The concept that exposure to war, one of the most stressful events experienced by human beings, can lead to the development in some persons of a form of mental illness is not new (Mareth and Brooker 186). While one manifestation of this phenomenon, (shell shock,( was recognized prior to the twentieth century, however, individuals suffering from its effects typically were not perceived as victims of some form of mental illness. Instead, as in the Civil War in the United States, these sufferers were usually regarded as cowards and were punished, at times even executed as deserters (Talbott 41).
Studies of veterans of the Vietnam War led to the recognition of severe reactions to war-related trauma-induced stress as a specific, defined mental disorder. Many of those exposed to the Vietnam War had flashbacks during which they relived their past war experiences as if those experiences were occurring in the present (Mareth and Brooker 188). The disorder now had a name, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), with symptoms including recurring memories of and nightmares about combat, sleep difficulties, over-reactions to sudden noises or other startling events, and a numbing of emotions (Bower 229). Sufferers also frequently exhibit comorbid psychiatric disorders such as depression, other anxiety disorders, and alcohol and other substance abuse and dependence (Friedman, Schnurr and McDonagh 268). Since the American Psychiatric Association (APA) recognized PTSD as a psychiatric disorder in 1980, the definition has been extended to cover severe reactions to trauma-induced stress other than that associated with war (Jackson 533).
This research examines the changing way in which psychiatry has viewed severe reactions to trauma-induced stress from the war-related phenomenon of (shell shock( to the seeing these symptoms as manifestations of a mental disorder that may result from any trauma-induced stress. The initial discussion followin...