Introduction
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an anxiety disorder is caused by people’s exposure to situations that result to them experiencing psychological suffering. For instance, these situations can lead to various threats, injury and even deaths. People experience various situations that lead to them developing post-traumatic stress disorders. Examples of these are personal assaults, wars, accidents, and natural disasters. PTSD is usually characterizes by fear. Such people will in most cases detach themselves and not want to associate with other people and this even leads to the lack of sleep. Mostly, people with post-traumatic stress disorders will experience frightening thoughts and false memories. This paper discusses the effects that PTSD has on those people returning from Iraq.
Discussion
The experiences of war are characterized by sadness, guilt and dread and this is a common experience for war veterans. According to Taylor & Baker (2007) similar feelings of difficulties when relating to noncombats and mood swings have been reported by combat veterans. Following unexpected things that people experience, they are expected to be traumatized. This is because the human mind stores a lot of information and thus they will always have those memories which may have great influences on them. This can however be resolved by giving the war veterans an understanding. This helps in their moral as well as psychosocial development. Most of the war veterans of Iraq experienced the war during their late adolescence stages. It is the failure to resolve the psychosocial tasks of late adolescence that resulted to them developing PTSD. The effect this has had on them is that they are unable to share their experiences, and thus resulting to difficulties in relating to other people.
Reports indicate that war veterans who are PTSD diagnosed appear to be of an older subjective age. Further, PTSD affected their physical health and that is why their identity appeared to be of an older age. In addition to effects on their physical health, their mental health was also affected and this meant the loss of memory (Solomon, Helvitz & Zerach, 2008). Trauma in ones life makes them have the feeling of being of an older age and this is what led to the war veterans experiencing an older subjective age. PTSD also led to negative events in life.
Age is related to moral development levels. For instance, a study carried out by Taylor & Baker (2007) revealed that half of the respondents who were PTSD diagnosed were above 30 years of age and had first experienced war in their late adolescence. PTSD affects both psychosocial and moral development of persons. Studies have shown that the psychosocial development of war veterans affected by PTSD between the ages of 30-67 is lower as compared to that of freshmen in college. Further, their moral development only compares to that of junior students in high school. This shows that PTSD greatly affects the development of war veterans.
According to Solomon, Helvitz & Zerach (2008) these perceptions of an older subjective age and problems in health can be related to low self esteem, weak ego and negative affect. This is because trauma spoils the trust that people hold in themselves and in others as well. Further, the people diagnosed with PTSD will not see life’s value and thus tend to become hopeless. PTSD also affects other functioning areas in life. For instance it may lead to occupational as well as sexual dysfunction. Post-traumatic stress disorders are also related weight gains which make a great contribution towards the identity of an older age. Because of the loss of memory and other problems in memory, these people who suffers from such problems will see themselves as being older that their actual ages.
The life quality that people live has greater relations to their perceived age as compared to their chronological age. With the perception that they are of an older age, veterans diagnosed with PTSD leave a life of a lower quality than PTSD free people of their similar ages. The quality of life that people live is greatly affected by their physical health, mental as well as social relationships. With poor physical health and mental problems, the war veterans diagnosed with PTSD lead a difficult life. This is a life that can be characterized by frequent stresses. Human beings cannot exist as an island but rather as part of a larger social community. Since PTSD results to reduced or even lack of social relationships, the life quality of the veterans is lowered. Further, they loose their self worth and are not even motivated to live. Thus, life will tend to become meaningless to them.
PTSD has been reported to affect the mental functioning of the veterans. One of the reasons for such effects is because of the sexual harassment and assault that they faced when in service. Therefore, this has resulted to sexual trauma. According to Kimerling et al. (2010) this is not only observed with the militants but the civilians as well. This is mainly observed with women. Because of this sexual trauma, the veterans suffer from mental health illness. PTSD has also been related to substance abuse. In most cases, people will tend to indulge in the use of drugs and other substances so as to forgo their stresses. Therefore, because of the stresses that are associated with sexual trauma, war veterans tend to indulge in substance abuse. This further affects their physical as well as mental health.
Studies have shown that soldiers returning from Iraq suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Among the physical and mental health problems identified is the traumatic brain injury. Therefore, there is need to focus on the medical needs of these returning war veterans. Because of the implications of war, there was repeated deployment of soldiers to fight. According to Kline et al. (2010) war veterans in Iraq experienced a lot of combat stress. This is what led to the study on the effects that multiple deployments had on the physical and mental health of the soldiers who were deployed to Iraq. The study revealed that medically ill soldiers were being returned to fight. Further, this group was reported to experience PTSD and depression. Since troops who were believed not to be medically fit to actively participate in their lines of duty were deployed to Iraq, this led to them developing PTSD.
It is this PTSD that resulted to the reports of stigma in mental health. Because of this stigma, the soldiers did not report these symptoms and thus resulting to even more suffering. Therefore, this resulted to psychological distress in the soldiers who were returning from the war in Iraq (Kline et al., 2010). PTSD is observed as a long term effects and it emerges long after the return from war. Therefore, it is important to have post deployment reassessment so as to recognize those veterans who might have suffered the symptoms but failed to report. This is also associated with the fear that comes about with PTSD. Because of being frightened, the soldiers are not able to report the symptoms. Repeated deployment of soldiers to Iraq greatly affected their mental and physical functioning. This then resulted to their psychological impairment and thus need to be treated for PTSD. However, the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder suffers the challenge of the lack of health care.
PTSD is mainly a mental illness. This is because the veterans experience fear that is mostly in their thoughts and thus manipulated in their actions and behaviors. Therefore, they need mental health care. This care can be offered by counseling as well as personal relations. According to Taylor & Baker (2007) family therapy is useful in dealing with PTSD. Further, cognitive therapy is important since it helps in their cognitive development. This is because following the bad memories of war and the PTSD, the veterans are not able to engage in good reasoning levels. This implies that they are not able to solely cope with the emotions, fears, confusion and trauma that they suffer from.
Conclusion
Posttraumatic stress disorder has various effects on the people returning from Iraq. This is because these people experienced suffering that resulted to them having a lot of fear. Further, among the most traumatizing experiences that people can have is war. Therefore, the Iraq war was traumatizing for the veterans. This led to a lot of stress and depression for the veterans. Among the PTSD effects are delayed psychosocial and moral developments, lack of social relationships, perceptions of an older subjective age, physical and mental health problems. Further, the veterans experience mental stigma. Therefore, these war veterans need PTSD treatment and this can be done by counseling and cognitive therapy
References
Kimerling, R. et al., (2010). Military-Related Sexual Trauma Among Veterans Health Administration Patients Returning From Afghanistan and Iraq. American Journal of Public Health. Volume 100 (8), p. 1409-1412. 52335341.
Kline, A. et al., (2010). Effects of Repeated Deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan on the Health of New Jersey Army National Guard Troops: Implications for Military Readiness. American Journal of Public Health. Volume 100 (2), p. 276-282. 47521824.
Solomon, Z., Helvitz, H. & Zerach, G. (2009). Subjective age, PTSD and physical health among war veterans. Aging & Mental Health. Volume 13 (3), p. 405-413. 40627017.
Taylor, J.G. & Baker, S.B. (2007). Psychological and Moral Development of PTSD-Diagnosed Combat Veterans. Journal of Counseling & Development. Volume 85, p. 364-369. 25930256.
