...Nicole Perrone Marian Gagnon 9 February 2015 English Composition A great deal of service members have been to war in the past decade. Over half of these soldiers have been deployed more than once. Deployment does not only effect the soldier, but also his family, friends, and doctors. War affects everybody and it changes some people’s outlooks on life in general. There are many different situations that soldiers and their families must face upon returning from war. Psychological and physical difficulties due to the intensity and horrors of warfare have been recorded in history since the Trojan war and in all American wars. Even though the physical damage may heal, the mental stresses do not lessen over time. Psychological disorders from deployment ranges from insomnia to poor dieting. Mental illness has become so common in returning soldiers that there is officially a name for it which is, “post Deployment Syndrome,” and affects many different people who are around the returning soldier. Like war, PDS symptoms affect everyone around them. There is no specific way to test and see if someone has a mental disorder, so they are tested through direct interviews. Almost half of a million U.S. troops have been affected by PDS and can have any of the following symptoms: polytrauma, combat stress, blast injury, hypersensitivity, PTSD, post concussive syndrome. No matter how mentally strong each soldier is, PDS is very hard to avoid. Soldiers have to deal with the aftermath of killing...
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...Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder of World War I The soldiers that fought during World War I faced many difficulties during the war. These difficulties included day to day combat, little or no food for days at a time, health issues that arose from the poor conditions, and having to deal with the mental strain of the war. Your average person either knows or has heard of these difficulties, but the average person probably doesn’t know about the problems these soldiers face upon their return home. The main problem for returning soldiers is what we now call post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. According to the American Psychiatric Association, post-traumatic stress disorder refers to an anxiety disorder that some people get after witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event. To give further detail of the disorder the APA also classifies an anxiety disorder as a mental illness in which the sufferer feels an exceptional level of fear and apprehension. The APA also states that any event that causes a person to experience intense fear, horror, or helplessness can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder. In order to be officially diagnosed a person must meet the criteria of having the required number of reexperiencing, hyperarousal, and avoidance/numbing symptoms. To be officially diagnosed the person must experience one of the five reexperiencing symptoms, two of the five hyperarousal symptoms, and three of the seven avoidance/numbing symptoms. The five reexperiencing symptoms...
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...battle can produce chemicals that have a massive effect on the body and mental state of being. Further factors include outside aggressors such as foreign chemicals and one’s own self. (PTSD) or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can only be developed if one has been exposed to a very traumatic event evolving an actual threat or serious injury, or a threat to a physical integrity of oneself or others. Most importantly a clinical experience with PTSD diagnosis has shown that most people who have been exposed to a horrific event do not necessarily acquire PTSD although that is the main cause of it; there was a vast amount of individual differences regarding the capacity or threshold to take a traumatic event. Very many illnesses have an effect on American literature, and this is because of how Agent Orange, Gulf War Syndrome, and PTSD came about. They affect literature by the way the media novels and authors portray them. Different people react to events differently; no one person is the same as one another. Like pain the traumatic experience is filtered through a cognitive and emotional process called appraisal. PTSD can take a very psychological and emotional toll on ones personal life, such as resentment and possibly force one to act out in odd ways. There are three different categories: pre-traumatic, traumatic and post traumatic factors. Pre traumatic could be anything from familiar psychiatric illness, parental poverty, childhood trauma, neuroticism, introversion, divorced...
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...Life of a Vietnam War Veteran “Sorry kids, Mr. Watson will not be able to come in this year and talk to you all about his experience of the Vietnam War. It’s too difficult for him, to express the pain he went through during the war and after”. As Mrs. Harvey explain to all of us y Mr. Watson is unable to make it this year I sat there wondering why. What made it so difficult not only for him but for all Vietnam veterans to share their experiences with other people. And I am writing this paper to find what why it is hard for these veterans to share and also what kind of conditions do they go through when coming back home. I am not completely unaware about Vietnam War veterans. I know a few things about life of a Vietnam veteran. For example, I know that they are usually suffering from some type of mental health issue. Also many of them are afraid having cancer due to Agent Orange. I am aware that they don’t like to share stories of the war to society or even close ones. Most importantly, I recognize that these men are going through many problems due to that war. Janda 2 Although I did have a general knowledge of Vietnam War Veterans, I wanted to further enhance my knowledge of the topic. The greatest way I felt to got more edcucated abouit this subject was to interview James Watson, Vietnam War Veteran. I have never really understood the motivation and necessary of their problems. I wanted to know how Vietnam War Veterans becomes so changed due to the war. The conditions...
