Soldiers' Post-War Experiences
PTSD
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a psychological disorder. Anyone who experiences trauma, usually life life threatening, can have PTSD.
PTSD was not known until after the Vietnam War; before Vietnam it was known as Shell Shock or Combat Fatigue. It was called Shell Shock because the affected soldier (it was believed to only affect soldiers who faced combat) was "shelled," in a different state from the other soldiers.
PTSD was not named and recognized as a disease by the American Psychiatric Association until 1978. Until that time, no one suffering from PTSD was able to get the help they needed.
http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/mental_health/ptsd.htm
PTSD was not known until after the Vietnam War; before Vietnam it was known as Shell Shock or Combat Fatigue. It was called Shell Shock because the affected soldier (it was believed to only affect soldiers who faced combat) was "shelled," in a different state from the other soldiers.
PTSD was not named and recognized as a disease by the American Psychiatric Association until 1978. Until that time, no one suffering from PTSD was able to get the help they needed.
http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/mental_health/ptsd.htm
The Symptoms Of PTSD
There are three different class of PTSD symptoms:
Class 1: Re-experiencing the trauma.
Soldiers re-experience the trauma through nightmares, hallucinations, flashbacks, etc. Sometimes soldiers just feel as if they are re-experiencing the trauma, but that is more than enough.
Class 2: Avoidance or Immersion.
Soldiers with PTSD will avoid having anything to do with the military or will avoid anything that could possibly remind them of the trauma. They will avoid talking about the war, seeing buddies from the war, anything and everything that could remind them of what happened. Avoidance also demonstrates itself with repression, or the inability to remember parts of the trauma.
Others will Immerse themselves in the same things. This immersion causes more flashbacks, more hallucinations, and the feeling of being back in the war. Immersing oneself in things related to the trauma aggravates all symptoms of PTSD.
Avoidance can also lead to avoiding other things life, like avoiding intimacy or not being able to trust. The suffer may no longer find old favorite pastimes enjoyable. The suffer may not be able to feel the love they once had for someone and may believe they will die in the very near future.
Class 3: Hyper-vigilance.
Hyper-vigilance or hyper-arousal simply means that the affected person is "on edge." It could be described as jumpiness; the person will show irritability and may have random bursts of anger. They will have trouble sleeping and may never feel safe.
http://depressiond.org/ptsd-symptoms/
Class 1: Re-experiencing the trauma.
Soldiers re-experience the trauma through nightmares, hallucinations, flashbacks, etc. Sometimes soldiers just feel as if they are re-experiencing the trauma, but that is more than enough.
Class 2: Avoidance or Immersion.
Soldiers with PTSD will avoid having anything to do with the military or will avoid anything that could possibly remind them of the trauma. They will avoid talking about the war, seeing buddies from the war, anything and everything that could remind them of what happened. Avoidance also demonstrates itself with repression, or the inability to remember parts of the trauma.
Others will Immerse themselves in the same things. This immersion causes more flashbacks, more hallucinations, and the feeling of being back in the war. Immersing oneself in things related to the trauma aggravates all symptoms of PTSD.
Avoidance can also lead to avoiding other things life, like avoiding intimacy or not being able to trust. The suffer may no longer find old favorite pastimes enjoyable. The suffer may not be able to feel the love they once had for someone and may believe they will die in the very near future.
Class 3: Hyper-vigilance.
Hyper-vigilance or hyper-arousal simply means that the affected person is "on edge." It could be described as jumpiness; the person will show irritability and may have random bursts of anger. They will have trouble sleeping and may never feel safe.
http://depressiond.org/ptsd-symptoms/
Acute, Chronic, and Delayed Onset PTSD
Acute: In Acute PTSD, the symptoms last less than 3 months.
Chronic: In Chronic PTSD the symptoms last more than 3 months and may never completely disappear.
Delayed Onset: With Delayed Onset, the symptoms of PTSD do not appear until at least 6 months after the trauma occurs.
http://www.healthcommunities.com/posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/overview-of-ptsd.shtml
Chronic: In Chronic PTSD the symptoms last more than 3 months and may never completely disappear.
Delayed Onset: With Delayed Onset, the symptoms of PTSD do not appear until at least 6 months after the trauma occurs.
http://www.healthcommunities.com/posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/overview-of-ptsd.shtml