Post-traumatic Stress in War Veterans

Most of the time when soldiers are featured in magazines and newspapers after being wounded, the main form of disability that is featured is physical wounds. Why is it that there is no real spotlight on those that are victims to post-traumatic stress caused by war? While all of those who are injured (whether it be physically or psychologically) are victims to the cruel realities of war, my impression is that the media focuses on the physical aspect.

I’ve been interested in the effects of the war on an individual’s mind since I was younger, when my aunt told me about my biological grandfather. She said that he was a good man, a good husband, and a good father. He left home to fight in the Korea War, and my aunt said that when he came home he was a completely different person than the father she had known before. His whole personality had shaped into that of a stranger, and he allowed his life to be consumed with drugs. The war had messed him up, she told me, and he never returned to his normal self.
Now I know that my grandfather isn’t the only case of this happening. I have heard of several accounts of people transforming into different versions of themselves after involvement in war. It has been noticed that post-traumatic stress disorder is fairly common among those who have been subjected to the atrocities of war. It has been stated that “considerable evidence suggests that some Vietnam veterans have suffered long-term mental health problems as a result of their experiences while in the military.[1]”

More focus needs to be put on this aspect of victimization in war. Rather than focusing solely on physical wounds, attention needs to be paid to the mental wellness of war veterans. When looking back to the Vietnam era, one can find that the suicide rates were higher for those who were eligible for the draft as opposed to those who were not, and it was determined that the actual events of the war were the cause of this as opposed to the eligibility itself (Norman).
The trauma that many of these vets face is a sad fact of war. Many people don’t think of individuals, but rather see war veterans as statistics. They look at the news and are able to see how many are dead or injured. But each veteran who is faced with post-traumatic stress should be given attention as well. They have suffered just as those physically wounded, though in a different form. However, this does not diminish the importance of each veteran’s victimization.

[1] Hearst, Norman, and Thomas B. Newman. ". Proving Cause and Effect in Traumatic Stress: The Draft Lottery as a Natural Experiment ." Journal of Traumatic Stress 1.2 (1988). Psych Info. 3 Dec. 2008.