What causes a veteran to feel pain? What causes a veteran to become violent? What causes a veteran to develop a drug addiction to cope with their emotional stress? Veterans experience traumatic events during their service years and the result of their experiences are astonishing. Experiencing these events can be burned into their minds and create various forms of pain for the rest of their lives. In the novel The Things They Carried, author Tim O’Brien dives into the stories that he and his companions experienced in the Vietnam War. These stories show the traumatic events that can damage a person for the rest of their life. These traumatic experiences develop into the disorder known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a known …show more content…
Violent and sexual tendencies develop in those veterans who go untreated with PTSD. Violent offenders are more likely to have PTSD than those who are sexual offenders, but PTSD still remains relevant in both forms. Offenders with PTSD are also more likely to feel remorse for their violent or sexual offenses. This shows that the mental issue associated with untreated PTSD victims is more connected to actual PTSD consequences than the offender willingly choosing to offend out of pure need and want. One third to two thirds of veterans who need to receive mental health support do not seek the treatment necessary. Among those who do receive treatment, half drop out. This decreases the success rate of PTSD suffering individuals who commit to treatment from eighty percent to a significantly lower forty percent. The mental issues with PTSD are drastically impactful on an untreated PTSD victim. With one fifth of sexual offense towards women are experienced in a military environment, many are linked to being caused by PTSD mental outbreak. Sexual offense and violence towards others is not the only mental risk caused by untreated PTSD. Harm towards oneself is also a risk. During the Iraq and Afghanistan war, suicide attempt rates increased by more than six times the amount before the war. This astonishing number displays the mental anguish that is involved with war and untreated PTSD victims. The self destructive path that PTSD leads to is a terrible consequence of those who go untreated with PTSD as written by Tim O’Brien in The Things They
One of the main causes of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is going to the war. But there are many other causes like serious road accidents, volent personal assault , sexual assault , mugging, robbery. Rat Kiley shows signs of Post Traumatic Stress when he goes and kills the water buffalo for no reason and they ties into how he coped with the war. Norman Bowker shows signs of Post Traumatic Stress because when he goes back home he goes everyday of his life he drives around his town tell you how he wanted to tell everyone about how and what he did in the Vietnam War. Tim O’Brien shows signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder because he takes the war home with him he even takes it to where he writes a book about everyone and their experiences throughout the Vietnam
Additionally, mental health effects of serving war not only affect an emotional state of mind, but further research says it can increase a soldier's chance of developing PTSD. In the NCBI database, A Meta-Analysis of Risk Factors for Combat-Related PTSD among Military Personnel and Veterans, published by LuLu Zhang identifies the risk factors make soldiers more likely to experience PTSD. Equally, “Various aspects of the trauma period also constituted risk factors. These include increased combat exposure, discharging a weapon, witnessing someone being wounded or killed, severe
On Tuesday October 27, Dr. Brittany Hall gave a talk on PTSD affecting military veteran and active duty soldiers. During active duty soldiers are exposed to a lot of unforeseen events. Veterans and active duty soldiers are serving to protect the country from allies, and place there lives on the line everyday for citizens to continue to have freedom. The aftermath of returning from combat is the devastating blow for a lot of soldiers. Soldiers returning home from combat are not being able to separate civilian world from warzone usually struggle form PTSD.
Post Tim-atic Stress Disorder The book The Things They Carried is based on the emotional turmoil of its characters. Tim O’Brien outlines the different men he served with and the emotional baggage they all carry. However, he often only touches on his own emotions.
The author explains that it is “a condition that can develop after you have gone through a life-threatening event” (Daniels and Steineke) Some of the symptoms include: depression, self-blame, guilt, and shame, anger or aggressive behavior, and alcohol/drug abuse. As elucidated to by the authors, those who suffer from PTSD “may try to avoid people and places that remind [them] of the trauma” (Daniels and Steineke). They will also feel numb, startle easily, and always be on guard. Veterans will blame themselves for what may be traumatizing them, and become hooked on drugs and alcohol in order to cope with their problems.
