The Impact of PTSD on Soldiers Experiencing Combat Stress - Essay Example

The Impact of PTSD on Soldiers Experiencing Combat Stress Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to combat stress is a common issue for one in eight soldiers who came back from the Iraq war. (Associated Press). In some situations, the soldiers do not receive the psychological help they need due to a variety of reasons, some beyond their control. According to Weiten (2001) PTSD "involves enduring psychological disturbance attributed to the experience of a major traumatic event" (p. 544). Soldiers experiencing the front line of combat and they are faced with the constant fear of being killed or seeing someone they know being killed. This constant threat creates challenges when they return to civilian life, and decreases their ability to function well. The major symptoms of PTSD include nightmares, irritability, flashbacks, feelings of detachment, trouble concentrating, and problems sleeping (Weiten, 2001). PTSD encompasses an individuals entire life. In trying to separate it into specific points of view, this researcher found that the literature on the topic did not categorize the problem in the ways that the textbook did. The reason for this is because PTSD has characteristics of many perspectives rolled into one. From the psychological point of view, PTSD is a mental health issue that also carries with it depression and anxiety. These issues create a need for obsessive behaviors or to drug and alcohol abuse. As an example, Tuerk, Graubaugh, Hamner and Foa (2009) studied veterans deployed in Iraq and found that many had developed an obsessive need for safety once they returned home. They also became hyper vigilant, over possessive of their families, and many kept a loaded gun under their pillow (Friedman, 2006). These behaviors are not isolated incidents. They generally happen as a result of a noise or situation that happens in the individuals normal environment. As an example, a barking dog or a car back firing can create a PTSD episode. Sometimes these behaviors can make the individual a danger to themselves and/or others. The soldier with PTSD due to combat stress also has common stressors that may add to their episodes of PTSD. As an example, when they rejoin civilian life, their home has changed, responsibilities have changed, and there can be more incidences of family discord. In looking at the psycho-social aspects of PTSD, many soldiers withdraw from friends and family because the family no longer recognizes the role of the deployed person in the family. This can bring about feelings of isolation and loss (National Center for PTSD). Memory plays a large part in PTSD with soldiers because they are often re-experiencing the trauma. In Iraq the soldiers were constantly living in a combat zone. They never knew whether they would return alive so they had to live an a constant state of anxiety and alertness. They also were exposed to gun fire, adverse weather conditions, and other types of violence. These soldiers experience flashbacks of the event which is like what Weiten (2001) calls a flashbulb memory because the person re-experiences certain scenes over and over as though they were still in the combat zone. In order to cope with the changes in their life, and feelings of anxiety, depression, and isolation, many turn to drugs and alcohol to cope. Possemato, Wade, Andersen and Ouimette (2010) studied the impact of PTSD and substance abuse in soldiers and how significant it was to their symptoms. One of the results from the study stated that those who used drugs or alcohol were often using the substance to dull not only mental pain, but also physical pain. In many cases, PTSD was a secondary diagnosis to other physical problems like musculoskeletal and ill-defined disorders (Possemato et al., 2010). When depression was present in addition to other problems, it brought about other health problems. Men and women handle PTSD differently. Haskell et al. (2010) studied the effects of gender differences in PTSD, pain, obesity, and military sexual trauma. The results of their study showed that female veterans most often screened positive for depression, but they were less likely to have PTSD. Females were also more likely to have military sexual trauma. Again, these are physical and psychological issues that happened because of their experiences in the wars. Garcia, Finley, Lorber and Jakupcak (2010) studied male veterans who had PTSD and the effects of masculinity on their trauma. In this study, the researchers identified that those veterans who had "traditional masculine behaviors" (p. 2) had difficulty with psychological recovery from PTSD. They found that one of the reasons for this was that these males were more prone to being self-reliant and depending only on themselves and this behavior was exaggerated after they had been to war. When entering civilian life again, they felt they did not need help to cope with their PTSD symptoms. These men were taught not to express their emotions, which was another reason that they would not go for treatment.. When looking at treatment options, the cognitive perspective is important. Some veterans go to VA hospital programs but many do not. Fontana, Rosenheck, and Desai (2010) studied veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. In their study, they compared female veterans who had been in Iraq and Afghanistan with female veterans from the wars in the Persian Gulf and Vietnam. The researchers wanted to understand whether there were differences in how the services in the VA hospitals were used in dealing with PTSD. They compared the information from female veterans with those of male veterans. They found that there were significant differences between men and women in how they dealt with PTSD. In this case, single, African American women were more apt to