Wounded Veterans
Wounded Veterans
English 101 Effective Essay Writing
October 7, 2012
Shawna Rand
Wounded Veterans
As of December 2009, over 3.3 million American troops have been sent overseas into Iraq and Afghanistan alone; 793,000 of them have been deployed more than once. (Tan, 2009) Sadly, not all of our troops return home alive and many that do face many challenges ahead. Physical wounds surly do not go unnoticed. They are fairly common in war time situations and are even shown in war movies. They show the viewer a sense of what a soldier goes through when injured and what to expect; but what about the mental wounds? The United States sends thousands of military men and women overseas into battle, returning them home with not only physical wounds but mental wounds as well.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), often known as combat stress, is an anxiety disorder which happens after being exposed to a traumatic life event. ("Make the connection,") Being sent into battle where bombs are set off at random and guns’ being fired toward a soldier’s direction is a great environment to obtain PTSD.
How does one know if he or she has PTSD? There is a long list of signs and symptoms to detect if one has the disorder. These include, but are not limited to, having nightmares, vivid memories and or flashbacks of the traumatic event; making them feel like it’s happening all over again. Depression, anxiety, and irritation are also symptoms. Other signs include withdrawals from places and people that remind them of the event, drug and alcohol use to numb the pain and constantly working to occupy one’s mind. ("Make the connection,")
These are only signs that one may or may not have PTSD. How can one tell if they are truly suffering from this disorder? First one has to meet the criteria from the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). There are six levels one has to meet in order to be properly diagnosed with PTSD. These levels are labeled A-F; stressor,
English 101 Effective Essay Writing
October 7, 2012
Shawna Rand
Wounded Veterans
As of December 2009, over 3.3 million American troops have been sent overseas into Iraq and Afghanistan alone; 793,000 of them have been deployed more than once. (Tan, 2009) Sadly, not all of our troops return home alive and many that do face many challenges ahead. Physical wounds surly do not go unnoticed. They are fairly common in war time situations and are even shown in war movies. They show the viewer a sense of what a soldier goes through when injured and what to expect; but what about the mental wounds? The United States sends thousands of military men and women overseas into battle, returning them home with not only physical wounds but mental wounds as well.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), often known as combat stress, is an anxiety disorder which happens after being exposed to a traumatic life event. ("Make the connection,") Being sent into battle where bombs are set off at random and guns’ being fired toward a soldier’s direction is a great environment to obtain PTSD.
How does one know if he or she has PTSD? There is a long list of signs and symptoms to detect if one has the disorder. These include, but are not limited to, having nightmares, vivid memories and or flashbacks of the traumatic event; making them feel like it’s happening all over again. Depression, anxiety, and irritation are also symptoms. Other signs include withdrawals from places and people that remind them of the event, drug and alcohol use to numb the pain and constantly working to occupy one’s mind. ("Make the connection,")
These are only signs that one may or may not have PTSD. How can one tell if they are truly suffering from this disorder? First one has to meet the criteria from the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). There are six levels one has to meet in order to be properly diagnosed with PTSD. These levels are labeled A-F; stressor,
References: dsm criteria for ptsd. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/pages/dsm-iv-tr-ptsd.asp Lin, Dr. (2012, September 18). Interview by J Westrich [Personal Interview]. Military veterans facing ptsd and tbi. Make the connection. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://maketheconnection.net/conditions/ptsd Soldiers and tbi. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.bcftbi.org/soldiers.asp Tan, M. (2009, December 18). 2 million troops have deployed since 9/11. Retrieved from http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/12/military_deployments_121809w/ Traumatic brain injury. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/TraumaticBrainInjury/index.html U.s department of veteran affairs. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.va.gov/ Wounded warriors project. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/mission.aspx