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Research on Combat Related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

In: Philosophy and Psychology

Submitted By tymeeks
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Pages 5
Ty Meeks

Psych 32

April 15, 2012

Research on Combat Related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

The first reported case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder dates back nearly 3000 years. In 1000BC an Egyptian combat veteran named Hori wrote, “You determine to go forward. Shuddering seizes you, the hair on your head stands on end, your soul lies in your hand” (Dyer). Since the beginning of wars men have been terrified of dyeing, and subjected to horrific scenes of devastation. This constant mental and physical stress can lead to numerous lasting complications in combat veterans.

In 1678 Swiss military physicians finally identified the unusual behaviors among their combat veterans and gave it the medical name “Nostalgia” (Bentley). Since that time many militaries around the world have been studying the effects of war on their troops. It was not till the Civil war that the US first took an active approach to handling those afflicted with the disorder. In his article Bentley wrote, “During the Civil War the psychological symptoms from war became so common, field commanders as well as medical doctors pleaded with the War Department to provide some type of screening to eliminate recruit susceptible to psychiatric breakdown.” The first military hospitals were finally opened in 1863 to deal with the large numbers of mental breaks caused by the war. The US finally gave this condition a name after WWI. They believed that the impact of the shells being used caused a concussion that disrupted the physiological of the brain, and therefore called the disorder, “shell shock” (Bentley). Freud also studied this phenomenon and came up with the theory of “War Neurosis.” This stated that the neurosis was brought on by the inner conflict between a soldier’s “war ego” and his “peace ego” (Freud). Since WWI this disorder has changed names a few

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