Combat Stress and Post Traumatic-Stress Disorder
Staff Sargent Smith has deployed to the desert many times in his career. The first few
times were uneventful which is what every Airmen, Soldier, Marine and Sailor dream about.
Although this last tour was different, the insurgents became more agitated that the Americans are
still in their country. In only six short months he had witnessed 2 car bombs that killed a total of
26 people, 3 fellow Airmen shot but not mortally wounded, and multiple mortar attacks on the
base he was stationed out of. Not to mention he was tasked with helping expedite triage so he
was exposed to amputees and other trauma victims. Although a lot of this bothered him he knew
it was his duty to defend the Constitution and do whatever it takes to get the mission done. After
coming home to the States, Staff Sargent Smith had trouble adjusting to his family. He became
detached and he kept to himself. Nightmares were regular occurrences and loud noises would
make him want to take cover because it simulated one of the many mortar attacks that he had
endured. He soon came to realize that he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or
PTSD. PTSD is very common among service members that have served in combat but it is also
found in people who had something traumatic happen to them, there are many treatments to
manage the symptoms of PTSD.
The definition of post-traumatic stress syndrome given by the Mayo Clinic is “Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying
event. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as
uncontrollable thoughts about the event.” (Staff, 2011). Staff Sargent Smith displayed many of
these symptoms in the following months after coming back after his deployment. He did not
immediately know what was wrong with him because he became numb to many of the situations
that he had seen overseas. It was not until he got back that he realized how much these events
and sites had bothered him mentally and physically.
Statistics show that 50% of American women and 60% of American men have been
exposed to a traumatic event during their lifetime. Furthermore, 75% of Americans are exposed
to a stressor that meets the diagnosis for post-traumatic stress disorder (Robyn D. Walser, 2011).
There are three major symptom clusters in PTSD which are avoidance, hyper arousal and reexperience. In order to be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome, a patient must have at
least one re-experiencing symptom, three avoidance symptoms and two hyper arousal symptoms.
Avoidance symptoms include efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings or conversations associated with
the trauma. Re-experiencing symptoms include recurring and intrusive recollections of the event.
Lastly, hyper arousal includes difficulty falling or staying asleep, irritability or outbursts, or
difficulty trying to concentrate (Robyn D. Walser, 2011). Post-traumatic stress disorder may also
have lasting biological consequences such as the brain undergoing physical changes when stress
is extreme in intensity or duration. (Zimbardo, 2009). The brain may also overproduce hormones
which makes the victim over react to situations that are considered mild stressors (Zimbardo,
2009).
Over the years there have been different names for post-traumatic stress disorder because
it was a new concept to the psychology world. In World War I the term used was shell shock
because of the bright flash of the artillery shells that would explode. During World War II the
term used was combat stress because combatants were exposed to extreme stress and fatigue.
Rape victims in the early 70’s were diagnosed as having “battered woman syndrome” or “rape
trauma syndrome”. Finally after Vietnam the term PTSD was added diagnostic and statistical
manual of mental disorders because the public attention of the disorder grew (Frueh, 2012).
Following the Vietnam War, about one in three veterans noted symptoms of PTSD. Military
psychologists now provide some sort of treatment for combat related stress at deployment sites
such as Iraq. Families are also better prepared to deal with the changes in the military member
when they return from combat (Zimbardo, 2009). Although rape victims and war veterans
experienced very different traumas, each display similar symptoms as mentioned above.
Fortunately there are many treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder. The most
effective type of treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy which comes in two forms: cognitive
processing therapy and prolonged exposure therapy. The downside to this treatment is that it will
only last for three to six months (Treatment for PTSD, 2007). Cognitive therapy helps you
understand that the traumatic event that you lived through was not your fault. It also helps you
cope with certain feeling that accompany PTSD. With exposure therapy your goal is to have less
fear about the memories that are haunting you. Talking repeatedly about the event with a
therapist will help you gain control of your thoughts about the trauma. A few other treatments
include medication with antidepressants, group therapy, family therapy and psychodynamic
psychotherapy.
Most of the time a person suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder is also suffering
from another mental disorder. Depression, alcohol dependency, drug addiction, panic disorder
and other anxiety disorders often accompany post-traumatic stress disorder (Treatment for
PTSD, 2007). Thankfully most of the treatments that I have listed will also treat these disorders,
but the bad side is that treatment may be prolonged due to the added mental illness.
You can see that post-traumatic stress disorder affects many different persons to include
combat veterans as well as rape victims and the symptoms are the same in both. More than half
of Americans have been exposed to a traumatic event in their lives. PTSD has been called many
different things during the course of time but it did not gain the most attention until after the
Vietnam War. Treatments include but are not limited to cognitive therapy, medication, group
therapy, family therapy and psychodynamic psychotherapy. Staff Sargent Smith had to go
through the proper channels to gain control of the symptoms that he was displaying after combat.
He obtained cognitive therapy and was put on anti-depressants for a few months. He eventually
came to terms with his experiences and now lives a normal life with his family.
References
Works Cited
Frueh, C. G. (2012). Assessment and Treatment for PTSD. Somerset, NJ: Wiley.
Robyn D. Walser, D. W. (2011). Acceptance & Commitment Therapy. Oakland, CA: New Habinger
Publications.
Staff, M. C. (2011, April 8). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from Post-Traumatic Stess Disorder(PTSD):
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/DS00246
Treatment for PTSD. (2007, January 1). Retrieved from Department of Veteran Affairs:
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/treatment-ptsd.asp