non-fiction article, “Children of War” by Arthur Brice is about four children who were forced to flee war and relocate to the U.S. First off, children in warzones are not a big part of what caused the wars, but are still heavily, negatively affected. For many, life was great and jolly for children before times of war, but when war came about it changed their lives, they lived in fear and terror. They lost family, money, and most devastating, their homes. So they were forced to flee, to many countries around the world, but ultimately they came to the United States. At first life was tricky in the U.S, they struggled with language, culture, and homesickness. Although these teens are living in the U.S today, they hope to go back to their

Furthermore, the lack of proper rehabilitation or care programs post-war will also reflect the state of the nations. After the catastrophes of war have subsided, the affected areas are left in not only physical ruin, but also mental and emotional ruin. Child soldiers, who have been separated from their families, are stuck between not knowing if their other family members were

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

Military service members who are and have been deployed to the middle east show high levels of emotional distress and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Both active duty and reserve component soldiers who have experienced combat have been exposed to high levels of traumatic stress. As a consequence, many have gone on to develop a wide range of mental health problems such as PTSD. “According to researchers, PTSD is a long-term reaction to war-zone exposure that can last up to a few minutes, hours, several weeks, and for some a lifetime.” Common symptoms include: emotional numbing, anxiety, feelings of guilt, and depression. If the disorder turns chronic veterans may experience functional impairment (Friedman, M. J. et al., 1994, p.

War is hard on anyone involved; however, it is especially hard on the children who are forced to live with it or in close proximity to it. Children typically lack the worldview to process the level of violence that occurs during war. The Nigerian children who were rescued from the refugee camp lived in extremely poor conditions and before arriving there were subjected to serious events that may change them forever. They are likely suffering from some severe psychological effects of war-time violence that need to be addressed in order to break the cycle of violence they may be in, but also to ensure their mental health both now and in the future. There are several aspects of psychological recovery that need to be

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.

The effects of war are very vast and it is a wide variety of occurrences to cover. War can break a man down physically or mentally whenever it pleases to do so. “In war there are no unwounded soldiers” Jose Narosky. In the book All Quiet on the Western Front war affects men on the frontlines in many ways, and leaves scars on their lives forever. Also, in the book Night, Jews are affected by war in concentration camps in World War two and they endure a different kind of war. These texts both deal with the effects of war and what it can do to a population. Both of them have Comradeship with the people in both books having to work together to stay alive.

War is replete with death and dismemberment; but victimization is when the horrors of war are inflicted upon the innocent. The victims of war feel a sense of terror when the harsh realities completely alter their way of life. The people that are indiscriminately thrust into war due to unjust circumstances are considered victims. In the article, "Children - the ultimate victims of war" Graca Machel states that, "War violates every right of a child - the right to life, the right to be with family and community, the right to health, the right to the development of the personality and the right to be nurtured and protected" (Machel 1). In the setting of war, children are frequently the ones that are abused the most. Both war memoir’s The Bite

Furthermore, child abuse has been linked to a variety of changes in the structure and certain functions of the brain, as well as, the stress–responsive systems (Anda et al., 2006). Zaidi and Foy (1994) state, “One pre-military factor with potential important ramifications for development of combat related PTSD is child abuse.” In research by Cabrera, Hoge, Bliese, Castro, and Messer (2007), “Childhood adversity [among veterans] was measured using a modified scale testing for exposure to six adverse experience: (1) exposure to mentally ill person in the home, (2) exposure to an alcoholic adult in the home, (3) sexual abuse, (4) physical abuse, (5) psychological abuse, and (6) violence directed against the respondent’s mother.” Servicemen and women who reported two or more traumatic childhood experiences were at increased risk of meeting the criteria for depression and PTSD (Cabrera at al., 2007). The prevalence of childhood abuse places people at a higher risk of mental illness (e.g. depression and post-traumatic stress disorder), participating in harmful/high risk activities, and having difficulties in relationships (Gahm, Lucenko, Retzlaff, & Fukuda, 2007). Which is clearly demonstrated among our veteran population. The veteran divorce rate in 2011 was 3.7% compared to the civilian divorce rate of 3.2% (Forsling, 2016). Additionally, veterans are the largest population to commit suicide, which is roughly 22 veterans a day take their own life. Thus, each of these prevalence of child abuse are highly correlated to one another, and increases the likelihood of health

The lasting trauma of being child soldiers creates atrocious PTSD. Child PTSD is an ongoing issue that needs to be addressed because people are experiencing traumatic flashbacks that are triggered by memories which bring them back

Children were significantly affected by World War II. A child made ”One out of every ten deaths...” accounted for during the war. Many were taken out of their homes, schools, and even their country for their own protection from the massacre.Others were left to fend for themselves, as they were abandoned by their families.

Research has shown that most of the U.S. Veterans returning from combat zones do not have Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However anywhere from 20-30% of veterans returning from combat zones has or has had PTSD and/or depressive disorders at some point in their lives (Currier, Holland, & Mallott, 2014, pg. 229). Throughout this paper, ways to combat PTSD and other forms of mental illness will be discussed. Also, ways to combat PTSD and other forms of mental illness will be discussed. Stigma will also be discussed due to many service men and women not wanting to search for help due to being told to be strong and to not complain. Something must be done to prevent and treat mental illness due to large numbers of our service men and

Ishmael Beah continues to reach out and help change the course for over hundreds of children that are confined in wars. He is a member of the Human Rights Watch Children’s Rights Division Advisory Committee, head of the Ishmael Beah Foundation and also co-founded the Network of Young People Affected by War (NYPAW) in 2008. In this committee, Beah has a goal to raise recognition to the children that are in conflict zones and is a campaigner for an end to hostilities. For the children who are struggling to recover from war, he wants to provide them with role models, like himself.

Ever since the beginning of time, war has existed. War might have been different thousands of years ago, but at the end of the day they engaged in wars to fight and win. As I just mentioned, war is ever evolving, and one of the main thing that has evolved the most are weapons. In this paper, I will explain how war affects individual’s mental health. I will be utilizing the two articles, one being From shell shock and war neurosis to post traumatic stress disorder: a history of psychtraumatology (Crocq and Crocq) and Caesar in Vietnam: Did Roman Soldiers Suffer from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (Melchior), both being about PTSD and how it affects individuals. I will also be referring to a documentary called, Thank You for Your Service: The