How does War Mentally affect everyone involved?
Written by: Matthew Matta
The struggle of war is a conflict many people have to bear everyday. Thousands of people attempt to flee and keep themselves safe from dangerous conflicts that could harm them. Many people experience physical harm, which can be costly to their lives, but feel as though their physical health is much more important than their mental health, which they perceive should be of no immediate attention. Mental health is a key factor in keeping one's mind and body in the best shape, and war makes the body take a toll on itself. Many of these mental health effects changed the lives of many people post-war as they suffered from PTSD, Depression and Anxiety.
A major mental health problem that many people face post-war is PTSD. PTSD is a psychological response to the experience of intense traumatic events, particularly those that threaten life. These traumatic events can vary from person to person, so it can be vastly different between people. This variation in people's' reactions occurs because of their individual personality, beliefs, personal values, and previous experiences (especially of other traumatic events in their life). For people going through war, the trauma may relate to direct combat duties, being in a dangerous war zone, or taking part in peacekeeping missions under difficult and stressful conditions. For civilians, the trauma can stem from either man-made events, such as physical or sexual assault, accidents, and witnessing the death or injury of others. The amount of PTSD is vast, and can be found worldwide in the Vietnam War veterans. A study mandated by the congress showed that approximately 15 percent of men and 9 percent of women were found to currently have PTSD. Approximately 30 percent of men and 27 percent of women had PTSD at some point in their life following Vietnam. These findings, obtained approximately a decade after the end of the Vietnam War, found that for many veterans, their PTSD had become long lasting and persistent. These findings show that PTSD can be found from all sorts of traumatic events like war, and had substantial effects it has on the people who have it.
A major mental health problem that many people face post-war is PTSD. PTSD is a psychological response to the experience of intense traumatic events, particularly those that threaten life. These traumatic events can vary from person to person, so it can be vastly different between people. This variation in people's' reactions occurs because of their individual personality, beliefs, personal values, and previous experiences (especially of other traumatic events in their life). For people going through war, the trauma may relate to direct combat duties, being in a dangerous war zone, or taking part in peacekeeping missions under difficult and stressful conditions. For civilians, the trauma can stem from either man-made events, such as physical or sexual assault, accidents, and witnessing the death or injury of others. The amount of PTSD is vast, and can be found worldwide in the Vietnam War veterans. A study mandated by the congress showed that approximately 15 percent of men and 9 percent of women were found to currently have PTSD. Approximately 30 percent of men and 27 percent of women had PTSD at some point in their life following Vietnam. These findings, obtained approximately a decade after the end of the Vietnam War, found that for many veterans, their PTSD had become long lasting and persistent. These findings show that PTSD can be found from all sorts of traumatic events like war, and had substantial effects it has on the people who have it.
Another major health illness that can be majorly influenced by war is depression. Depression is a serious condition characterized by persistent and intense feelings of sadness for extended periods. This mood disorder can impact one’s mood and behavior. Depression is one of the most common mood disorders that can affect anyone at any time. However, military service members and people in war zones are at a particularly high risk for developing these conditions. Depression is at a high level for many military servicemen and women as It’s estimated that up to 14 percent of service members experience depression after deployment. This is an extremely high number for people to experience as many people do not mind to seek care for their condition. The level of depression can also be high for civilians in war zones. Over 2,200 children lost a parent in Iraq or Afghanistan during the War on Terror. Experiencing such a devastating loss at a young age significantly increases the risk of depression through their childhood and can affect their mental health state going into the future and into their adult lives. The effect of war on depression is vast, as many people encounter it during times in war zones. It stimulates depression, which can last a lifetime and hurt the mental state of anyone.
The last substantial mental illness that many people suffer from post-war is excess of anxiety. Following a major life-changing event like a disabling illness such as PTSD and Depression, it is normal to feel a great deal of stress. Stress can build up over time and can lead to anxiety. Anxiety can be a response to a specific situation such as learning to walk all over again; it can also be more generalized such as not wanting to leave the house after being discharged from the hospital. The effect of anxiety is vast on many civilians in war as some results of Palestinian children in the war torn Gaza Strip showed that the most common traumatic events due to war on 2009 reported by children were hearing shelling of the area by artillery, hearing the sonic sounds of jet fighters, watching mutilated bodies on TV, and hearing shootings and bombardment.
To conclude, there are many mental illnesses that one can obtain from war, ether being present in the war or post-war. These illnesses have a major effect on many people that have them, and can become even worse with war.
To conclude, there are many mental illnesses that one can obtain from war, ether being present in the war or post-war. These illnesses have a major effect on many people that have them, and can become even worse with war.