...deaths, gunshots, war, etc. Soldiers who fight for our country face these traumatic events every day. For example, in the text, “Combat-Related Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD a Resource and Recovery Guide” by Cheryl Lawhorne and Don Philpott, it states, “The destructive force of war creates an atmosphere of chaos and compels service members to face the terror of unexpected injury, loss, and death. The combat environment (austere living conditions, heavy physical demands, sleep deprivation, periods of intense violence followed by unpredictable periods of relative inactivity, separation from loved ones, etc.) is itself a psychological stressor that may precipitate a wide range of emotional distress and/or psychiatric disorders.” (Lawhorne and Philpott 12)....
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...Medical Care The government is awesome at getting men ready for war, but they can’t quite get them back to civilian life and a humble heart. - JUNIOR ENLISTED MARINE, POST-IRAQ After we came back, many of us were only back in body. Our souls stayed over there. – ARMY COMBAT ENGINEER, POST-IRAQ Transition can mean the big picture of how a warrior has to try to adjust back into society, but the short term is very critical, from when a warrior leaves the battlefield to when they hit the streets at home. If there’s one thing I learned from my experiences, it was that there was no transition at all. –VIETNAM VETERAN Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has become the major medical issue with our soldiers returning from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. For many soldiers, it is a badge of honor to have served but for most, it is a start to an endless battle of finding the courage to continue to serve or be labeled an unfit soldier for the military and useless to their family. PTSD affects not only the soldier’s way of life but the core of who the soldier is. For this reason, the government should take special care informing society what is PTSD, who gets PTSD and what types of treatments are available to them. Government must ensure there are programs in place to assist soldiers and family members in dealing with PTSD issues. The Department of Defense and Veterans Administration to encourage service members and veterans to seek help early, before problems...
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...This could include abnormal heart rhythm, enlarged ventricles, and a reduction in the pumping strength of the heart. Noise and vibration exposure Loud noises and vibrations from war equipment such as guns, heavy weaponry, bombs, and engine rooms often cause hearing loss and impairment in soldiers. The effects of this noise exposure include hearing ringing and buzzing sounds while vibration causes back pain or numbness (Salamon). Psychological Effects Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Post-traumatic stress disorder is a physical disorder that soldiers often face due to all the violence they witnessed or experienced during the time they served. The most common symptom of PTSD is having flashbacks which often causes insomnia because they mostly have flashbacks in their dreams. PTSD also causes hallucinations and makes them constantly think they are in danger. As a result of these thoughts, veterans try to stay avoid things that remind them of the trauma they are suffering from. This is often why soldiers avoid social gathering because the loud noises remind them of gunshots and bombings...
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...Abstract Throughout history, people have recognized that exposure to combat situations can negatively impact the mental health of those involved in these situations. In fact, the diagnosis of PTSD historically originates from observations of the effect of combat on soldiers. Since the 1800’s grouping of symptoms that we now refer to as PTSD has been described in the past as "combat fatigue," "shell shock," or "war neurosis." Combat veterans often return from deployment having experienced a wide range of exposures, symptoms and medical conditions. The Department of Veterans Affairs established war related illness and injury study centers to serve combat veterans with unexplained illnesses. History Although many coexisting disorders have been reported with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), little reference has been made to the presence of psychotic symptoms. Post-traumatic stress disorder is commonly described among victims of severe trauma outside of normal human experience, in this case the combat veterans returning from deployment. Traumatic events can lead to reevaluation of life and its meaning; a reconsideration of what is truly important which often changes one’s set of priorities. Trauma often causes abrupt cessation of continuity in coherence in sense of one’s self (Barlow, 2002). In the early 1800’s military doctors began diagnosing soldiers with "exhaustion" following the stress of battle. This "exhaustion" was characterized by mental shutdown...
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...poem faces a struggle with images of death and his experiences in combat during the Vietnam War. He grapples with something that we understand today as post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD; “Facing It” describes the mind altering events and the subsequent symptoms through the mind of the soldier in the poem. Moreover, as many veterans must do after they return from hell, the soldier faces coping with the memory of others around him that returned home in a flag draped box. The soldier depicted in the poem takes a journey of self-actualization to understand his PTSD, and as he stares at the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial, he seeks to understand the reality of his condition by going out on patrol one more time. His final patrol provides a sense of closure and an understanding of his condition over a decade after his experiences in Vietnam. His “black face fades, hiding inside the black granite” (Komunyakaa 1538) as he becomes just one of the many faces of war depicted on the wall. He fights back tears as he is face to face with the wall, and his unresolved memories of pain trigger a flashback of “the boobie trap’s white flash” (Komunyakaa 1539). The resulting white flash kills another soldier named Andrew Johnson in the explosion, and he recounts the day, like it was yesterday as so many with PTSD do, forcing him to relive memories he will never forget, but wishes he could; furthermore, the poem seems to imply that the exploding flash of light injures the soldier himself, causing...
