Friday, September 6, 2019
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Soldiers in Iran Essay Example for Free
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Soldiers in Iran Essay Abstract            The conditions of post-traumatic conditions have been one of the major side effects on soldiers engaging wars and negative environment in the area of Iran. The psychological impact of this event involves various manifestations that prove to be non-beneficial and may even impair the psychological, mental, emotional and physical health of these soldiers. Even though the condition is widely known, the advent of social conflicts and emerging wars in the Pakistani- Iran environment has continuously caused the negative trauma among soldiers facing the threats. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD) in Soldiers in Iran Introduction            In general psychological perspective, soldiers who engage in war with exposure to at least one battle can suffer trauma. The longer the exposure to war’s traumatic circumstances the deeper the post-traumatic sense of a life-death continuum that rests at the heart of the PTSD syndrome. Soldiers with exposure to trauma would experience various post-traumatic states. In a military culture that emphasizes courage under fire, counterphobic impulsivity would dominate as the ideal mental and emotion state, and promoted the aggressive personality. Each soldier has a breaking point at which phobia breaks through. In some cases, phobia dominated from the beginning. The point at which the soldier’s spirit broke would lead to a state pf phobic withdrawal. In either case, the exposure to battle or an environment where death and dying by implements of war were common would create a life-death continuum (Reid, 2001 p.427).            As soldiers rotated home or were sent home wounded, difficulties became apparent. While many came home and resumed their lives, some brought home drug dependencies and emotional problems, including explosive anger, distrust of others and vigilance beyond what was considered normal. The problems came to the attention of the medical groups, Andover time, doctors and psychiatrists began to elaborate on the concept of traumatic stress and PSTD (Roberts, 2003 p. 6). The most immediate effects of traumatic scenarios are manifested in the sensory that causes overload through sudden exposure to the bewildering, often exotic details of a much less advanced and alien society. Iran-American soldiers are both victims of the traumatic events experienced in the war; thus, engages these individuals in PSTD. Discussion PSTD: An Overview            What is now referred to as PSTD has been around since recorded history under many different designations and description, and the most prominent manifestations are for those individuals who engage in traumatic events, such as war and deviant phenomenon (Lewis, 2006 p,63). PSTD occurs in response to the personal experience of overwhelming, terrifying, potentially lethal stress directed toward oneself or someone with whom the individual has a close attachment. The condition is a unique mental disorder that develops directly as a result of exposure to some type of trauma (Lewis, 2006 p,62). Examples of possible precipitations of PSTD would include severe automobile accidents, being raped or assaulted, and being exposed violent events. The individual then re-experiences the event in various ways, such as recurrent stressful recollections of the event, dreams of the event, and a sense that the traumatic event may be occurring again. The individual then attempts to avoid such cues in different methodologies, such as numbing of responses or becoming distant and removed (Mitchell, 2001 p.107).            In the field of traumatic stress studies, it has been common, if not traditionally accepted, to define trauma by the nature of the stressors that influence the individual. Psychologically traumatic event can be construed as one in which the person has experienced an external stressor event that is injurious to the normal state and results in a condition that reflects this injury to the pre-traumatic state of being (Lewis, 2006 p,62-63). Thus, the injury caused by a traumatic event could produce varying degrees of distress to the victim for varying lengths of time, depending on the nature of the person, the nature of the traumatic experience, and the personal and social resources available for recovery and re-stabilization of the psychological state (Williams, 1994 p.7). PSTD is an unusual emotional disorder in that unlike disorders, such as depression and panic disorder, it is not defined simply in terms of its symptoms. To qualify for a diagnosis of PSTD, an individual must be exposed to an incident in which he or she feels that his or her life, safety, or emotional integrity has been seriously threatened. Often, for victims who have experienced a traumatic event, they may first be diagnosed with an adjustment disorder or an acute stress disorder (Lewis, 2006 p,62). Wars have provided a setting where large numbers of soldiers, subjected to varying degrees of stress, could be observed and studied by physicians of the period. The stress caused by war has been codified and labeled with such terms as: combat exhaustion, traumatic war neurosis, war or combat stress and, most recently, PSTD (Scrignar, 1991 p.87). Assessing traumatic experiences and understanding their impact on the trauma victim involve determining what is stored in the trauma network. While keeping the stimulus, response, and meaning dimensions in mind, the clinician should listen carefully to the clients account of the trauma, and then inquire explicitly about memory elements that are absent or de-emphasized (Williams, 1992 p.24). PSTD symptoms are generally grouped into three categories (Lewis, 2006 p,63) Re-experiencing includes disturbed sleep, intrusive memories, distressing dreams, nightmares, flashbacks, reliving the event, a view of the world as unsafe. Numbing and avoidance mistrust of others, isolation and disconnection, emotional or psychic numbness, low self-esteem, neglect of health, dissociation, ability to remember memories or feelings but not both, memory loss for certain events, loss of faith and hope. Hyperarousal – intense