Combat Stress Reaction

Combat Stress Reaction

Introduction

Previously, it was believed that service members who used to experience combat stress reaction had mental illness, however the experiences show that this is not true. Majority of psychological disorders after the combat are normal in response to abnormal situations of war. Usually, adaptive and maladaptive stress reactions consist of extremely anxious attitude, regression, diarrhea, fright and marked sadness (LANGER, 2011). These reactions are not mental illness. In this paper we will compare and contrast the stress reactions of World War I and World War II with modern combat. Furthermore, we will discuss that how the options for assistance have changed over time.

Discussion

Failure of preventing or effectively managing the combat stress reactions have led to considerable preventable losses. Following is the discussion of combat stress reactions of World War I and World War II.

Stress Reactions during World War I

During World War I, some acute psychological reactions were observed in repose to the situation of war. The soldiers were observed to have dramatic symptoms including, amnesia, paralysis and blindness together with more subtle indications like anxiety, insomnia, depression and headache. Soldiers and healthcare authorities similarly had focus on high explosive artillery shells which were rained down by the Germans. These shells sent a shockwave which caused micro-hemorrhages in brain. The nature of these shell shocks was more affected with the anticipated commands of medical authorities, soldiers and society generally. Soldiers who were unable to bare the strain of war were left with no other means of communication for their inability thus they manifested the symptoms of physical disorders. Soldiers who showed their psychological orders were treated as mentally ill people or people who lost their sense of responsibility. Rates of RTD were raised as a result of this treatment. In England, the army sent their officials to Europe for the determination of appropriate treatment for casualties of stress. The stress casualties were first observed in advanced healthcare hospitals. In United States, soldiers were provided with the treatment of proximity, expectancy and immediacy. Their stress casualties were treated closely after the evacuation with the anticipation that those soldiers would return to duty. They later on added the simplicity in treatment with food, drink and sleep. However, those soldiers were unable to return to their duties within few days and they were sent to divisional healthcare units where their treatment was managed by division psychiatrist. The rate of ...