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...Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) related to combat and other stressful situations that are endured during military enlistment. There are many articles available as well as research that has been conducted on the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among Veterans that are combat and non combat related. There are many articles that closely show similar variations of statistics of Veterans in the United States of America that suffer from Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which varies by service area. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can also be related to other occurrences such as combat situations, military sexual trauma, and traumatic brain injury...
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...history with PTSD changing its name every time more was understood about it. The reason it is so visible in those in the military is because of the high risk factors service men and women face. Some of these risk factors are: experience intense or long lasting trauma, experience trauma as child, having a job or profession that exposes a person to more traumatic events, other undiagnosed mental conditions, and a history of mental illness in the family (Mayo Clinic, 2015). A list of factors called resilience factors can help a person deal, reduce and overcome PTSD they include: seeking help from others, finding a support group that understands the type of trauma the person has faced, and being able to cope with harsh stressful times (National Institute of Health,...
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...million people each year,” (Valente, 2010). PTSD effects more women than, with approximately 58% of at risk individuals including combat veterans. If left untreated, PTSD leaves those affected with quality of life issues, social interactions, daily functioning, and psychological issues. Over the years, there has been an increase in the awareness of post traumatic stress, and the impact of its diagnosis, (Bastien, 2010). Treatment relies on a multidimensional approach, including supportive patient education, cognitive therapy, and psychopharmacology. This paper will review PTSD, including clinical manifestations, diagnosis, medical and nursing management and community resources available to those affected by this disease. Description of Disease “Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder with a sustained and dysfunctional emotional reaction to a traumatic event, threat of injury or death, and pain,” (Valente, 2010). A traumatic event can be military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or physical or sexual assault. Most people who are exposed to a traumatic event will have stress reactions for the immediate days or weeks following the incident, however with some time will be able to deal with the event and return to normal. However, some people will have stress reactions that do not go away on their own and may even worsen with time. These individuals are at risk for developing PTSD. Post traumatic stress disorder became...
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...CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK ------------------------------------------------- POLICY BRIEF VETERAN TREATMENT COURT SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO THE COMMON PLEAS COURT OF CUYAHOGA COUNTY TONY D. MORRIS PREPARED FOR: Honorable John J. Russo Administrative and Presiding Judge Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court July 1, 2014 SWK 300: SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY PROFESSOR MICHAEL A. DOVER SPRING 2014 GOAL STATEMENT The sole purpose of this policy brief is to deliver concrete and measurement evidences that Veteran Treatment Courts (VTC) promotes public safety by diverting veterans with addictions and/or mental illness into a voluntary specialized court as oppose to the traditional criminal justice system. At present the Cleveland Veteran Treatment docket is only available to veterans that reside in the City of Cleveland. By expanded the court to Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, veterans would have access to the resources available, especially at the county level. There are 38 cities and 19 villages in Cuyahoga County. According to the United States Census Bureau and there are 90,753 veterans residing in Cuyahoga County and increasing as service members from Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom & Operation New Dawn (OEF,OIF,OND) begin to return and reintegrate back to civilian life. The VTC has proven to be smart, cost effective ventures that assist veterans on the road to recovery, effectively and successfully reducing recidivism...
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...Post-traumatic stress disorder or most commonly known as PTSD, is a common problem for veterans returning from war all over the world. It can often be misdiagnosed as a traumatic brain injury or overlooked altogether because of the similarities in their symptoms. This paper will define what post-traumatic stress is as according to the Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders, its correlation with insomnia and nightmares, traumatic brain injuries and rare heart conditions, and it summarizes various treatment options including virtual reality, the Recover process, cognitive processing therapy, clinical programs, the use of the drug propranolol, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. Lastly, it will review problems with those treatments, involving flaws in the research studies, ethical issues and gender issues. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders 3 Defining, Diagnosing, Correlation with Insomnia and Nightmares as well as The Treatment and Recovery Processes in War Veteran’s Wars have been fought for centuries, and the soldiers fighting these wars often come home scarred, either physically, mentally, or both. Soldiers who exhibit a variety of symptoms complain about having difficulty sleeping or a hard time reconnecting with friends and family after returning from combat. These symptoms have been attributed to Da Costa’s Syndrome, effort syndrome, neurocirculatory asthenia, or soldier’s heart in the American Civil Was, shell shock in World...
