Effect on Veterans
Effect on Veterans
The effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can affect many individuals in several different ways, but for war veterans the lasting effects can be extremely debilitating. How this differs from anyone else is that the average soldier who is sent to a war zone is indoctrinated from an early period during their service that they are being bred to serve their country in any capacity necessary. Unfortunately this can mean that they are in effect being trained to die in the name of their country and/or beliefs. Many soldiers are even told that they might not or will not survive their term of service. The stress of impending demise can wreak havoc upon an individual’s psychological well-being.
PTSD does not affect all soldiers in the same manner, but it is a very prevalent condition among many veterans. The disorder was not fully recognized until 1980, when it was added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders used by the American Psychiatric Association (Figley, 1985). PTSD has been prevalent in war veterans since ancient times, but the diagnosis was not recognized until the 1980’s, often going by different names throughout history. The disorder has gone by other names that lent it a less credible diagnosis over the years, such as irritable heart or soldier’s heart, shell shock, and even battle fatigue (Hinton & Good, 2016).
There have been arguments over whether PTSD is psychological or neurological in
nature. When paired with a minor traumatic brain injury, or mTBI, it is often seen that PTSD can
increase in its intensity (Bryant & Harvey, 1999). The two conditions, mTBI and PTSD, are
seen to be separate issues, but can overlap. In this type of occurrence it is typically seen that
those who suffer both are increasingly anxious, nervous, and more prone to experience
debilitating effects based upon a trigger of some sort that forces them to revisit the moment of their trauma.
The symptoms of PTSD are much the same as they were when the effects were first noted, and can include agitation, hostility, self-destructive tendencies, and even social isolation. The psychological effects can occur as flashbacks, mistrust, fear, and severe anxiety. Those affected can suffer from insomnia and/or intense nightmares and also experience severe emotional detachment. Unwanted thoughts and irritability can also occur, as can hypervigilance and feelings of guilt and social isolation.
Those who suffer from PTSD that is a result of experiencing active combat are known at times to become increasingly violent or despondent at the slightest provocation. This comes from the very real fact that in battle there is no time to do anything other than act, and as a result their reflexes have become so finely attuned to action that there is no longer any conscious thought that precedes action. On the battlefield many soldiers are taught that over-thinking a problem leads to hesitation, and this can get them killed quicker than anything. For soldiers on the ground the effects of war and battle are thought to be worse as they must come face to face with the enemy and the horrors that are inflicted upon each side. In truth every last soldier that enters a combat zone is at risk to develop PTSD at some point in the future.
The determinants for PTSD include three key elements. Combat exposure, any and all
prewar vulnerability experienced by the individual, and any involvement in the harming of any
prisoners and/or civilians has a great deal to do with PTSD (Dohrenwend, 2013). Those who
have experienced each condition have a much greater risk of developing PTSD, while those who
have experienced one or two have a lower chance of developing the disorder. Each element has
its own risk when it comes to the mental well-being of the average soldier, and can contribute to
the unstable mentality that can then lead up to the development of the disorder.
The types of stressors listed tend to increase the risk of PTSD thanks to the average age of those who undergo such traumatic experiences. When subjected to childhood trauma it is more likely for an individual to be predisposed to PTSD, as they have already lived through one trauma and thus can be easily traumatized anew by continued experiences in which they are exposed to new levels of stress. Typically the military, any branch, will by necessity screen any recruit to ascertain how their psychological well-being. This is to avoid any issues that might arise from a tumultuous past and to insure that recruits will not suffer a psychological break under pressure. Unfortunately there are those who slowly build up under pressure and then break later on, which is a variable that cannot be fully anticipated.
In times of great need when troops were scarce the screening process would become far looser and thereby allow those who were less than stable to pass through testing. Unfortunately this created a problem when those who were not psychologically fit to enter into the armed forces. The problems this caused were too numerous to be listed, but as a result the screening process became much more important. The sheer number of casualties both on and off the battlefield was a detriment to the armed forces and their reputation.
Those who experience prewar vulnerability are those who typically come from a
particularly stressful upbringing. Such individuals vary in socioeconomic status and education
and can be found to just as varied in their psychological fitness as anyone. The fact remains that
those who have suffered childhood trauma are seen as being higher risk candidates for PTSD
than the average soldier. While the armed forces generally do not turn anyone away for a
troubled past that does not include incarceration or repeated offenses of one nature or another, it
is common enough to be considered unfit if psychological screenings reveal one more serious
character flaws.
Combat exposure and the harming of prisoners and/or civilians would seem to be an obvious cause of PTSD. On its own it is not the only defining characteristic of how the disorder is developed, but among the three crucial elements both exposure and causing harm tend to affect the psychological health of an individual in a greater manner. Combat exposure combined with an mTBI can cause the physical and psychological symptoms of PTSD as the neurological aspect being present can create another variable through which the disorder can be developed. Harming others, especially civilians, can also create symptoms of PTSD, though on its own this element would likely only be responsible for the psychological aspect.
