Psychological Disorder: A Psychological Analysis

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.

An American machine gunner, Charles Yale Harrison, says in his novel, Generals Die in Bed: “[War] take[s] everything from us: our lives, our blood, our hearts; even the few lousy hours of rest, they take those, too. Our job is to give, and theirs is to take,” (Harrison, 26). In this example, Harrison explains how war is the most selfish and strongest of all evils; war continues to take everything someone has until they have nothing left to take. The war also created long-term effects for soldiers; one being shell-shock. This term is used to describe the damage of constant loud shelling during war which greatly affected those who were not exposed to shelling frequently (Unnamed). Another term that is still used today is PTSD, (“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder”), which is used to describe the effect war had on the soldiers afterward (Unnamed). World War I brought major psychological disorders upon the soldiers during and after the war had ended leading to great damage for the rest of the victim’s

The tactics used in World War I were radically different than that of previous wars. The majority of the war was fought in the trenches, and the war itself seemed to have no end. Due to this, the psychological impact of the war was unlike anything that had been seen before. During the early days of the war, the soldiers, on both sides, seemed to lack the dedication that would have been necessary to exterminate their enemy. However, as the war progressed, the desire to avenge their fallen comrades overcame their ethics and they began to kill their enemy indiscriminately. Surviving soldiers experienced a phenomenon that was, at that time, referred to as shell shock. Today we refer to this phenomenon as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. At this time, this psychological condition was misunderstood and the doctors lacked the training necessary to effectively treat this condition.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can produce emotional responses caused by the trauma endured during combat operations. It does not have to emerge immediately, but can actually happen weeks, months, or even years after the traumatic event. PTSD was often referred to as “combat fatigue” or “shell shock” until 1980 when it was given the name post-traumatic stress disorder. According to

In regards to war, Gandhi once commented, “I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary, the evil it does is permanent.” In other words, violence masks its potential impairment by seeming innocuous at first; however, the true damage, often permanent, can be seen chronically. The idea reflected by Gandhi’s quote can be proven through an examination of World War I and Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front. Although soldiers and governments in both worlds initially saw honor and security of their countries as valid reasons for going to war, what ultimately came of that conflict were both immediate consequences, such as loss of innocence and development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (often referred to as PTSD) among young soldiers, as well as permanent, long-term consequences, like the hatred the war had spurred in Germans which ultimately ensued to Hitler’s rise to power.

The First World War was a war of many firsts. Not only was it the first true contemporary war, but it was also the first war that introduced new forms of industrial warfare, which resulted in many repercussions. One of these repercussions was the development of shell-shock or neurosis as a result of war in soldiers returning from the battle front. In “All Quiet on the Western Front” by Enrich Maria Remarque the psychological effect of industrial warfare on soldiers was depicted as a paradoxical combination of exhilaration on the battlefront as well as a deep state of numbness and melancholy.

War causes death, poverty, diseases, destruction, and many more devastating and unavoidable consequences. The government drafted men into military service, giving them no choice but to separate them from their daily lives, friends, and families. Soldiers fight in wars while putting their lives on the line and are only rewarded with physical or psychological injuries. Countries wage war against one another in order to resolve disputes and disagreements between them. Individuals, such as nurses, soldiers, and civilians undergo traumatic events when they are caught in the middle of a war. Although some may argue that war does not impact the self the most, based on the informational text, “War Escalates” by Paul Boye, the short story, “Where

​War takes a toll on those who fight, or are affected by it, this is undeniable. Over the course of the 20th Century, within the U.S. Military and Psychiatric Community the way that this effect is identified and treated has changed many times based on the conflict and the mindset of the American public. The purpose of this report is to discuss the history of the mental effect of the trauma created by US involvement in wars within the 20th Century and the steps that were taken in those eras to predict, prepare and treat for those effects.

