Side Effects From The War: PTSD

By | December 3, 2018

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Image: A grief stricken American infantryman is comforted by another soldier in the Haktong-ni area, Korea, August 28 1950. (U.S. ARMY KOREA HISTORICAL IMAGE ARCHIVE/ FLICKR)

What is PTSD? PTSD stands for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder which is a serious condition that develops after a person has experienced something very traumatic in their life, in this case, war.

In most cases, under normal conditions, a person can overcome feelings of anger, shock, fear, nervousness, and guilt after a tragic event in their life, but for those who suffer from PTSD, it’s not so easy. For them, the condition only worsens. Symptoms include: reliving the event or events through flashbacks, nightmares, and hallucinations; avoiding places or people that remind them of the trauma; increased emotional changes such as outbursts of anger, inability to feel or show emotion, trouble falling or staying asleep, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and other negative emotions. 

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Around 2.5 percent of the total population in the U.S., which is about eight million people suffer from PTSD and the rate goes even higher among veterans who were in Iraq and Afghanistan. A lot of these are undiagnosed and are at risk of losing family and careers. Some have even committed suicide because of the effect this condition has on them. It not only affects the individual who has it but also their family and friends.