...combat roles in the military psychologically? Kevin Carpenter BCOM/275 July 16th, 2012 Sandra Payne ABSTRACT According to an article in the Huffington Post women handle combat stress as well as men (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/08/women-combat-stress_n_873381.html). It is the purpose of this paper to show that psychologically women do not handle combat stress as well as men. Through research I will show that women have a higher chance of suffering from Military Sexual Trauma (MST) and have increased risk of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The definition of MST used by the VA is given by U.S. Code (1720D of Title 38). It is “psychological trauma, which in the judgment of the VA mental health professional, resulted from a physical assault of a sexual nature, battery of a sexual nature, or sexual harassment which occurred while the Veteran was serving on active duty or active duty for training.” Sexual harassment is further defined as “repeated, unsolicited verbal or physical contact of a sexual nature which is threatening in character.” In more concrete terms, MST includes any sexual activity where you are involved against your will (http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/military-sexual-trauma-general.asp ). PTSD as covered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs can occur after a traumatic event. A traumatic event is something terrible and scary that you see, hear about, or that happens to you like combat exposure, child sexual or physical abuse...
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...sexually assaulted, discriminated against in high roles, and given poor primary and reproductive healthcare. There should be a change in the availability of opportunities for women in service, fair recognition of their hard work, and they should be given equal rights. Today women in the military face many unjust things one of the leading problems is sexual harassment. Military sexual trauma is the experience of sexual harassment or completed sexual assault during military service. This occurs in both male and females militants. Based on research from the National Virginia Military Sexual Trauma Surveillance Data, approximately one in five women veterans receiving universal screening at a Veterans Health Administration facility reported that they experienced military sexual trauma. In an overall survey they found that seventy percent of soldiers have suffered sexual trauma most of which are women. According to the Department of Defense annual report on sexual assault in the military, 3393 service members reported being sexually assaulted between 2010 and 2011 eighty eight per cent of these were female. (RTFA) Possible people responsible for committing such a vicious crime could be a military personnel,...
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...anxiety and uncertainly. This discussion will focus on women veterans who have served on the front lines and the affects of combat deployment. Examinations defining the trials and tribulations faced by the female military member will place attention on the psychological and psychosocial transactions that occur during military operations and the challenges women face. Expansion of this topic will include a dialogue that offers insight into the growing concerns shaping the outcomes of the female member’s deployment to include military sexual trauma, eating disorders, depression, substance abuse, adjustment disorders, sleep disturbances and spiritual and existential struggles. Although this topic will only provide a brief glimpse into the female veteran’s plight it opens up a forum for further discussions within this topic with the intentions of highlighting the effects of combat deployment on women veterans who served on the front lines. Women Veterans: The Effects of Combat Deployment The participation of women deployed to combat areas throughout the world is vital to the successful outcomes of any mission. Women in the military are well trained and possess specific military skills invaluable to combat maneuvers and infantry tactics. Many branches of the military capitalize on these attributes that either mirror the skills of their male counterparts or exceed them. The challenges faced by women soldiers and sailors in combat are not so comparable and are in some respects...
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...commonly falls in military psychology which comes under the subfields of psychology. Posttraumatic stress disorder occurs after you have been gone through a trauma. Trauma is a shock, it can be a horrible scary thing which you see or that happens to you. It can be Experience or witnessing of life-threatening events such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, paranormal visions, or physical or sexual assault in adult or childhood. These life changing situations may lead to this horrible psychiatric Disorder. The interesting fact here is most survivors of these traumas return to their normal lives with the time but some will carry the flashbacks, memories which cause side reactions and even their lives will be miserable with the time these are the people who develop PTSD. Some traumatic events that can trigger PTSD 1) Traumatic experiences following military combat 2) violent personal assaults such as sexual assault, physical attacks 3) torture 4) terrorist attacks 5) severe road accidents 6) being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness such as cancer 7) observing the serious injury or unnatural death of another person due to violent assault, accident, war, or disaster 8) unexpectedly witnessing a dead body or body parts 9) exposure to natural disasters such as earth quakes, Tsunamis After getting a general idea on PTSD, It is important to discuss in this topic Military and PTSD. when military soldiers encounter...