For centuries the world has combated various physical injuries, saving lives but until the twentieth century little was known about the emotional effect on soldiers. PTSDs longest dated back case was the writings of a Greek soldier fighting in the battle of Marathon in 490 BC, reportedly went blind after the man standing next to him was killed The blinded soldier "was wounded in no part of his body." and so had just been the first man to experience PTSD. Dating back the first name diagnosis was nostalgic or homesickness followed by shell shocked, combat exhaustion, and stress response syndrome the medical field more advanced leading to figuring out that the reaction is from our body trying to deal with what was happening. As time went on the medical field was furthered and now have what is known as PTSD the mental sickness that Plagues are

The encounters they had overseas never leave. They always remember them. The mental illness known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is commonly associated with war, when you are in the military you see combat, been in life threatening situations, been shot at or seen a friend get shot, these types of events contribute to PTSD greatly. As indicated by Geiger (2006), "A late investigation of battle troops taking after come back from arrangement to Afghanistan or Iraq discovered post bellum rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) going from 12.2% to 12.9%." This measurement is stunning. Experts in the therapeutic fields are the ones who analyze this emotional illness, however the soldiers are the ones who live it. To think this is a "made-up" illness is bazar. Moreover, different studies have been performed to demonstrate this is a genuine sickness. As indicated by the (Mayo Clinic), "The reason for PTSD is obscure. Mental, hereditary, physical, and social variables are included." The Mayo Clinic contextual analyses have demonstrated that Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a disease that includes mental, hereditary, physical, and social

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in war veterans is most commonly created when soldiers are put into situation in which they fear for their life. Recent war have changed in the way in which they have been fought. In past wars like World War I and World War II they type of fighting was strategically planned out. There would be attacks and retreats back to safety allowing some time to recuperate. However, in today’s war like in Iraq and Afghanistan soldier are attacking and being assaulted on the daily basis where there is little if any time for recuperation. The daily stress and common occurrences of horrific events and casualties but tremendous stress on soldiers’ brains. This daily stress is not just left on the battlefield once the soldiers return home. The physical, mental and emotional strain that war has on humans leaves lasting impression on the brain and body. When PTSD results from this strain, veterans can experience a wide range of symptoms. According to the Journal of Occupational Medicine the most common general symptoms include re-experiencing phenomena, avoidance tactics, and increased arousal (Bisson). Re-experiencing phenomena refers to a patient’s recurrent psychological recollections to the events that transpired to cause his or her PTSD. For many patients once they find a stimulus that causes them to have a recollection many try to avoid such areas in attempt to block their memories of the events. Arousal is shown through numerous methods with the most common being inability to sleep, difficulty concentrating, or irritability. Each treatment that follows is focused on reducing a patient’s symptoms and the severity in which it affects their

In this reading from Soldier’s Heart to PTSD, Post-traumatic stress disorder was finally acknowledge as a diagnosis. It explain how the term for PTSD was changed throughout the years as it develop. W.H.R Rivers explain how warfare inhibit the “higher function of the nervous system and the mental activity” of people who were involved. The causes of PTSD was becoming more clear as the war became to an end. It had to deal with the emotional aspect of war and how these men weren’t able to deal with the combat stress. They had to put themselves back together in order to return to war. In the model that the British and French development, the men who returned to combat were able to fully recover more quicker while the men who were sent home struggled

While PTSD was not yet defined it was clear that these symptoms were caused because of the disturbing things that had been seen. With no treatments available and a stigma that the effected persons were cowards or scared soldiers were often sent home with no supervision. During World War I physicians began calling it “shell shock” or “combat fatigue”, they believed that concussions caused by the impact of shells disrupting the brain caused the symptoms. Treatments included hospitalization and electric shock therapy. By World War II medical personnel noticed that soldiers that were engaged in longer more intense fighting had much higher levels or psychiatric disturbances and started using the term battle fatigue or combat exhaustion. Soldiers were being labeled as fearful and lacking in discipline and PTSD was still not fully recognized as a disorder, at this time treatment included barbiturates.

After losing everything in their life, their families and homes, a child’s mental state is prone to change to a more vulnerable state. According to an article by Irish Forum, after witnessing what these children have, their lives will never be the same. I know this because in the article the author states ¨After witnessing murder, torture and all manner of atrocity at a vulnerable age,these children often suffer from destructive and lasting mental health issues that ensure the detrimental effects of the conflict do not fade.¨ (Forum, Life After Death.) This piece of evidence explains how children who fight as soldiers at such a young age, they do not know whether what they are doing is right or wrong. There minds are so scarred and brainwashed, that they can not even make decisions anymore. They have became so used to war and violence that they don’t know anything

A psychological disorder, also known as a mental disorder, is a pattern of behavioral or psychological symptoms that impact multiple life areas and create distress for the person experiencing these symptoms. These symptoms are characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an individual 's cognitive, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental process underlying mental functioning. Mental disorders are usually associated with significant distress in social, occupational, or other important activities. Approximately 26 percent of American adults over the age of 18 suffer from some diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. (Cherry)