The human body is extremely resilient; however, it is not completely indestructible. The human body, as well as the human mind, can endure a large amount of punishment and continue living. In combat, and other traumatic events, the human body can suffer many different types of injuries, such as broken bones, loss of limbs, and severe burns; however, not all the injuries sustained in combat are visible. Although the human mind is capable of extraordinary things, it is quite susceptible to being injured. One stressful event, or a series of stressful events, can cause serious damage to the human mind. Traumatic brain injuries can be terribly severe, and can be caused by any number of events. Numerous combat veterans have returned home with some
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“The American Civil War (1861-1865) and the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) mark the start of formal medical attempts to address the problems of military Veterans exposed to combat” (Friedman, 2015, para. 3). Before this, PTSD and PTSD related symptoms were thought of as weaknesses in the soldiers who were fighting in the wars. They were looked down on and thought of as being cowards. It was not until military leaders and medical professionals began to realize something was not right that these symptoms were further scrutinized. They realized their soldiers were having mental issues due to combat related incidents, and they were becoming combat ineffective. Something had to be done to ensure the soldiers were mentally capable of fighting, and there needed to be an answer as to what was causing the symptoms. Until 1980, PTSD had several different names, such as combat nostalgia, shell shock, battle fatigue, and Combat Stress Reaction (CSR). “Prior to U.S. military efforts, Austrian physician Josef Leopold (1761) wrote about "nostalgia" among soldiers” (Friedman, 2015, para. 4). Combat nostalgia was linked to soldiers showing signs and symptoms of depression caused from being away from home, as well as being involved in traumatic combat incidents. As time went on, more wars were fought, and studies on mental issues caused from combat related incidents were continued. …show more content…
When military personnel return from combat operations, they are screened by doctors and mental health professionals to ensure they are able to return to duty or civilian life. These screenings include eye exams, ear exams, detailed interviews, and even scans of the brain. If brain damage is found, or if the combat veteran shows signs of PTSD, a treatment plan is set in motion. As with most disorders, there are different levels of PTSD, and there are several different treatment options for each level, such as Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), medication, and even spiritual treatments. “Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is used as a treatment modality for PTSD by teaching service members new ways to handle distressing thoughts and to gain an understanding of traumatic events” (Wade, 2016, p. 62). CPT focuses on recreating the event, in terms of discussion and writing, and discussions about how the veteran feels because of the event. CPT has been a successful form of therapy for combat veterans, and has been known to lessen the effects of or to liberate a veteran from PTSD. Spiritually Informed Cognitive Processing Therapy (SICPT) is another form of therapy linked to freeing veterans of their PTSD symptoms. SICPT, just like CPT, incorporates discussions and exercises focusing on combat related events. However, SICPT focuses on the religious aspect, such as losing
“The American Civil War (1861-1865) and the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) mark the start of formal medical attempts to address the problems of military Veterans exposed to combat” (Friedman, 2015, para. 3). Before this, PTSD and PTSD related symptoms were thought of as weaknesses in the soldiers who were fighting in the wars. They were looked down on and thought of as being cowards. It was not until military leaders and medical professionals began to realize something was not right that these symptoms were further scrutinized. They realized their soldiers were having mental issues due to combat related incidents, and they were becoming combat ineffective. Something had to be done to ensure the soldiers were mentally capable of fighting, and there needed to be an answer as to what was causing the symptoms. Until 1980, PTSD had several different names, such as combat nostalgia, shell shock, battle fatigue, and Combat Stress Reaction (CSR). “Prior to U.S. military efforts, Austrian physician Josef Leopold (1761) wrote about "nostalgia" among soldiers” (Friedman, 2015, para. 4). Combat nostalgia was linked to soldiers showing signs and symptoms of depression caused from being away from home, as well as being involved in traumatic combat incidents. As time went on, more wars were fought, and studies on mental issues caused from combat related incidents were continued. …show more content…
When military personnel return from combat operations, they are screened by doctors and mental health professionals to ensure they are able to return to duty or civilian life. These screenings include eye exams, ear exams, detailed interviews, and even scans of the brain. If brain damage is found, or if the combat veteran shows signs of PTSD, a treatment plan is set in motion. As with most disorders, there are different levels of PTSD, and there are several different treatment options for each level, such as Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), medication, and even spiritual treatments. “Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is used as a treatment modality for PTSD by teaching service members new ways to handle distressing thoughts and to gain an understanding of traumatic events” (Wade, 2016, p. 62). CPT focuses on recreating the event, in terms of discussion and writing, and discussions about how the veteran feels because of the event. CPT has been a successful form of therapy for combat veterans, and has been known to lessen the effects of or to liberate a veteran from PTSD. Spiritually Informed Cognitive Processing Therapy (SICPT) is another form of therapy linked to freeing veterans of their PTSD symptoms. SICPT, just like CPT, incorporates discussions and exercises focusing on combat related events. However, SICPT focuses on the religious aspect, such as losing