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...Survivors of sexual assault may experience severe feelings of anxiety, stress or fear, known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), as a direct result of the assault. Substance Abuse Victims of rape or sexual assault may turn to alcohol or other substances in an attempt to relieve their emotional suffering. Self-Harm / Self-Injury Deliberate self-harm, or self-injury, is when a person inflicts physical harm on himself or herself. Stockholm Syndrome Described as a victim’s emotional “bonding” with their abuser, Stockholm Syndrome develops subconsciously and on an involuntary basis. Depression There are many emotional and psychological reactions that victims of rape and sexual assault can experience. One of the most common of these is depression. Sexually Transmitted Infections Table of Sexually Transmitted Infections, their symptoms, treatment, and possible complications. Pregnancy If you were recently raped, you may have concerns about becoming pregnant from the attack. If the rape happened a long time ago, you may have concerns about a pregnancy that resulted from the attack. Flashbacks A flashback is when memories of past traumas feel as if they are taking place in the current moment. Borderline Personality Disorder Borderline Personality Disorder, known as BPD, is one of many possible long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse. Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Assault The long term effects on survivors of childhood sexual assault and/or...
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...Impact of sexual harassment Sexual harassment often has a serious and negative impact on women's physical and emotional health. Sexual harassment can be happening anywhere, for example in the workforce, in schools and universities, doctor's offices healing mental health clinics and etc. Sexual harassment is often found between boss and employee, between employees and it is also can be women sexually harassing men or the harasser and victim can be the same sex. Sexual harassment has psychological and emotional effects on the sufferer. * Anxiety, frustration, depression, sleeplessness and/or nightmares, difficulty concentrating, headaches, fatigue, shame and or guilt, feeling powerless, helpless or out of control, feeling angry towards the harasser, loss of confidence and self-esteem, withdrawal and isolation, suicidal thoughts or attempts * Retaliation from the harasser, or colleagues/friends of the harasser, should the victim complain or file a grievance (retaliation can involve revenge along with more sexual harassment, and can involve stalking the complainant) * Having to drop courses, or change academic plans; it may impact grade performance * Increased absenteeism to avoid harassment, or because of illness from the stress * Having one’s personal life held up for public scrutiny – the victim becomes the “accused,” and their dress, lifestyle, and private life will often come under attack. (Note: this rarely occurs for the perpetrator.) * Being...
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...history of trauma in the armed forces. Historically, symptoms of traumatic stress have been recorded in both military and civilian populations (Lasiuk & Hegadoren, 2006). Early accounts described the effect of battle conditions on soldiers; "soldier's heart" and "nostalgia" were the terms for traumatic stress reactions used during the American Civil War. As warfare techniques and strategies changed, so did the depiction of soldiers' traumatic stress reactions. The advent of heavy explosives in World War I led to the attribution of symptoms to "shell shock," giving a more physiological description of the effects from explosions (Benedek & Ursano, 2009). Even with a more physical explanation of traumatic stress (i.e., shell shock), a prevailing attitude remained that the traumatic stress response was due to a character flaw. For instance, a soldier's pain at that time was often seen as a symptom of homesickness. In spite of the efforts of Charcot, Janet, and Freud, who described the psychogenic origin of symptoms as a response to psychological trauma (Lasiuk & Hegadoren, 2006), World War II military recruits were screened in attempt to identify those "who were afflicted with moral weakness," which would prevent them from entering military service. Sharease was discharged from the army after being seen as unstable. Sharease is a victim of military sexual trauma (MST), which is defined by Title 38 U.S Code 1720D as "psychological trauma resulting from a physical assault of a sexual nature...
