War On Veterans Analysis

Wounds acquired during war and combat go way further than one can naturally see. Dr. Stephen Hunt, a …., says, “Folks returning from combat have a constellation of health concerns, including physical issues, psychological issues and psychosocial issues concerning things like work and family..” (….) which explains that veterans face a multitude of health effects and not just a physical injury. Provided that PTSD, mental illness, has been discussed in recent time, however other mental illness that military personnel acquire aren’t so known. Many of the categories in which classify as not adressed are mental illness all ranging from emotional and mental stability, but some also deal with the pain and illness unique to their

There is a large amount of military families around the world. About Forty- three percent of active military members have children (Website). These children face so many challenges and struggles in their life while having a parent in the military. Children of Active duty military members exhibit anxiety, depression and stress just as much as the service members and spouses experience. For instance the children experience going through multiple deployments, long separations, frequent moves and awkward reunions when their parents return home from deployment. Even more so if the parent has been physically or mentally traumatized from overseas.

The family environment impacts the health of each member. Studies have found that there are poor health outcomes for children (including depression, poor development, higher rates of illness, lower academic performance, and cardiovascular and neuroendocrine disruption) were linked to a stressful environment (Ray). Secondary Traumatic Stress can occur among the individual(s) caring for the person who has been traumatized is affected by the traumatic experience (Stahl 37). The older children tend to be more affected by the veteran’s new behavior and worry about themselves, blame and feel responsible, and may often mourn the person the veteran once was (Ray). No treatment for the parents can lead to the possibility of the child experiencing psychopathology when compared to a normal population. Both parent and child are becoming emotionally numb and aren’t communicating so the relationship shatters. A stressful home means a stressful veteran who doesn’t to want participate in the world and will result in poor treatment outcomes. Just by misdiagnosing a veteran with the wrong condition can lead to a huge mess of problems. Therefore, it is clear to see that the VA should do some reform on their policies and medical diagnosis procedures to ensure that the veterans do end up on the wrong path to

Wives become burdened by taking on emotional strain, marital problems, financial strain, stress from children not understanding what is happening, and the stress of caring for her husband who she feels she doesn’t even know anymore. “PTSD is a family affair. When one family member suffers, everyone feels the ripples” (Stocker 2010: 66).

“This research showed that Vietnam Veterans have more marital problems and family violence. Their partners have more distress. Their children have more behavior problems than do those of Veterans without PTSD. Veterans with the most severe symptoms had families with the worst functioning.

The trauma that is attached to all of these sudden life changing injuries often lead back to substance abuse, alcohol abuse that is attached to a mental illness which takes a toll on a soldiers family as well. Ann Jones writes in her book, They were Soldiers: How Americas wounded come home the untold story, "Sooner or later almost every American soldier comes home on a stretcher, in a box, in an altered state of mind." As the wars in foreign countries ends, the war continues on in within our soldiers.

Post-traumatic stress disorder has always been an important issue to me. PTSD became an interest of mine when I saw the effects that it has on my husband and other Veterans suffering from the same issue. I wanted to pursue this research topic to further education myself, and inform others. PTSD not only effects the Veterans mentally, but it also has an effect on their family members as well, living with someone who is easily startled, has nightmares, or avoids social situations can take a toll on everybody. In this particular topic, I will focus on inquiring information about combat Veterans, families of combat Veterans, and others interested in learning or gaining more information about post-traumatic stress disorder. I will inform my audience about this topic through various reports from past century wars and convince my audience on how post- traumatic stress disorder effects combat Veterans later in life. I am conducting this project with combat Veterans, and their families in mind as my audience. Family members of a combat Veteran may not know the signs and symptoms of PTSD.

The direct psychological impact of war can be seen especially in veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Around 20 percent of veterans come home with Post traumatic stress disorder, depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and substance abuse disorder which is usually co morbid with the illness. Many veterans, while they are in the

