Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
PTSD is a psychiatric condition caused by seeing traumatic experiences such as conflicts. People who are affected have headaches, hallucinations, feelings of loneliness, remorse, and irritability. Although most people will suffer trauma at any stage in their lives, this does not guarantee that these stressful events will result in PTSD. Some of the factors that cause trauma to accelerate to PTSD include the duration of the trauma, the kind of support the individual received after the event, the frequency of other traumatic familiarities in an individuals life, and reaction to similar issues (Prakash et.al 190).
Common Misconceptions about PTSD
There is a common misconception about post-traumatic stress disorder regarding military or combat experiences. Most people perceive that PTSD is common among the military service members and veterans who experienced the horrors of war. In contrast, the National Centre for PTSD outlines that the disorder results from an array of factors. Therefore, this paper seeks to outline the facts overshadowing the misconception of occurrence of PTSD only to military service members.
Background
Working in the military brings the possibility of bodily harm, losing close friends, separation from loved ones and exposure to terrifying events. As many as 30 percents of military service members redeployed from Afghanistan and Iraq are reported to experience stress reactions associated with these situations. Even though the hostile exposures may lead to the PTSD, facts, and fiction about PTSD are sometimes hard to identify. Although military service members may experience stress reactions resulting from a combat deployment, it does not necessarily mean that they are under PTSD (Pitman et.al 769). Some of the common symptoms associated with both combat stress and PTSD entail nightmares, reliving the event, and increased anxiety. Nonetheless, early identification of the symptoms is appropriate for the enabling formulation of effective intervention.
Support for the Claim
The assumption that military service members are vulnerable to PTSD is a worrying misconception. The perception is unfair to veterans because it progresses a misunderstanding regarding the care and management of PTSD. Besides, the extent of well-intentioned public awareness about military aimed at educating service members’ sidelines the population dealing with the condition of anonymity (Seedat 187). Why assume that members of military service are more likely to have PTSD than the non-veteran population as a whole? As stated by the National Center for PTSD, the stance lacks any scientific or medical backing. The facts about PTSD are as follows. First, about 7-8 percent of the adults in the US population will develop PTSD sometime in their lives. Secondly, about 10 percent of all women and 4 percent of men will develop PTSD sometimes in their lives. Third, approximately 8 million non-veteran adults have some degree of diagnosed PTSD in a year. This number is greater than the estimated 432,000 Iraq and 720,000 Afghan wars veterans who have some form of PTSD (O'Toole et.al 318). Lastly, only 1 in 10 military service members goes to combat. In this view, the leading cause of PTSD in women soldiers is not combat but sexual assault just like other civilian women.
Opposing view
Remarkably, PTSD affects a large percentage of members of military service in the United States. Moreover, the government allocates millions of dollars to improve diagnoses and treatment for veterans who suffer from PTSD. The trauma and catastrophes witnessed by soldiers affect every aspect of their mental, physical, and emotional health. Even though psychological health illnesses are a common problem for battle veterans, several military personnel ignore clinical assistance. This implies that exposure to stressors can develop into severe problems such as PTSD. Furthermore, a recent report indicates that estimates of PTSD range from forty to forty-five percent for those soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan (“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder” 33). Approximately 20 percent of 30,000 suicides are attributed to veterans each year. This number represents a considerable number of military personnel suffering with mental health problems.
Strength of Opponent’s Claim
Members of military services are often exposed to events that contribute to trauma that can worsen to PTSD. Soldiers in combat theaters of operation and other potentially hostile military deployment missions are vulnerable to many conceivable dangers. Besides, veterans endure excessive physical exertion, lack of sleep and social support systems that reduces their health status and quality of life (Javidi and Yadollahie 2). Moreover, female military members are more vulnerable to military sexual trauma than their male counterpart. A study carried out by the Department of Veterans Affairs illustrates that out of around 1.7 million patients receiving care, 22 % of females, and 1% of males reported military sexual (Javidi and Yadollahie 2).
Weakness of Opponent’s Claim
The assumption that veterans especially those in combat vets suffer from PTSD is a wrong perception that stigmatizes the military and shifts attention away from the broader population. Furthermore, other events cause PTSD apart from aggressive war and combats. Thus, PTSD is a challenge that affects many people other than the service men.
Rebuttals for Opponent’s Claim
All Members of Military Service Have PTSD: While as most individuals who are exposed to traumatic events are more vulnerable to psychological trauma, not every military member develops PTSD. Notably, people are different implying that each has a unique way of reacting to a stressful situation. Thus, some service members are more proficient at managing stress than the colleagues.
Military Service Members Only Experience PTSD Immediately After a Traumatic Event or a Combat: This is not true since symptoms associated with PTSD occur within three months after the traumatic event. However, the symptoms may not appear until six months or a year later. In most cases, new stresses or old memories can bring before the trauma. The condition results in immense mental health problems for the affected people.
Military Service Members Can Never Fully Recover From PTSD: Successful treatment and a positive outcome can be obtained when the condition is detected at an early stage. Principally, seeking psychological intervention enhances the process of eliminating or reducing the severe effects of mental illnesses.
Conclusion
PTSD is a condition that extends beyond members of military service and affects millions of Americans. In addition, many events can initiate PTSD apart from war. These stressors include sudden death of a loved one, childhood neglect, sexual or physical abuse, robberies, and natural or human-made disasters or accidents. Therefore, increasing awareness about PTSD and PTSD treatment is paramount. Javidi and Yadollahie articulate that while military service members may experience stress reactions resulting from a combat deployment, it does not necessarily mean they have PTSD (2). Media coverage of the challenge facing some veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has shifted the attention of PTSD from non-war patients and the generation population to the military. This is unfortunate since it causes stigmatization of the military.
Work Cited
“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” Australian Nursing and Midwifery Journal, vol. 23, no. 5, 2015., pp. 32-33.
Javidi, H., and Yadollahie, M,. “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” The international journal of occupational and environmental medicine, vol. 3, no. 1, 2012., pp. 2.
O’Toole, Brian I., et al. “The physical and mental health of Australian Vietnam veterans 3 decades after the war and its relation to military service, combat, and post-traumatic stress disorder.” American Journal of Epidemiology 170.3 (2009): 318-330.
Pitman, Roger K., et al. “Biological Studies of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” Nature reviews. Neuroscience, vol. 13, no. 11, 2012., pp. 769 doi:10.1038/nrn3339.
Prakash, Jyoti, et al. “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.” Medical Journal Armed Forces India, vol. 72, no. 2, 2016;2015;., pp. 189-191 doi:10.1016/j.mjafi.2015.04.004.
Seedat, S. “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” South African Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 19, no. 3, 2013., pp. 187.