This disorder is known for being more prone to women than men. There is also some evidence that it runs through families, or can be passed down from generations. PTSD is frequently accompanied by other disorders such as depression, substance abuse, and anxiety disorders, just to name a few. Unfortunately, veterans,
Supporters argue that there are ample programs to support our military, while opponents disagree. Mental health disorders are a byproduct of war, they both agree to this. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), acute stress, anxiety, and depression are all mental health disorders soldiers can suffer from. Tens of thousands of soldiers are diagnosed with one of these conditions, but many never come forward or seek help. Many soldiers are afraid of the stigma associated with being diagnosed with a mental illness; they do not want to be perceived as being weak physical or mentally.
The experiences of war leave profound impacts on soldiers, both physically and emotionally. Beyond the physical scars and injuries, veterans grapple with returning to a normal life after their service. Transitioning from a war environment to civilian society is extremely difficult due to their trauma and social obstacles. The government fails to provide adequate aid to returning soldiers, resulting in financial struggle and emotional despair. In The Things They Carried written by Tim O’Brien, soldiers witness violence and death, forcing them to bear emotional burdens that haunt them throughout their entire lifetime, impeding their ability to achieve a sense of normalcy.
Nearly 20 percent of 30,000 suicides are attributed to veterans each year (Cesar, Sabia & Tekin, 2012). This number represents a substantial number of military personnel suffering with mental health problems. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (2011) PTSD impairs one’s ability to function in social or family life, which includes instability, marital problems, divorce, family conflict, and difficulty in parenting (p. 3). PTSD causes much impairment and has many contributing factors; for that reason, it is important to discuss the quality of services available to
Combat is one of those incidents, where the best and the worst of people will be shown. The effects from combat could last minutes to a lifetime and will define people for the rest of their lives. To overcome the effects, people must have coping mechanisms. In the book, The Things They Carried, a platoon of soldiers is followed in their quest to survive the Vietnam War. The soldiers developed coping mechanisms to deal with stress so they can function normally and survive the war.
PTSD Affecting Soldiers He stood there, frozen, shocked, not knowing what to do when he saw a gun pointed at him. Thankfully, the trigger didn’t work, but he had to witness a scarring event, in which he had shot his enemy in the head. It is not surprising that soldiers returning from a stressful war often suffer from a psychological condition called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. For instance, in the book Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers, the principle character Perry unmistakably demonstrates how war troopers can be damaged and experience the ill effects of PTSD.
After the Vietnam War, thousands of soldiers experienced confusion, survivor's guilt, post traumatic stress disorder, and various amounts of other psychological conditions. A little over a quarter of a million Vietnam soldiers have been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (Handwerk). This is a staggering number, and is increasing in today's day and age as well. Soldiers who had or still possess post traumatic stress disorder, would be exposed to: depression, angry outbursts, guilt, nightmares, paranoia, and many other similar symptoms (Hillstrom 182). All of these disorders may contribute one to feel guilty or confused, alongside the trauma of war itself.
PTSD is an illness that cannot be easily healed. The symptoms include: Nightmares, flashbacks, triggers, hard time sleeping, difficulty concentrating, you could also be easily startled. There are many situations that you would make you angry, or upset. If you were close to death in a Vietcong dug hole, you may hate being in small places, avoiding them at all costs becoming claustrophobic. This disorder often times does not end up being healed and is something you have to deal with for the rest of your
In the United States, serving in the military is seen as a model of true patriotism, and rightfully so. Service members train for 10 weeks in their transition from civilian to a soldier. They train to be able to endure all the hardships that may come their way. Service members have to be in the best physical shape to serve and because of all that they do, they are thought of as brave and selfless people. Service members make extreme sacrifices to defend our country and act selflessly by doing so; it is fitting that they are seen as heroes by many Americans.
It may come and go over the years too. The significant impact of PTSD on the lives of veterans afflicted gives doctors a greater understanding of this illness. With knowledge about PTSD, returning veterans can seek the early diagnosis and treatment they need, giving them a chance to recover. Many veterans have spoken and stressed that the PTSD will never go away, even with treatment, group therapy, counseling, or medication. Awareness and understanding can also help and support the families.