Pincus et al. (2001) defined the deployment cycle as having the following 5 stages: pre-deployment, deployment, sustainment, redeployment, and lastly post-deployment. Morse (2006) expanded this cycle, emphasizing pre-deployment and post-deployment, to include the following 7 stages: Anticipation of Departure, Detachment and Withdrawal, Emotional Disorganization, Recovery and Stabilization, Anticipation of Return, Return Adjustment and Renegotiation, and lastly Reintegration and Stabilization. Both Pincus et al. (2001) and Morse (2006) found military wives having high anxiety during the post-deployment stage, while trying to comprehend how their husbands fit back into their lives. Vincenzes, Haddock, and Hickman (2014) found a positive relationship between duration of deployment and the wife’s psychological distress significantly increasing during the post-deployment period. Both military members as well as their family members experience an array of mental health problems due to deployment, such as stress and depression (Mansfield, 2010). A potential for regulating the relationship between psychological distress for military wives during the post-deployment period, may be with the variable of social support (Drummet et al., 2003; Vincenzes et al., 2014). Specifically, military wives at home may experience both positive and negative experiences concerning social support when separated from their husbands (Drummet et al., 2003; Skomorovsky, 2014; Vincenzes et al.,

These challenges could be the result of another finding in which the spouses of veterans diagnosed with PTSD reported seeing their significant other as a different person post-deployment compared to pre-deployment (Yambo, Johnson, Delaney, Hamilton, Miller, & York, 2016). An unshared experience, such as combat, can also lead to relationship disconnect. Those who struggle with PTSD have a significantly higher perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness than military personnel who have never been diagnosed with PTSD (Bryan, 2011). These emotions are consistent with Pease, Billera, and Gerard’s 2015 study, which found that many military personnel feel isolated, disconnected, misunderstood, and out of place upon returning to a family lifestyle and that marriage increases the difficulty in civilian life reintegration. In our opinion, a diagnosis of PTSD amplifies the challenges of relationship

PTSD affects the veterans mentally but had now been acknowledged until years of studies behind it. "Unfortunately, PTSD had a delayed stress reaction so most veterans did not experience their symptoms until a year after they were discharged." However, today it has been well aware of and has been studied so those affected by it can receive help needed. As mentioned before, PTSD is known to affect veterans a year later. "41 percent - more than 1 million - report having outbursts of anger, and 45 percent have relationship problems with their spouse or partner. Both are indicators of post-traumatic stress and could suggest that rates of affliction may be higher than the government has forecast." In conclusion PTSD does not only affect them but there loved ones too because they change emotionally with them

The main preventive areas are breaking down of the family, social withdrawal and isolation, employment difficulties, and substance use/abuse (Iraq War Clinician Guide, 2004).The prevention of family breakdown begin with soldiers returning home after war. The families and soldiers experiencing problems with deployment and helping the solider and family adjust is the initial part of helping the family. Preventing the family breakdown, teaching communication conflict resolution, anger management, and parenting skills, allows for a stronger support and decrease in symptoms(Iraq War Clinician Guide, 2004). The prevention of social withdraw and isolation is vital because PTSD greatly influences social functioning (Iraq War Clinician Guide, 2004). The initial anticipation of social withdraw and isolation is helping the soldier create new social relationships with a variety of other people, colleagues, family, relatives, friends (Iraq War Clinician Guide, 2004). Preventive measures allow for social isolation to be addressed early before it becomes a problem. Employment problems are a factor for prevention, preventing job turnover helps in many areas, self-esteem and creating relationships (Iraq War Clinician Guide, 2004). Anger, authority difficulties and irritability cause job turnover and steady employment attributes to reduction of social impairment and functioning and finical stress. The

Most veterans will find adjusting to civilian life after combat duty is really challenging. Sometimes, they might feel they are still on their duty in a war even when they are already at home. In order to help them to feel better and keep them in a positive mood, family members can play an essential role. Family members of those veterans should be patient, have more conversations with them and show more understanding and appreciation.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is becoming very common in today’s society and it’s something that many people will struggle with. PTSD is complicated by the fact that people with PTSD often may develop additional disorders such as depression, substance abuse, problems of memory and cognition, and other problems of physical and mental health. The most tenacious and difficult to treat forms of PTSD are sometimes those that have formed when a trauma victim was dissociative during his or her experience of the trauma. This effects lead to problems in families and make the whole ordeal worse, there is a great effect on families and this will be summarized in the following.

Warfare has over the years been inherently destructive in regard to sustainable development. Those who have self-interest bridge the majority of the set laws. States decline to respect international law providing protection for the environment in the times of conflict, as well as cooperating in further development. Some decide to side on the side that they feel that benefits them most or oppresses their enemy. The application of weapons, the destruction of structures, fires, military transport movements and chemical spraying are a few of the examples of the destroying impact war may have on the environment. This paper shall examine the action and environment of war, and the impact of combat and death on the soldier, and provide important insight as to why soldiers fight and the long term effect of war on veterans.