Psychological Disorders In Tim O Brien's The Things They Carried

I have always found interest in the way the brain functions. It is one of the primary influences on my decision to study psychology. As a psychology major I have learned all about why humans act as they do. One interesting concept is the way the body responds to stress. Stressors initiate the fight or flight response in the body. This is your brain’s way of telling your body whether it should stay or flee in a perceived or potentially dangerous situation. Cases in which the body does not have the option to flee can end up resulting in a brain alteration causing a psychological disorder. Paranoia, recklessness, depression, thoughts of suicide, night terrors, substance abuse, and sudden outbursts of violence are symptoms often present in soldiers returning from war. Tim O’Brien uses these symptoms to demonstrate the conditions of the soldiers he served with during the Vietnam War, in The Things They Carried. Such symptoms are likely to be caused by a condition known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD, in which is classified as a psychological disorder that occurs due to witnessing or experiencing some type of traumatic life changing event. Upon their return soldiers with PTSD frequently have trouble readjusting to …show more content…
O’Brien uses the characters in The Things They Carried to depict the actualization of PTSD, and the effects it has on the soldiers and the ones closest to them. The emotional realm of a solider can be affected just as well as anything physical. It is of vital importance to continue to uplift and support returning soldiers on their journey to recovery. Ultimately, no matter what experiences a soldier may come across during war they return fighting the bloodless