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...Women and P.T.S.D 1 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Women Women and Their Risk for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder 8 Oct 2012 PSY 121 Dr. Hornstein Women and P.T.S.D 2 Abstract This paper will explain the causes, symptoms, and treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as it relates to women. A multitude of studies were done showing the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in men but recent studies show the severity of the psychiatric disorder on women. Researchers have found that non-combat veteran females had higher levels of PACAP (pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide) than patients without the psychiatric disorder and none in men.(2) Women and P.T.S.D. 3 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (P.T.S.D.) is a serious condition that can develop after a person experiences or witnesses a traumatic or terrifying event in which serious physical harm occurred or was threatened. P.T.S.D. is a real diagnosable disorder, (3) although many health insurance companies refuse to acknowledge it by paying for it. P.T.S.D. is a lasting consequence of traumatic ordeals that cause intense fear, helplessness, or horror. People with P.T.S.D. may suffer flashbacks to the traumatic event, become aggressive, or numb, or withdrawn, have nightmares, and become emotionally numb or even violent. Most people who experience a traumatic event will have reaction that may include shock, anger, nervousness, fear, and even guilt. These reactions...
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...Military and Veterans Issues Over the past decade, reports and complaints from military schools, training exercises and home bases, has been filed for unfair treatment to veterans, military service members and civilians workers on sexual assault. Response to sexual allegation, it has been a slow process that needs to address accordingly. Constant delaying of responses to victim complaints, will leaves a since of distrust within the chain of command and the opportunity to bring the accused to justice. The U.S. military, for years, set policies in place to govern sexual assault, “zero – tolerance”, yet the abuse still goes undetected or unreported. There are helpful aids and support to reduce or elevate the rate of sexual assault victims to...
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...after being exposed to a terrifying event. PTSD is called post-traumatic stress disorder. This anxiety disorder can occur at any point in your life even your childhood. Most people who are enlisted in the military usually suffer from this disorder after being deployed to another country. The symptoms vary from person to person. The symptoms could include flashbacks, emotional feeling and avoidance of the traumatic event. PTSD cause is unknown as of now but it is a psychological, genetic, physical, and social factors that are involved. There are risk factors that may help a person to get PTSD. There are different treatments for PSTD. The treatments that are used for PTSD are using different strategies, medications and or psychotherapy. Medication could cause different side effects such as headaches or sexual problems. Group therapy is the most effective because people can relate to what you are going through. Post-traumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder that occurs after being exposed to a terrifying event or when severe harm or after being threatened. Post-traumatic stress disorder is also known PTSD. Events that may trigger this disorder may come from violent personal assaults, natural or unnatural disasters, accidents, or military combat. Most that's in the military that serve time in another country, usually, suffer from this disorder. Psychology today states that it is 7.7 million adults that are affected by this disorder. This disorder can occur at any age even...
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...Traumatic Stress Disorder Psychological "trauma" is defined by the American Psychiatric Association as an experience beyond "the range of usual human experience," that "would be markedly distressing to almost anyone, and is usually experienced with intense fear, terror and helplessness" (DSM-IIIR, p. 247). Examples include a serious threat to one's life (or that of one's children, spouse, etc.), rape, military combat, natural or accidental disasters, and torture. Sexual activity with an adult is a traumatic experience for a child.Like adults who experience trauma, children and adolescents who have been abused cope by using a variety of psychological mechanisms. One of the most effective ways people cope with overwhelming trauma is called "dissociation." Dissociation is a complex mental process during which there is a change in a person's consciousness which disturbs the normally connected functions of identity, memory, thoughts, feelings and experiences (daydreaming during a boring lecture is a good example).How does trauma affect memory?People may use their natural ability to dissociate to avoid conscious awareness of a traumatic experience while the trauma is occurring. For some people, conscious thoughts and feelings, or "memories," about the overwhelming traumatic circumstance may emerge at a later date. This delayed retrieval of traumatic memories has been written about for nearly 100 years in clinical literature on military veterans who have survived combat.In fact, in...