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...Reflection on Understanding and Treating PTSD Xxxxxxx xxxxxx EmpireState College I have read and am aware of the university requirements regarding academic honesty Instructor: Bernard Wakely December 21, 2012 Introduction What is now known as Posttraumatic Syndrome Disorder has a long history and list of names. It has been suggested that Homer form the Odysseus described symptoms of PTSD upon his return from the Trojan War. More recently it has been given many names. During the civil war it came to be known as Soldiers heart. During WWI it became known as “shell shock” and “war neurosis”, changing again during WWII to “battle fatigue” and ‘combat neurosis”. During this war the condition was so severe during this war psychiatric discharged soldier outnumbered new recruits. The name once again morphed during the Vietnam War to “post-Vietnam syndrome” and finally settling to its current moniker Posttraumatic syndrome disorder. Despite the many name changes one thing has remained constant and that is the condition causes suffering Over View Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome is an anxiety disorder that is caused by exposure to a situation or environment that is violent or life threatening to an individual or others. Its symptoms include flashbacks, hyperarousal and avoidance. It was originally believed that PTSD represented a natural and normal response at the extreme end of a response continuum based on the severity of the trauma. This response is the flight...
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...Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder of World War I The soldiers that fought during World War I faced many difficulties during the war. These difficulties included day to day combat, little or no food for days at a time, health issues that arose from the poor conditions, and having to deal with the mental strain of the war. Your average person either knows or has heard of these difficulties, but the average person probably doesn’t know about the problems these soldiers face upon their return home. The main problem for returning soldiers is what we now call post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. According to the American Psychiatric Association, post-traumatic stress disorder refers to an anxiety disorder that some people get after witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event. To give further detail of the disorder the APA also classifies an anxiety disorder as a mental illness in which the sufferer feels an exceptional level of fear and apprehension. The APA also states that any event that causes a person to experience intense fear, horror, or helplessness can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder. In order to be officially diagnosed a person must meet the criteria of having the required number of reexperiencing, hyperarousal, and avoidance/numbing symptoms. To be officially diagnosed the person must experience one of the five reexperiencing symptoms, two of the five hyperarousal symptoms, and three of the seven avoidance/numbing symptoms. The five reexperiencing symptoms...
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...War destroys more than buildings and villages, it destroys the hearts of those who are fighting and the families’ of those soldiers. Liam exploits this with many different literary devices in the story. Soldiers in the middle of the battle that have seen so much death and destruction, see it everywhere, even in their own dreams. Additionally, the soldier’s family has to deal with the depression and destruction when the family’s son or daughter falls in the midst of the war. In a war both sides have to spend ginormous amounts of money to pay for all of the destruction that occurred in the duration of the war. As a result, one side may lose more than what it was trying to gain from the...
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...them. When looking at the painting the most prominent feature is easily, the young soldier with a flat affect gazing directly toward the onlookers. The title refers to a common saying amongst military personnel and psychiatrists; the “thousand yard stare or two-thousand yard stare” refers to a psychological phenomenon clinically known as dissociation. Dissociation is one of the mind’s defense mechanisms; simply put, it is an intense detachment from reality to protect the mind from severe trauma. The stare has a history as long as war itself; the cause has had many names including soldier’s heart, irritable heart, traumatic neuroses, shell shock, war hysteria, combat stress reaction, Vietnam veterans syndrome, and fright neuroses, today it is called combat post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Personally, I have been diagnosed with combat PTSD and I have professionally treated other victims of combat PTSD, making it a very...
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...Analyze combat and operational stress reactions (COSRs) Combat Stress Controlling combat stress is often the deciding factor between victory and defeat in all forms of human conflict. Stressors are a fact of combat, and you and your Soldiers will face them. Controlled combat stress can call forth stress reactions of loyalty, selflessness, and heroism. Conversely, uncontrolled combat stress causes erratic or harmful behavior that disrupts or interferes with the accomplishment of a unit’s mission. Any uncontrolled combat stress can impair mission performance and may bring disgrace, disaster, and defeat. The art of war aims to impose so much stress on enemy soldiers that they lose their will to fight. Both sides try to do this and at times accept severe stress themselves in order to inflict greater stress on the enemy. To win, you must control combat stress. The word “control” is better than the word “manage” to emphasize the active steps that leaders, supporting personnel, and individual Soldiers must take to keep stress within an acceptable range. This does not mean that control and management are mutually exclusive terms. Management is, by definition, the exercise of control. Within common usage, however, and especially within Army usage, management has the connotation of being a somewhat detached, number–driven, higher echelon process rather than a direct, inspirational, leadership process. Stress is the body’s and mind’s process for dealing with uncertain change...
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