Often times people after a war will count the damage of war through financial means and by amount of soldiers killed... but really war sinks so much deeper into society's skin. DAMAGE TO THE VETERANS initial study of WOT veterans. Source: Erbes, C., Westermeyer, J., Engdahl, B., & Johnsen, E. (2007). Post-traumatic stress disorder and service utilization in a sample of service members from Iraq and Afghanistan. Military Medicine, 172, 359-363. The veterans alone of, of the Iraq war itself were shown to have 6% PTSD 27% Alcohol abuse. On a wider spectrum 62% of all veterans were shown to need mental health care and therapy after the war, of these. 11% reported use of mental medication 13% had individual therapy 12% had group therapy 2% had treatment for substance use 51% were involved in breifings/debreifings. And although 62% of all veterans showed a need for mental health care, It's been shown that a great number are not getting the help they need. DAMAGE TO THE VETERANS P2 In another survey the rates are much higher, these rates were taken after the initial study when people began to settle back home over 40% were shown to have clear PTSD 18% nearly, or were unsure if they had PTSD And the study has been shown that most of these veterans had high rates of anger. DAMAGE TO SOCIETY It's been shown that over half of all veterans with PTSD have been cited with Fighting Making physical threats Destroying property Abuse/ Neglect of family. EFFECTING OUR CHILDREN It's been shown, and in my opinion an obvious statement, that when there is much turmoil in a family it can seriously damage the children's psyches. in a report from one woman "The children can develop PTSD of their own. They become traumatized by the situation in the home and by witnessing traumatic events, like their fathers’ suicide attempts. The drinking and drugging that the vets sometimes use to self-medicate also affect their children. Our children often grow up developing secondary PTSD too, and will show symptoms similar to their fathers’." This meaning that the PTSD developed from the war can actually develop in their children as well, and often times does. It often leads to people fearful of their fathers and becoming increasingly attatched to their mothers. They grow up timid and shy, fearful even and take the residual force of war. THE DAMAGE IN TOTAL. War does not stop at the frontline, war carries with it a cold and bitter nature that comes home with our veterans. It infects our children, and our children infect other children, and create a vicious cycle. With all this being said, we should be better to our veterans, avoid war at all costs and ensure that the next generation is loved and respected. Sources: Erbes, C., Westermeyer, J., Engdahl, B., & Johnsen, E. (2007). Posttraumatic stress disorder and service utilization in a sample of service members from Iraq and Afghanistan. Military Medicine, 172, 359-363. Hoge, C.W., Castro, C.A., Messer, S.C., McGurk, D., Cotting, D.I., & Koffman, R.L. (2004). Combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan: mental health problems and barriers to care. New England Journal of Medicine, 351, 13-22. Jakupcak, M., Conybeare, D., Phelps, L., Hunt, S., Holmes, H.A., Felker, B., Klevens, M., & McFall, M.E. (2007). Anger, hostility, and aggression among Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans reporting PTSD and subthreshold PTSD. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 20, 945-954. Tull, M.T., Jakupcak, M., Paulson, A., & Gratz, K.L. (2007). The role of emotional inexpressivity and experiential avoidance in the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder symptom severity and aggressive behavior among men exposed to interpersonal violence. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping: An International Journal, 20, 337-351.
Excellent post! My father was a combatant in WWII and my mother was a civilian refugee. They both had undiagnosed PTSD as a result of their experiences. That war was mostly to blame for their screwed up parenting skills, and therefore responsible for me being the interesting fellow that I am. So here it is, 70 years later, and the psychological effects are still being felt. It bears remembering every time a political leader commits troops to combat. Thanks for that.
