Rebuttal on controversial topic (would like it on torture) - Essay Example

Rebuttal to article on military torture and the resultant mental problems The mental tortures that may occur in army personnel’s mind during the battlefield can cause an onset of posttraumatic stress disorder. Mental tortures in the sense, the personnel may or may not have clear interest to fight in the war. They could have got involved in the war due to patriotism or controversially due to the compulsions of their duty without any interest to strike against particular people. In either case (or particularly in the later case), the personnel after being exposed to various vagaries of the war from death of a friend or colleague or even innocent people, blood, gore, etc could undergo a lot of mental torture.

This torture could lead to posttraumatic stress disorder. Rarely has any method of treatment included the partner of the war veteran, and this is the subject of the article “Key Elements in Couples Therapy With Veterans With Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder” by Michelle D. Sherman, Dona K. Zanotti, and Dan E. Jones. However, when viewed from the opposite perspective, treating the war veterans, who have faced mental tortures during the war, with the help of their spouses may not work all the time.

The war veterans after returning to their homes will exhibit their PSTD mainly against their spouses, which will impact them negatively. That is, with the spouses also suffering because of their husband’s mental disorder caused by mental torture, they may not in a correct state of mind to treat their husband’s problems. Importantly as martial discord will also rise due to their husbands’ mental problems, and in that bickering state, it would be difficult for the spouse to aid the treatment process.

Although, the authors provided a case study which shows the efficiency of the couples’ therapy treatment suggested by them, it may not work all the time. With the spouse also under severe stress, it would be difficult for them to perform their part during the treatment. Reference: Sherman, M. D., Zanotti, D.K. and Jones, D. E. (2005). Key Elements in Couples Therapy With Veterans With Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 36 (6): 626–633.