use VA services than women who were separated or divorced, and they had less alcohol and substance abuse than other soldiers. One of the major reasons that they had less trauma was because these women had more social supports than others. The researchers also stated that women in the Iraq/Afghanistan wars had different psychopathology, different trauma they were exposed to and fewer "interpersonal and economic supports" (Fontana, Rosenheck and Desai, 2010, p. 757). Because of their experience, they were able to understand when they needed assistance and went to the VA for it. Going for help to cope with PTSD as veterans has some perceived disadvantages that are socio-cultural. Sayer et al. (2009) found that the socio-cultural environment that veterans went into the service with and then came back was often the reason they did not seek help. Seeking help is seen as weakness in some cultures because an individual is supposed to be able to deal with their emotions on their own. Those soldiers who had strong social networks were more motivated to go for treatment. A study prior to the Sayer et al. study showed that married PTSD veterans were more apt to be involved in a treatment program than a veteran who was single. Because PTSD affects the family, the more support a soldier has from their family and friends, the better able they are to come forward for treatment. One interesting aspect of the study by Sayer et al. (2009) was their idea that PTSD is a phenomenon that should be studied through a behavioral point of view. They pointed out that the symptoms of PTSD indicated "needs" which "should lead to service use" (p. 249). In other words, it would seem that someone suffering from PTSD would automatically go for assistance based on their need. However, many people had psychological avoidance that stopped them from going for help. Instead, "socio-cultural, social network, and system-level factors" (Sayer et al., 2009, p. 250) had to be considered because these issues determined whether an individual would seek treatment or not. The Society for Womens Health Research (2009) suggested that cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and exposure therapy were two models that showed promise in dealing with PTSD that comes from combat stress. CPT is important because it helps the soldier deal with a full range of emotions including the anxiety that comes with PTSD. Exposure therapy has been most successful in helping female veterans. Walter Reed hospital has also experimented with yoga, physical therapy and group therapy. According to Dobbins (2006), these therapies along with classes that teach coping strategies, were important to helping service people with PTSD. In conclusion, PTSD due to combat stress is a very important social problem today. Men and women who were deployed one or more times to an area of combat were they not totally prepared for the experience which caused anxiety and fear while in the situation.. When they came back to civilian life, PTSD showed up and it was difficult for them to deal with these problems. There are many issues that come because of PTSD and unless the soldier gets help, they are prone to feelings of isolation, thoughts of suicide and often finished suicide attempts. References Associated Press. (2010). 1 in 8 returning veterans suffer PTSD. MSNBC. Retrieved October 26, 2010 from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5334479/# Dobbins, C. (2006). Walter Reed uses yoga, other therapies to treat PTSD. The National Academies. Retrieved November 3, 2010 from http://www.nationalacademies.org/printer/headlines/20080521.html Fontana, A., Rosenheck, R. and Desai, R. (2010). Female veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan seeking care from VA specialized PTSD programs: Comparison with male veterans and female war zone veterans of previous eras. Journal of Womens Health. 19 (4), 751-757. doi: 10.1089.jwh.2009.1389 Friedman, M.J. (2006). Post-traumatic stress disorder among military returnees from Afghanistan and Iraq. American Journal of Psychiatry, 163 (4), 586-93. Retrieved November 5, 2010 from CINAHL database (AN: 2009247145). Haskell, S.G., Gordon, K.S., Mattocks, K., Duggal, M., Erdos, J., Justice, A. and Brant, C.A., (2010). Gender differences in rates of depression, PTSD, pain, obesity, and military sexual trauma among Connecticut ward veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Journal of Womens Health. 19 (2), 267-271. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2008.1262. Possemato, K., Wade, M., Andersen, J. and Ouimette, P. (2010). The impact of PTSD, depression, and substance use disorders on disease burden and health care utilization among OEF/OIF veterans. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. 2 (3). 218-223. doi: 10.1037/a0019236 Sayer, N.A., Friedmann-Sanchez, G., Spoont, M., Murdock, M., Parker, L.E., Chiros, C., Rosenheck, R. (2009). A qualitative study of determinants of PTSD treatment initiation in veterans. Retrieved November 2, 2010 from CINAHL database (AN: 2010435985). Society of Womens Health Research. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2010 from http://www.womenshealthresearch.org/site/DocServer/PTSD_inWomen_Returnin g_From_Combat--reduced_file_size.pdf?docID=2661 Tuerk, P.W., Grubaugh, A.L., Hamner, M.B., and Foa, E.B. (2009). Diagnosis and treatment of PTSD-related compulsive checking behaviors in veterans of the Iraq war: The influence of military context on the expression of PTSD symptoms. American Journal of Psychiatry, 166 (67). 762-767. Retrieved November 3, 2010 from CINAHL database (AN: 2010334794). United States Department of Veterans Affairs. (2010). Women who served in the military. National Center for PTSD. Retrieved October 28, 2010 from http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/videos/transcripts/ptsdwomen.vf.pdf Read More