Adam Tennis
Professor Martinez
English 101
140531
Writer’s Checklist for Cause and Effect Essay

1. Have I identified the cause or effect I am analyzing in my thesis?

2. Have I explained the cause-and-effect relationship convincingly?

3. Have I organized my causes and/or effects logically?

4. Have I used sound logic?

5. Have I concluded my essay effectively?

6. Have I proofread thoroughly?

Adam Tennis
Professor Martinez
English 101
140531
PTSD: A Battle that lasts beyond the Combat Zone

I will be using this paper to highlight some of the cause and effect of a familiar disorder, Post-traumatic stress disorder. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is currently an ongoing issue that many veterans are dealing with after Iraq and Afghanistan and it is something that you live with for the rest of your life. As more and more veterans are being diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after returning from combat zones it has become a hot topic. This is a disease that lasts long past the combat zone. There has been an extreme amount of research poured into the treatment of this disorder but still little has been yielded for the treatment or even a baseline that causes the disorder. “In recent years there has been a rapidly growing amount of research on the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Our recent metaanalysis suggested that exposure to therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) are among the most effective treatments for PTSD” (Pg. 13) Although many people do suffer from Post-traumatic stress disorder I will be focusing on the veterans who are embattled with dealing with this. On September 11, 2001 America suffered a terrorist attack that changed the world as we know it. As thousands of innocent Americans lost their lives that day, it evoked very strong emotions in this country and paved the way for us to begin a war. As we began this war we isolated those responsible for the terrorist attack to the countries of Iraq and Afghanistan. The leader of the group that became public enemy number one was Osama Bin Laden. We proceeded with the aid of our allies to invade Iraq and Afghanistan in search of Osama Bin Laden and the terrorist cells that he was controlling in attempts to attack America. As we invaded these countries and flexed the military power of our country we quickly overpowered the military forces that were in place in these countries. The tactics of the enemy shifted knowing they could not go toe to toe with us. This is where we started to see improvised explosive devices or IEDs. There were also countless uses of guerilla warfare and attempts to ambush NATO forces. This is where we started to see the spike in cases of post-traumatic stress disorder. “Authors have argued that aspects of these wars, such as the length, number, and rapid pace of deployments with relatively short periods at home between deployments, may promote the development of posttraumatic difficulties”. (pg283) Being a veteran myself and having endured a deployment to Afghanistan and losing brothers there is an ongoing battle on what mainly causes those to be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. The cause for this paper that causes post-traumatic stress disorder is combat. The stresses of war can warp a man to a shell of what he was before he entered the combat zone. The shock of being engaged in a firefight, experiencing an IED, losing brothers/sisters in arms and various other factors are what aid in developing post-traumatic stress disorder. The effects of post-traumatic stress disorder are something that I myself have to deal with as well. It can completely change a man/woman and leave them fighting a battle long after they return home from combat. There has been an extremely negative connotation attached to post traumatic stress disorder. Those veterans that are diagnosed with it are viewed as broken and monsters who cannot function in a civilized society. I do not however agree with that viewpoint and that viewpoint has only been furthered by a liberal media who engages in scare tactics and has painted those veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder in a negative light. Though many veterans endure post-traumatic stress disorder most veterans and this is the cause. The effect is the awareness has led many veterans to face this disorder and be able to maintain it with the help of other veterans and those in the medical profession.

Works Cited
Caring for veterans with deployment-related stress disorders (2011). In Ruzek J. I., Schnurr P. P., Vasterling J. J. and Friedman M. J. (Eds.), American Psychological Association. Pg. 283

ADVANCES IN THE TREATMENT OF POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL PERSPECTIVES (2004) Taylor, Steven, Springer Pub. Co Pg. 13