emotions, difficulty sleeping, panic and anxiousness, self-harm, risky behaviors, irritability, anger, difficulty concentrating. PSTD: Sufferings of the Soldiers            In the aftermath of September 11, many parents and educators have struggled to help young people cope with traumatic events and have sought out ways to teach about crises without causing more trauma and stress. The conflict between Iran and United States has been pushed to its very limits; hence, initiated catastrophic moves during 2001 up to present, which caused the another class of America-Iran war. Many studies conducted by the American Psychiatric Association indicated that many American soldiers experience post-traumatic stress disorder, which follows a psychologically traumatic event outside of the range of usual human experiences. The symptoms may include nightmares, depression, withdrawal, hopelessness, sleep disorders, and other somatic complaints. The terrorism of September 11, 2001, and its association with Afghanistan have only added to the stress faced by the soldiers as well as the refugees living in the area as well as United States (Andrews and Boyle, 2002 p.328).            Military psychologists have long known that fear, stress, and exhaustion cause more casualties than do bombs and bullets. The ratios of psychological to physical casualties can be enormous considering the fact that war-related trauma is potentially severe, repeated and prolonged. Many American soldiers who fought for Iran and Afghanistan war during terrorism counter-siege have experienced immense manifestations psychological torture. According to psychological analysts, the primary goal of terrorism is to inflict psychological trauma for political ends. The exploitation of terror for political purposes is hardly new, when the French government employed terrorism to buttress the revolution (Allen, 2005 p.9).            According to statistics issued by United States Army of mental health, 76% of soldiers have been traumatized by deaths or severe injuries of individuals close to them, while 55% of the soldiers have experienced near-death situations (e.g. bomb explosions, bomb trap, and roadside explosions). These causations have been deemed as the primary contributor to the occurrence of the said conditions (Weinstein, 2006). The table below shows the decline and rise of lethality, fatality and psychological trauma caused by the terrorism in the surveyed American military force. Table 1. Decline and Rise of Lethality, Fatality and Psychological Trauma Caused by the Terrorism Year U.S Dept. of State # Incidents U.S. Dept. of State # of Fatalities U.S Dept. of State #. Psychologically Traumatized 1994 322 314 663 1995 440 177 6,277 1996 296 314 2,915 1997 304 221 693 1998 273 741 5,952 1999 392 233 706 2000 423 405 791 2001 567 * 50,000 8,902 2002 663 * 20,000 16,321 Note: * Data are crude estimates only since, the number of fatalities is yet to be determined due to lack of data available. Source: Das and Peter, 2003 p.43-44            The table above shows variably rising and falling statistics with certain timeline that determines the probable cause of the rise and fall. For example, the recent terrorism attacks of 2001 has caused immense fatalities, and the number continued to progress but greatly lowered since most of the fatalities during 2002 are mostly from military activities. However, sad to say, the number of those who has been traumatized increased in two-folds due to the war that these military powers engaged. The trauma caused by war caused psychological impact due to trauma among these soldiers as manifested by the table statistics above; hover, PSTD may not be the sole classification of the trauma caused by the said impact. Other psychological trauma-related conditions have been reported to occur in these soldiers, such as phobia, severe anxiety disorders, etc (Das and Peter, 2003 p.45-46).            Post-traumatic conditions have been found to most of the soldiers that entered the episodes of war. Only recently (2006), the Ministry of Defense has decided to reward $375,000 upon membership to Armed Forces who have suffered PSTD from Iraq-American wars (Evans, 2006). The federal government has allotted these funds in order to provide free treatment of those soldiers who incur physical and psychological damage from the field, such as those with PSTD. Medications for PSTD patients, such as Fluoexetine, sertraline, paroxetine, propanolol, have been provided by the government in order to ensure the treatment progression of these soldiers. Furthermore, psychological counseling, treatment and management for remedy of phobia or trauma have been initiated through federal government’s grants (Weinstein, 2006; Evans, 2006). References: Allen, J. G. (2005). Coping with Trauma: Hope Through Understanding. American Psychiatric Pub. Andrews, M. M., Boyle, J. S. (2002). Transcultural Concepts in Nursing Care. Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Das, D. K., Kratcoski, P. C. (2003). Meeting the Challenges of Global Terrorism: Prevention, Control, and Global Terrorism. Lexington Books. Evans, M. (2006, November 17). MoD agrees  £375,000 for post-trauma stress. Retrieved January 10, 2008, from Times Online: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article1087438.ece Lewis, G. W. (2006). Organizational Crisis Management: The Human Factor. CRC Press. Matiolli, D. J. (2003, January). War with Iraq. Social Education, 67, Mitchell, J. (2001). Points of View: Stories of Psychopathology. Psychology Press. Reid, J. J. (2000). Crisis of the Ottoman Empire: Prelude to Collapse 1839-1878. Franz Steiner Verlag. Roberts, C. A. (2003). Coping with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Guide for Families. McFarland Company. Scott, M. J., Stradling, S. G. (2000). Counselling for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. SAGE. Scrignar, C. B. (1991). Stress Strategies: The Treatment of the Anxiety Disorders. Wellness Institute, Inc.. Weinstein, M. N. (2006, January). The Psychological Dilemma of Terrorism Post 9-11. Annals of the American Psychotherapy Association, 3, Williams, M. B. (1994). Handbook of Post-Traumatic Therapy. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
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