PTSD has its warning signs, but they are typically subtle enough that they are difficult to notice unless one is paying attention. One method by which to gauge the disorder is the reaction of the affected individual in instances that are in any way similar to the experiences they faced during their time in a combat zone, even if the trigger is a harmless activity or scene. The disorder that such individuals suffer does not typically allow them to simply ignore the stimulation they feel to act. In this manner it can be noted that the affected individual is hyperreactive, meaning that they respond to stimuli in a much different way than others.
Another very notable sign of PTSD setting in is the level of avoidance that an individual
experiences in seeking to get away or stay apart from stimuli that might otherwise affect them in
a negative manner. Some would claim that this is a more high-functioning level of PTSD in that
the individual is more aware of how a situation will affect them and thus seeks to remain apart
any situations that the individual attempts to avoid could cause severe anxiety attacks, a high risk
of conflict, and even physical ailments that could impair the individual. It is not so much the
ability to remove themselves from trouble, but rather that they cannot stand the thought of even
approaching such situations in the first place.
Then there are those who can be around said stimuli, and will place themselves into such a position, but are immediately withdrawn and unable to fully participate in whatever environment they find themselves in. When pressed, such individuals can become irritable, angry, and often antisocial, but rarely do they become violent or so impaired that they cannot function. Each indicator for PTSD is hard to spot and even harder to treat as the symptoms are not as obvious as they might seem.
Treatment for PTSD can be accomplished through therapy or medication, which is all dependent on the individual and how they seriously they have been affected. There are several types of therapy that are utilized to deal with PTSD, including cognitive, exposure, and EMDR, or Eye Movement and Desensitization Reprocessing. Each type of therapy is designed to make the patient face their fears and eventually overcome them by confronting the root of what makes them fearful. Through this method patients can be allowed to confront their own fears in an attempt to at least stabilize their reactions to various stimuli that might cause their PTSD.
Medication is usually prescribed along with therapy to help bolster the method of therapy that is selected for each individual patient. Unfortunately it has the likelihood of becoming the preferred method of treatment for many patients, as it offers a quick and easy solution despite the tendency of many individuals to become addicted. Medication is a method that many therapists only prescribe in the event that therapy alone does not work. In many cases medication can make a situation more tenable, but in some over-medicating or self-medicating, as can occur, only makes the situation worse.
Yet another type of therapy that has seen tremendous results in many veterans is that of
group therapy. Various groups that exist for veterans exist for the express purpose of allowing those suffering through PTSD and other disorders to come and share their experiences with others who have been through similar trauma. Sharing their stories with others makes many veterans feel as though someone can understand what they have been through and thereby understand the pain they are in. In group therapy is possible to build lasting relationships with those who can share their experiences in an attempt to help those who are struggling through life. Through these relationships it is possible to finally begin living in the present rather than being chained down by the past.
The struggle with PTSD has consumed uncounted numbers of veterans throughout history, long before the disorder was ever diagnosed and recognized. Throughout history the disorder has prevailed and even taken the lives of many soldiers long after they had quit the fight. The various names that were affixed to the disorder eventually labeled the effect that war has upon various individuals in terms that could be better understood. Still, the symptoms went largely ignored and continued to worsen until finally the epidemic of the battle-scarred and war-torn soldier became an issue that could no longer be ignored.
The matter of PTSD is an issue that is ongoing and not likely to go away so long as there are battles to be fought and enemies to be guarded against. It is an unfortunate aftereffect, but one that is hardly possible to anticipate in many soldiers. Those who do not suffer through the effects are fortunate, while those who do have the misfortune of being affected by what they do and see while at war are continually tortured by their own conscience and what they have seen. Treatment for PTSD is a possibility and can help to alleviate both symptoms and the disorder itself, but is a continual process. To ease a soldier back into civilization it is necessary to remind them that they are still very much alive, and not living in their own hell.
References
Dohrenwend, B.P. (2013). Why Some Soldier’s Develop PTSD While Others Don’t. Association for Psychological Science. Retrieved from
http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/why-some-soldiers-develop-ptsd-while-others-dont.html
Figley, C.R. (1985). Trauma And Its Wake. Bristol, PA: Brunner/Mazel.
Hinton, D.E. & Good, B.J. (2016). Culture and PTSD: Trauma in Global and Historical
Perspective. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Bryant, R. A. PhD & Harvey, A.G. PhD. (1999). Postconcussive Symptoms and Posttraumatic
Stress Disorder after Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease, 187(5): 302-305.