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...Posttraumatic stress disorder is a mental disorder that can develop after a person is exposed to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, or other threats on a person's life. Symptoms may include disturbing thoughts, feelings, or dreams related to the events, mental or physical distress to trauma-related cues, attempts to avoid trauma-related cues, alterations in how a person thinks and feels, and increased arousal. In the United States about 3.5% of adults have PTSD in a given year and 9% of people develop it at some point in their life. Symptoms of trauma-related mental disorders have been documented since at least the time of the ancient Greeks. During the World Wars study increased and it was known under various terms including "shell shock" and "combat neurosis". The term "posttraumatic stress disorder" came into use in the 1970s in large part due to the diagnoses of US military veterans of the Vietnam War. It was officially recognized by the American Psychiatric Association in 1980 in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Classification...
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...Male Sexual Disorders Summer L. Meeks Florida Memorial University Abstract There are times in a couple’s life when things do not go so well in the bedroom. One or both of the partners are unable to perform in sexual encounters. These problems are called sexual dysfunctions. Sexual dysfunctions are defined as persistent or recurrent difficulties in becoming sexually aroused or reaching orgasm. There are many different types of sexual dysfunctions. They are classified into four categories: sexual desire disorders, sexual arousal disorders, orgasmic disorders, and sexual pain disorders. The disorder I would like to touch on that affects both men and women sexual desire disorders. Female and Male Sexual Disorders The orgasmic disorder is split into two categories. The first category is the female orgasmic disorder. This disorder causes women a challenge to achieve orgasm if they can achieve it, but this does not always count for masturbation. Women with this disorder usually do not receive enough clitoral stimulation during sexual intercourse to be able to achieve orgasm. Performance anxiety or sexual guilt may provoke an outburst. Also, trying too hard causes the opposite. Another main problem women encounter is not participating to the fullest. They rather watch than engage when it comes to active sexual intercourse. Women can also experience premature ejaculation, but most of the times this is not even recognized or classified as orgasmic disorder. Types of sexual dysfunctions...
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...ARTICLE WRITE UP Source Broadbent, Lucy. "Rape in the US Military: America's Dirty Little Secret." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 09 Dec. 2011. Web. 22 Mar. 2012. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/dec/09/rape-us-military> Brief Summary In this article, it related to America's dirty little secret. The truth is that rape within the US military has become so prevalent and it continues to take place. Whether or not case goes to trial, people need to expose the secret of American’s military. Basing on the report of some organization, rape conviction only applies for 104 defendants. These figures are only a fraction of the reality. The reason why victim do not have enough to dare to report incident is that if they tell these stories to higher echelon, they will receive the punishment. Besides, it is so well known that sex offenders have never been penalized. Fearfully, military rape not only takes place for women but also happens for men. As the result, some people choose committing suicide for leaving their nightmare every night. Furthermore, other common consequences of MST (military sexual trauma) are drug abuse, feeling isolation, sleeping problems and the awfulness thing is that they can contract HIV/AIDS. My Opinion Despite reading many articles, this article makes me feel most impressive. Firstly, I think it is not fair for rape victims because they suffered not only from their physical health but also from their mental health. Sex...
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...develops after exposure to a terrifying event in which a deadly physical harm occurred (Pastorino & Doyle- Portillo, 2010, P. 585). History of PTSD After many years of dealing with the various symptoms of Post – Traumatic Stress Disorder clinicians and psychologist have worked together to develop treatments that help reduced the symptoms of PTSD. These symptoms include depression, anxiety, re-current nightmares, and hopelessness. Though it took years for medical doctors to recognized PTSD, surviving veterans have been rewarded with intensify treatment that is master towards their individual needs. Many of the veterans who displayed PTSD from flashbacks had exhibit depression where first given psychological therapy to help them face the trauma that they had experienced during combat. Many...
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