Donnie Patton

February 17, 2016

UWRT 1102
How Does PTSD Effect Returning Veterans

Since its creation in 1776, the United States of America has been at war for a combined
total of 222 years. This means that out of 240 years, fighting in countless wars on six of the
seven continents, America has been engaged in armed conflict for 93% of its total existence. In
total, approximately 3 million American troops have died fighting for our nation, which is a
miniscule number compared to the actual amount of veterans who have served their country. For
generations, American soldiers have returned home from the front lines after witnessing the
horrors of war. For years, these veterans quietly suffered a wide variety of symptoms, ranging
from addiction, mood swings, depression, and in some cases suicide. This condition has been
referred to by many names of the years: soldiers heart, shell shock, battle fatigue, and postVietnam syndrome. Nowadays this condition is now commonly known as Post Traumatic Stress
Syndrome.
In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association officially recognized and began
diagnosing Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, otherwise known as PTSD. Officially, PTSD is
defined as a mental disorder that can develop after a person is exposed to one or more traumatic
events, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, terrorism or other threats on a person's
life. After many experiments and random studies performed by the Department of Veteran
Affairs, it has been proven that returning veterans that suffer from PTSD have an especially hard

time rehabilitating to normal civilian life. The condition can effect a veterans mental stability,
their capability to interact socially with friends and family, as well as the individuals overall
physical wellbeing. I chose this topic out of interest and curiosity on the condition itself. My
father, who served in the Gulf Wars, Iraq, and Afghanistan as an Army Ranger has begun to show
signs of this condition. In general, our nations Special Forces a regularly exposed to more
intense and dangerous situations than the average enlisted man. My father has been one of my
biggest heroes throughout my life, and my goal from this inquiry is to gain a better
understanding of his condition so I may be able to help him in the future as he gets older.
PTSD, can affect different individuals in various ways. Some of the most common side
effects, include violent flashbacks to a traumatic event. These flashbacks can be triggered by
even the simplest things in everyday life. These sounds trigger subconscious memories of cannon
fire, exploding mortars, and artillery shells, hence the previous name Shell Shock. These
subconscious memories can also trigger vivid nightmares. Reports of depression also run
rampant through the veteran community. Some veterans may become detached, lose interest in
specific activities, have difficulty feeling positive emotions, and begin to develop suicidal
thoughts.
Veterans are also not the only ones whose lives are effected by PTSD. The soldiers
family are also left to combat the symptoms of this condition. When a veteran begins to display
the mental side effects of PTSD, the relationships they have with friends and family become
increasingly stressed. As mentioned earlier, as an effect of a veterans increasingly lowered
interest and motivation to participate in daily activities, their loved ones can become very
frustrated with this newly acquired behavior. Veterans suffering from PTSD are also prone to
mood swings and destructive behavior, which could leave their families concerned about their

own safety. One of the most documented physical side effects of PTSD is substance abuse and
addiction. To help combat the mental stains of PTSD, many veterans begin to use tobacco,
alcohol, or pain killers as a crutch and eventually becoming completely dependent on the
substance to the point of addiction. Another common side effect from the constant stress of
PTSD is sleep deprivation and weight loss. The stress can negatively impact the sleep patterns
and eating habits of affected veterans. Another example of the physical effects of posttraumatic
stress has to do with the hippocampus, which is the region of the brain that plays a role in a
persons memory. Recent research has shown that subject who have been exposed to an extreme
stressor sometimes have a smaller hippocampus than subjects who have not experienced trauma.
This is significant in understanding the effects of trauma in general and the impact of PTSD,
specifically since this part of the brain plays an important part in developing new memories and
experiences.