The unseen war casualties.
People often experience trauma during war.
Over time, this can develop into a condition we now recognise as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Sufferers can experience severe anxiety, flashbacks, nightmares, insomnia and anger, amongst other symptoms.
It has a long history.
Cases of PTSD have been identified from descriptions in ancient Greek history of people experiencing persistent nightmares.
Other symptoms, such as feeling anxious and constantly on edge, were described as “soldier’s heart” during the American Civil War.
But this history took a sharp turn a hundred years ago, during World War I, when the prevalence of what was then known as “shell-shock” meant that a formal treatment for psychological trauma was needed.
[Read more…] about Returned soldiers and PTSD: when the war’s over but battles remain