subject: What Is Battlefield Stress? [print this page] Battlefield stress is known these days as PTSD or post traumatic stress syndrome. It refers to the type of stress that occurs from the person who has served on the battlefield for a prolonged period of time and witnessed the horrors of combat from day to day.
Prolonged stress causes the body to have to adjust in order to meet the physical demands of the stressful situation. If the body has to maintain this level of alertness for a prolonged period of time it can cause serious harm because it is not a natural condition.
The biggest problem is when this stress causes you to change your behavior patterns. In this sense it has began to control you and you begin to leave the right operation of your mind and to follow the dictates of this phobia.
In World War I, this problem was known as Shell Shock. During World War II, this was called Combat Fatigue. Now, it is known as PTSD. Combat is a series of highly stressful situations which occur in rapid succession to each other on the battlefield. The combat troop experiences stress in more than one way for the entire time that he is engaged in the combat situation. The troop on the battlefield may be subject to the extremes of weather, hunger, the stress of knowing that you dont have the items that you need to do your job, pain, and fear.
In addition when you add sleep deprivation and fatigue to the equation you have a recipe for disaster. When the body and mind have been pushed to a certain level they will both begin to shut down in order to rest and recuperate. Think of stress as the breaking down of the mind so that it can get some rest. The human psyche is a complicated and remarkable thing. It can adapt to just about any circumstance or situation but can be temporarily overwhelmed. Sometimes the damage can be permanent.
This stress can manifest itself in a display of several different symptoms. The primary symptom is called flashback. Flashbacks occur when the person suffering from flashback has dreams and visions of the traumatic experiences that they have been through. Nightmares are another indicator of PTSD. Many times, soldiers will sleep with the lights on (if lighting is available) or avoid sleep as long as possible so the frequent nightmares will not reappear. If these nightmares occur they will persist night after night until there is some type of successful treatment.
Another symptom of PTSD or stress is sleeplessness. The stressed out troop will often lay awake for long hours at night without being able to drift off to sleep. He or she will just not be able to go to sleep no matter how much they try. This condition will persist for quite a while before it will go away.
Recurring anxiety is a common denominator for those affected by PTSD, especially soldiers returning from war. They are anxious about many different things. The anxiety is unnecessary and uncalled for. Most times they will make the average situation bad by being anxious.
Intrusive thoughts can occur and are a major symptom of PTSD. The troop has no control over these thoughts. They will occur as the mind wills and not according to the conscious dictates of the individual.
The soldier may have the problem of a short attention span. This is due to the fact that combat dictates that the mind never focuses on one thing for too long. In this case the human mind has conditioned itself to keep moving in order to stay alive. This reflex persists because it was so necessary in war time.
The person who is suffering from this type of stress may have problems relating to other human beings. He or she may be withdrawn from social situations because they feel awkward and dont have the right input.
This condition can in fact be very severe depending on the person who is affected. All people are not the same and some will have a harder time dealing with stress than others. Modern psychology has made many inroads into the treatment of this condition and does a much better job than during the time when it was known as Shell Shock. If you know a soldier or former soldier who displays any of these conditions try to be understanding of the cause of their problem and persuade them t get help.Military Ring Express
