The psychological risks of combat for returning soldiers Over the past 20 years, more Australian soldiers died from suicide than those who died at war. Losing a peer is often hard for militaries. Even though psychological help is offered to help them, many refuse it. For veterans, it is not manly to seek mental health care. In fact, men are supposed to be strong enough to recover from war by themselves. One of the main psychological problems, post-traumatic stress disorder, consist of disturbing thoughts, flashback or dreams related to the event, mental or physical distress and alterations in how a person thinks and feels. As a matter of fact, PTSD sufferers should be forced to be treated in order to avoid dangerous behaviors. First, this
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As a result, returning soldiers might affect their surroundings. In 1997, Beckham, Feldmand, Kirby, Hertzberg and Moore led two studies concerning interpersonal violence in veterans with PTSD: “These results suggest that combat veterans with PTSD exhibit greater interpersonal violence than combat veterans without PTSD, and that there are multiple factors in this population which determine violent behavior.’’ (p.1). Therefore, returning soldiers with this disorder might be dangerous for their surroundings. This violence could take several forms: intimidation, verbal abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, rape and many more. The occurrence of violence in PTSD could be compared to the occurrence with depressive disorders or anxiety. Even if the range of violent PTSD sufferers varies from 5 % to 11.7%, there is a risk for their loved ones. Moreover, PTSD is known as a contagious disorder which means that the problem of the soldier becomes the problem of the whole surrounding. According to Galovski and Lyons (2004), ‘’Veterans’ wives retrospectively reported feeling more anxiety, loneliness, hostility, severe psychopathology and somatization, and less optimism immediately after their husbands’ return from war.’’ (p.480). Consequently, women living with returning veterans may be affected by psychological disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorders. Living with the rages, blame, irritability, paranoia and other symptoms of returning veterans is not easy for the wife’s victim. As an example, the PTSD veteran’s nightmares could interrupt his spouse’s sleep and consequently lead her dealing with insomnia. In 1998, Riggs, Byrne, Weathers and Litz declared that, ‘’Over 70% of the PTSD veterans and their partners reported clinically significant levels of relationship distress compared to only about 30% of the non-PTSD couples.’’ (p.87). Also, partners of returning militaries with PTSD are more likely
As a result, returning soldiers might affect their surroundings. In 1997, Beckham, Feldmand, Kirby, Hertzberg and Moore led two studies concerning interpersonal violence in veterans with PTSD: “These results suggest that combat veterans with PTSD exhibit greater interpersonal violence than combat veterans without PTSD, and that there are multiple factors in this population which determine violent behavior.’’ (p.1). Therefore, returning soldiers with this disorder might be dangerous for their surroundings. This violence could take several forms: intimidation, verbal abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, rape and many more. The occurrence of violence in PTSD could be compared to the occurrence with depressive disorders or anxiety. Even if the range of violent PTSD sufferers varies from 5 % to 11.7%, there is a risk for their loved ones. Moreover, PTSD is known as a contagious disorder which means that the problem of the soldier becomes the problem of the whole surrounding. According to Galovski and Lyons (2004), ‘’Veterans’ wives retrospectively reported feeling more anxiety, loneliness, hostility, severe psychopathology and somatization, and less optimism immediately after their husbands’ return from war.’’ (p.480). Consequently, women living with returning veterans may be affected by psychological disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorders. Living with the rages, blame, irritability, paranoia and other symptoms of returning veterans is not easy for the wife’s victim. As an example, the PTSD veteran’s nightmares could interrupt his spouse’s sleep and consequently lead her dealing with insomnia. In 1998, Riggs, Byrne, Weathers and Litz declared that, ‘’Over 70% of the PTSD veterans and their partners reported clinically significant levels of relationship distress compared to only about 30% of the non-PTSD couples.’’ (p.87). Also, partners of returning militaries with PTSD are more likely