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...Stigma of Mental Illness Mental illness seems more prevalent today than it did in the days of our grandparents and great grandparents. Arguments range many opinions of why this is the case. One argument is that more mental illnesses are recognized today compared to the past. For example, during WWII “Shell Shock” was used to describe the abnormal mental condition affecting all soldiers who experienced traumatic events during war. Psychiatrist didn’t discover Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), until the Vietnam War (Joseph, 2011). Advancements and discovery’s in the field of Psychology today have led to the diagnosis of many mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder, depression, and others. This led to many questions. Are these conditions over diagnosed? Are these just labels for behaviors not acceptable by society? What stigmas are associated with those affected by these conditions? I think it’s a combination of all of the above. (NAMI, 2016)...
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...Post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD, is a mental illness that affects millions of Americans. PTSD is a disorder that develops when someone experiences a dangerous or scary even occurs. These events can be something like war, assault, or disaster. These leave metal scars in the person’s mind that can be triggered and can cause flashbacks, nightmares, and anxiety. One of the most common causes of PTSD is war. This is because when you are in the military you are exposed to horrible and life-threatening experiences. 15 out of every 100 Vietnam Veterans will experience PTSD and 12 out of every 100 Gulf War Veterans will experience PTSD. This means that around 1,700,000 Vietnam veterans have experienced “clinically serious stress...
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...America’s Homeless Veterans We see homeless people every day. We may choose to look at them or maybe we turn away and ignore their presence. We often label them as “Losers” or “Bums”. The one thing we can’t ignore is that we seem to see more and more of them each day and we now see women among their ranks. We rarely stop to think about the persons past, careers they may have had, families that love them, or don’t love them, and we never stop to consider that a lot of these people have served in our Armed Forces. The term, “Homeless Veteran” appalls most of us because we don’t want to think that the country they served, “The United States of America”, has turned its back on these individuals. Doesn’t that imply that “We” have turned our backs on them as well? If the Government is in charge of the care of our Veterans, and we as citizens vote for the people responsible for making decisions on our behalf, isn’t this a direct reflection of us as a society? We tend to vote in favor of the politician who cuts the funding of social programs in the name of saving tax dollars without considering the consequences. There are always consequences. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD, estimates the number of Homeless Veterans at roughly 50,000 on any given night while other sources place that number at roughly 130,000. I have found that all statistics given by any U.S. Government source are always extremely low, perhaps to influence public perception. The...
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...35, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan as an infantryman and now lives in Portland, Ore. His friend and fellow soldier killed himself shortly after returning home. An epidemic is raging among us and some of us have no idea the problem sits next to the very flag of freedom we encounter throughout our day. Suicide is one of the many causes of death for American military forces. A research project in 2012 reported in Times Magazine regarding active duty members of the military, shows a surprising 349 veterans took their own lives; more than the death from combat operations that year. The Veteran Affairs Department estimates that 22 vets die by their own hand every day. For a veteran, the sound of a firework can spark a flashback of war; while shopping at the aisles of the super market, a veteran may suddenly feel the need to seek cover as it reminds him of being ambushed in Iraq or Afghanistan. The reality is that our patriots are leaving one battle and returning home to another. Some veterans feel ostracized, others are homelessness, have become drug addict,, and are unemployed. These problems relate to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a mental problem that involving traumatic incidents in their lives on the battlefield that trigger flashbacks, lashing out, and suicidal thoughts. These emotions are really critical because it makes them question what you are going to do going forward to avoid these issues. All suicides are tragic, but veteran suicides are extremely complex...
