Julia FarnanPSYCHOLOGICAL
EFFECTS ON VIETNAM SOLDERS
I believe that the psychological cost is the greatest loss
Soldiers suffer from mental casualties much more then physical casualties
The impact of fear, physiological arousal, horror, and physical deprivation in combat should never be underestimated
Other factors are responsible for psychiatric casualties among combatants. One of those factors is the impact of close-range, interpersonal, aggressive confrontation.
THESIS--PSYCHIATRIC CASUALTIES OF WAR
Contrary to popular belief, money is not the greatest lost of war. The greatest loss, is the psychological effects on surviving soldiers returning home.
Actual casualties manifest in different ways. Anything from affective disorders to somatoform disorders. Affective Disorder: any mental disorder not caused by detectable organic
abnormalities of the brain and in which a major disturbance of emotions is predominant.
Somatoform Disorder: any of a group of psychological disorders (as body dysmorphic disorder or hypochondriasis) marked by physical complaints for which no organic or physiological explanation is found and for which there is a strong likelihood that psychological factors are involved
These disorders began in World War II, when soldiers started to fight 24hrs a day
Fear is a just a symptom and NOT the disease (Dave Grossman and Bruce K. SiddleAcademic Press, 2000)
PARAPHRASE--PSYCHIATRIC CASUALTIES OF WAR
“I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity..” -- Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight D. Eisenhower was a general in WWII, and actually led
the Allied Army in D-Day; he later became President of the US years later
This quote is on the same basis as my thesis, that soldiers truly experience the worst of war
Soldiers experience the brutality on a personal level, especially in Vietnam. Soldiers came up close and personal with dismembered bodies of natives
The soldiers also know the stupidity of war. In Vietnam, soldiers weren't even fighting for themselves.. The consensus of a lot of soldiers was that the war was purposeless
QUOTE-- PSYCHIATRIC CASUALTIES OF WAR
Soldiers, naturally have a timeline of usefulness It makes sense, that at first they are unskilled
These soldiers have not yet experience actual combat This is when soldiers are lest useful
As their time in War progress, they become more experienced and more useful
Though, eventually a soldier will have spent too much time in war and begin to suffer from PTSD, therefore lessens their usefulness
THESIS- USEFULNESS OF SOLDIERS
In WWII, a study of US Army combatants was conducted in Normandy. After 60 days of continuous combat, 98% of the surviving soldiers had become psychiatric casualties. And the remaining 2% were identified as "aggressive psychopathic personalities." This meant that 98% of all men would go insane, and the other 2% were crazy when they got there. Greenson, R.R. (1947). Combat Neuroses: Development of
Combat Exhaustion. Psychoanal. Q., 16:287-287
PARAPHRASE– USEFULNESS OF SOLDIERS
SOLDIERS EFFICACY IN WAR (PRIMARY SOURCE)
THESIS– CHEMICAL CAUSES OF PTSD
The body must maintain homeostasisSince PTSD effects the mind, it would be assumed
that this is the only place where effects arise from. But the effects of war are also seen in the body else where.
Though
The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) mobi l izes and directs the body’s energy resources for action. SNS is responsible for the body’s digestive and recuperative process
Body must maintain a balance, homeostasis. “fight of flight” kicks in and SNS mobilizes all available energy for survival
This process of energy transfer is very intense Some soldiers often suffer from stress diarrhea Others in WWII have admitted to either urinating or defecating in combat
The price of this process is intense and can create a powerful backlash Backlash occurs as soon as the danger and excitement is over
After this process, the body’s usual , natural and useful response to danger becomes extremely counterproductive
I t has become increasingly clear that there are two key, core stressors causing the psychological to l l associated with combat. These stressors are: the trauma associated with being the vict im of close-range, interpersonal aggression; and the trauma associated with the responsibi l i ty to ki l l a fel low human being at close range
(Dave Grossman and Bruce K. SiddleAcademic Press , 2000)
PARAPHRASE-- PSYCHOLOGICAL CASUALTIES IN WAR (CONT.)
“One is left with the horrible feeling now that war settles nothing; that to win a war is as disastrous as to lose one.” (Christie, Agatha. Autobiography of Agatha Christie.
1977. p.68. Print. )This quote speaks of the guilty and horrible
feelings left after warThese feelings (whether one has won or lost
the war) are caused my the chemical remains of the transitioning of power in the SNS sympathetic system
QUOTE--
Other factors are responsible for psychiatric casualties among combatants. One of those factors is the impact of close-range, interpersonal, aggressive confrontation.
Close-range killing is the killing of a human being, up and close. Rather then firing a machine gun from a helicopter, or other
distance killsAggressive confrontation was unavoidable in war, if
you wanted to live. In Vietnam specifically, battles could have gotten grotesque. Soldiers were dismembered from clam more mines, and were transformed into piles of flesh from demonic weapons.
THESIS– CLOSE-RANGE, INTERPERSONAL, AGGRESSIVE
CONFRONTATION
Bruce K. Siddle's landmark research at PPCT involved monitoring the heart rate responses of law enforcement officers in interpersonal conflict simulations using paintball-type simulation weapons. This research has consistently recorded heart rate increases to well over 200 beats per minute, with some peak heart rates of up to 300 beats per minute.
QUOTE BRUCE SIDDLE
PARAPHRASE- CLOSE-RANGE, INTERPERSONAL, AGGRESSIVE
CONFRONTATION
“They wrote in the old days that it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country. But in modern war, there is nothing sweet nor fitting in your dying. You will die like a dog for no good reason..” (Hemmingway, Ernest. Notes on the Next War. Esquire,
1935. Print.) This quote fits the mindset of soldiers that deal with
close-range killing. They would not die a glorified death, and therefore they must do anything in their power to stay alive.
These soldiers that went day to day, having to kill men with their own hands
Along with trying to stay alive, they watched their fellow soldiers die, along with innocent native people
QUOTE—CLOSE-RANGE, INTERPERSONAL, AGGRESSIVE
CONFRONTATION
This data for hormonal or fear induced heart rate increase resul t ing from sympathetic nervous system arousal . Exercise induced increase wi l l not have the same effect
Hormonal induced performance and strength increase can achieve 100% of potentia l max within 10 seconds, but drop 55% after 30 seconds, 35% after 60 seconds, and 31% after 90 seconds. I t takes a minimum of 3 minutes of rest to “recharge” the system
Any extended period of re laxat ion after intense sympathetic nervous system arousal can resul t in a parasympathetic backlash, wi th s ignificant drops in energy level , heart rate and blood pressure. This can mani fest i tsel f as normal shock symptoms (dizz iness, nausea and/or vomit ing. C lammy skin) and/or profound exhaust ion
Lt. Col. Dave Grossman’s book, ON COMBAT, (page 31)
HEART RATE IN COMBAT
THESIS
PARAPHRASE
QUOTE--
Primary Christie, Agatha. Autobiography of Agatha Christie. 1977.
p.68. Print. Grossman, Dave. Psychological Effects of Combat. Volume
3. Academic Press, 1999. p.159. Web. <http://www.killology.com/art_psych_arousal.htm>.
Eisenhower, Dwight. "Farewell Address." U.S. White House, Washington D.C.. January 17, 1961. Address.
Secondary wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn Greenson, R.R. (1947). Combat Neuroses: Development of
Combat Exhaustion. Psychoanal. Q., 16:287-287 Hemmingway, Ernest. Notes on the Next War. Esquire,
1935. Print.
WORKS CITED