Veterans & PTSD

Veterans and PTSD
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Thesis
Introduction
Basic Information on PTSD
Relationship between PTSD and Veterans
Background Information
All about PTSD
PTSD and war veterans
Link between PTSD and war veterans
Iraqi and Afghanistan War
The effect of the two wars on those who participated
Biology Behind PTSD
State of the brains that leads to the development of the condition
Historical Aspect
Looking back in time to connect war events and present day state of veterans
Way Forward
What must be done to break the trend of war veterans suffering from PTSD
Conclusion
Thesis Statement
War veterans suffer a great deal of trauma while in the battle field. Although they are often praised for their success, they later suffer anguish due to the trauma of the various wars, sinking into Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Introduction
By default, every society has a group of people that are classified as veterans. Veterans are people who are highly regarded in society for having championed or pioneered a good cause for the society. Usually, majority of the causes that make one to be recognized as a veteran must have benefited the greater society largely. During the Cold War, The First World War and the Second World War, the people who participated in the war for their respective countries were considered heroes and veterans. Similarly, during the colonial period, there are those people who were on the forefront, fighting for the independence of their country. These people were also recognized as veterans for the huge and crucial role they played in bringing redemption to their country. While heroes and veterans are always recognized and hailed for their great role, there is the other side of the coin. This is the impact of the war on their health and wellbeing (Moore, 2011). For example, soldiers in the military who fight hard to defend their country are always crowned and compensated handsomely. An aspect that is, however, forgotten is the fact that they undergo stress and trauma because of the events that they encounter. The mental and emotional status is affected as result of what they encounter during the war. Over time, such people can develop a condition referred to as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is a condition that people develop after having gone through a traumatic experience. It is even more serious among veterans have participated in various wars (Moore, 2011). This discussion takes a look at the very often condition of PTSD which often goes unnoticed, especially among the veterans. Among the key issues of discussion are the main causes of the conditions, treatment and how the condition can be avoided.
Background Information
People experience various forms of trauma in their lives. The extent and impact of trauma varies from one person to another. This is mainly dependent on a person’s ability to deal with difficult issues in their life. Once the traumatic experience is over, there is a post trauma experience, which is when an individual begins to reflect on the depth of the issue that happens. For example, when one loses a loved one, to some people, the death of the loved one does not immediately sink. They are busy preparing a proper send off for their loved one and ensuring that everything goes according to plan. It is not until the departed person has been laid to rest and the people who are close have retreated back to their normal life that reality checks in. The person who has been left now begins to feel the gap of the departed one. During this time, a person can easily fall into depression. This is either because they are unable to accept the loss, or if they have accepted, they are unable to cope with the loss. It is this confusion, coupled with grief that leads to PTSD. This condition is also triggered by memories which could be painful or which are likely to spark fear. For instance, a person who has gone through a disturbing ordeal such as rape, carjacking and incidents of that nature is likely to suffer from this condition. This is because memories of the ordeal will keep replaying in their mind taking away their peace of mind. Simply put, a person is said to suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder if they are unable to fully get over a bad incident that took place in the past and had an effect on them. Inability to move on and go back to one’s normal life after a very serious and negative event in one’s life is what is known as PTSD. Although this condition is associated with bad events, it can also be caused by an extremely good event. This is where one hangs onto the memories of the past which were good and is unable to move on with their life.
PSTD and war veterans
As aforementioned, PTSD can be caused by a number of events and varies from one person to another. This is because people have different abilities to handle different situations. However, from researches conducted over the years, PTSD has largely been associated with war veterans. These are people who have been to the battlefield severally and have fought patriotically for their countries. Even though they emerge victorious, they go through various hardships. These events are likely to be stuck in their mind long after the battle (Finley, 2011).
Soldiers in the military have been found to be highly susceptible to this condition. The very nature of training that soldiers receive in the battlefield is seen as large contributor to the condition. Soldiers are never supposed to look or even appear weak or defeated. They are required at all times to remain alert and ready to counter the enemy when the attacks. This means that the men and women in the military are forced to bottle up a lot of pent up emotions and feelings. It is the accumulation of such emotions that eventually lead to the development of the condition.
When soldiers are at war, they have no guarantee that they will be reunited with their families. When joining the army, the soldiers take an oath in which they swear to protect the interests of the country at all cost. They also swear to put their lives on the line for a good cause of the larger society. This means that when a solder is in the battlefield, there is always the constant fear of being killed (Schaller, 2012). There is also the aspect of what they witnesses in the cause of dispensing their duties. Looking at bodies that are all over in battlefield, some that are badly mutilated are scenes that soldiers have to contend with. It is even more worrying to note that even having been to a battlefield, very few soldiers are accorded counseling services. This is the main cause of rampant cases of PTSD among war veterans and military soldiers.
It is crucial to point out at this juncture that PTSD not only affects the people who have fast hand experience of an event. Instead, it may also affect those who witness, those close to the person affected or those who offer help to the affected people. For example, during natural catastrophes such as earthquakes, people who may not have been directly affected but they witness fast hand the experiences of others may suffer from PTSD. Such people find it difficult to erase form their mind, that which they saw and the agony that they saw other people go through. Just as the condition varies from one person to another, the amount of time it takes to be detected may vary from a couple of hours to months and in some cases years.
Iraqi and Afghanistan War
For many years, the United States of America has been largely involved in peace keeping in the Middle East. The peacekeeping missions have not been as peaceful as they may sound. The country has always sent its troops in the region with the ...