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...that exposure to combat situations can negatively impact the mental health of those involved in these situations. In fact, the diagnosis of PTSD historically originates from observations of the effect of combat on soldiers. Since the 1800’s grouping of symptoms that we now refer to as PTSD has been described in the past as "combat fatigue," "shell shock," or "war neurosis." Combat veterans often return from deployment having experienced a wide range of exposures, symptoms and medical conditions. The Department of Veterans Affairs established war related illness and injury study centers to serve combat veterans with unexplained illnesses. History Although many coexisting disorders have been reported with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), little reference has been made to the presence of psychotic symptoms. Post-traumatic stress disorder is commonly described among victims of severe trauma outside of normal human experience, in this case the combat veterans returning from deployment. Traumatic events can lead to reevaluation of life and its meaning; a reconsideration of what is truly important which often changes one’s set of priorities. Trauma often causes abrupt cessation of continuity in coherence in sense of one’s self (Barlow, 2002). In the early 1800’s military doctors began diagnosing soldiers with "exhaustion" following the stress of battle. This "exhaustion" was characterized by mental shutdown due to individual or group trauma. Like today, soldiers...
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...POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER IN WAR VETERANS SC-PNG-0000009299 Alwin Aanand Thomson American Degree Program SEGi College Penang 1.0 INTRODUCTION Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity, overwhelming the individual's ability to cope. As an effect of psychological trauma, PTSD is less frequent and more enduring than the more commonly seen acute stress response. Diagnostic symptoms for PTSD include re-experiencing the original trauma(s) through flashbacks or nightmares, avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma, and increased arousal—such as difficulty falling or staying asleep, anger, and hyper vigilance. Formal diagnostic criteria in DSM-IV-TR require that the symptoms last more than one month and cause significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning (American Psychological Association). 2.0 DIAGNOSIS Criteria The diagnostic criteria for PTSD, stipulated in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (Text Revision) (DSM-IV-TR), may be summarized as: A: Exposure to a traumatic event This must have involved both (a)...
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...Annotated Bibliography Topic: War Related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Sub Topics: Chronic PTSD in Vietnam Veterans PTSD in Iraq War Veterans SOURCE 1: What is PTSD? Retrieved on 13 Nov. 2011 http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/what-is-ptsd.asp UNDERSTANDING PTSD Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can occur after you have been through a traumatic event. A traumatic event is something horrible and scary that you see or that happens to you. During this type of event, you think that your life or others' lives are in danger. You may feel afraid or feel that you have no control over what is happening. Anyone who has gone through a life-threatening event can develop PTSD. These events can include: * Combat or military exposure * Child sexual or physical abuse * Terrorist attacks * Sexual or physical assault * Serious accidents, such as a car wreck. * Natural disasters, such as a fire, tornado, hurricane, flood, or earthquake. After the event, you may feel scared, confused, or angry. If these feelings don't go away or they get worse, you may have PTSD. These symptoms may disrupt your life, making it hard to continue with your daily activities. How does PTSD develop? All people with PTSD have lived through a traumatic event that caused them to fear for their lives, see horrible things, and feel helpless. Strong emotions caused by the event create changes in the brain that may result in PTSD...
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...The problem lies in the government and those responsible for the care of PTSD victims, specifically soldiers, because the funding and care needed simply isn’t there. PTSD is a fairly recent mental disease. Diagnosed and accepted officially in 1980s, it’s known that PTSD has been around for centuries. PTSD is an emotional illness that develops when a person is exposed to a highly dangerous, very terrifying, possibly life-threatening event. Obviously this disease tends to affect soldiers much more than the general population. Before recognized as a disease PTSD was looked down upon and soldiers were shunned for showing symptoms. This brought about a negative stereotype to PTSD that is still seen today. As Americans, shouldn’t we know better than that? Seriously, are we shunning the defenders of our country that are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice everyday they wake up? The American people can do better than that, and we owe it to our soldiers to eliminate this public negative stereotype. It will not be acceptable to see a similar Post-Vietnam welcoming of our soldiers today. The weight and punishment that Vietnam veterans dealt with from the public was a disgrace to the millions of young men who sacrificed everything during that war. Veterans of Vietnam would come back from the war with severe cases of PTSD, only to be laughed at and turned away when trying to find help. This can’t happen with the soldiers of today’s America....
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...(Mother Teresa, 2001). Many people have difficulties in their lives that make them more susceptible to becoming homeless. When these complications become reinforced they can initiate a downward spiral that almost seems impossible to get out of. Approximately 3.5 million people are likely to experience homelessness in a given year (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2007). Not receiving the help needed in time can result in living on the streets. Some of these complications include mental illness, lack of affordable healthcare, drug addiction, domestic violence, decreasing work opportunities and housing, decline in public assistance, and poverty. It has become so common to see a homeless person sleeping on the sidewalk. 43% of the homeless population are women, 36% are families with children, and 7% are unaccompanied minors. 50% are African-American, 35% white, 12% Hispanic, 2% Native American, and 1% Asian. 66% of the homeless have problems with alcohol, drug abuse, or mental illness and veterans constitute 40% of the homeless population (GrabStats, 2008). Having insufficient money does not help to cover the expenses of a home, a family, and bills. The typical lower class citizen has to deal with all types of financial issues. These issues include debt, loans, bills, and payments. If one has low-income or is unemployed they are consequently at risk of living on the streets. Families can no longer be lifted above the poverty line with an income of minimum wage...
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...years, the United States Armed Forces has become increasingly alarmed at the growing problem of severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), resulting in the increased rate of suicides in their troops. While most agree that PTSD deserves attention, consensus dissolves around how to effectively respond to the problem. In 2008, the Us Army commissioned the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) on behalf of their soldiers; in an effort to better understand and maximize treatment for soldiers diagnosed with sever Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Vietnam veterans are particularly vulnerable to post-traumatic stress disorder. Thousands of the 600,000 Americans who served in that war still suffer feelings of alienation, sleeping problems, relieving of painful experiences, and difficulty concentrating. Most veterans do not suffer from the disorder; of those who do, many did not experience symptoms until months or even years after their return home. Those who suffer from the disorder seem more likely to have other stressful events in their lives, which in turn make the disorder seem worse. The wounds of war do not go away with time, or just by leaving them alone. They need to be addressed, and this is something that you cannot do alone. If you were wounded physically during combat, you would allow a medic to attend to the wound. This is no different. Your psychological wounds must be attended to as well. They can be managed with proper help and support. Post-traumatic stress...
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...nongeneralized. Five subtypes: animal type; natural environment type; blood-injection type; situation type; “other” type. Common fears: ontogenetic parade. These include: fear of separation; fear of unfamiliar adults; fear of animals, darkness, & imaginary creatures. Adult fears: social fears; fears related to blood, illness, injury, or death; fear of animals; fears of environmental hazards. Genetics: Mean heritability 40%. Environment or combination of both appears important. Theories of Fear: 1. Two-factor Theory (Mowrer) & Pavlov, Watson & Rayner. Includes classical & operant conditioning. 2. Rachman (1976) which includes direct conditioning, modeling, & information/instructional transmission. Prepared Fears (Seligman, 1970): 1. rapidly acquired 2. resistant to extinction 3. “noncognitive” 4. differentially associated with stimuli of evolutionary significance. Research on preparedness theory: Cook & Mineka (1987, 1990); McNally (1987); Bandura Behavioral & Cognitive Theories: 1. Neo-conditioning; 2. Neo-conditioning & emotional processing. Anxiety Sensitivity: Reiss – AS is one of 3 fundamental fears. The others include illness/injury sensitivity & fear of negative evaluation. Cognitive Model of social phobia: Clark & Wells (1995) Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia Issues with this disorder: controversy == 1. panic attacks and generalized anxiety are not qualitatively distinct forms of anxiety. 2. Agoraphobia is a major disability – why listed...
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