The return from war is quite a difficult process for the integration in society given harsh environmental conditions they have been involved in the war. Reintegrating back into society is a difficult task after the release from military duty. Different factors affect the reintegration with the civilian society including the difference in the education, interpersonal relationship and employment experiences. Considering that the veterans are military officers relieved of their duty after serving the nation in a war, the integration with the civilians presents a different environment that may influence their coexistence, especially in consideration to the law.
The co-existence of the veterans in the society is a challenging task as many are affected by the mental health problems depending on the level of military influence on the individuals. The influence of the military institution in taking the obligation of recognizing the severity of alcohol and post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) helps the development of the society. The majority of victims adapts the use of alcohol as a way of self-medication. The rising effects of posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol dependency in society depend on the personal life management by the returning veterans in
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The claims of a rise in PTSD and alcohol dependency after the release to the public require the involvement of different stakeholders in solution to the matter. The problem requires cooperation with various departments in assurance for the justice and mental health of veterans. Improved outreach and pre-release assessments on veterans better the process used for treatment and prevention, including the mental health assessment for all veterans from leaving military
Veterans Essay , Hunter Bradford What a Veteran means to me. It means, freedom, honor, putting their life on the line everyday. So that me, my mom, my dad, my sister, my grandparents,and the rest of my family and friends can have freedom. We all have freedom and we owe them our respect because if it was not for God and a Veteran who knows how this world would be.
When soldiers with PTSD come back from war they might receive different treatment from others, they might be treated like a feral dog perhaps. This might be because they act different, this might include hyper-vigilance, lots of anxiety, stress, nervousness, and lots of hesitation with talking to new people. Several people talk about their past experiences and how it affects them today. “Any incopentance Bear encounters in civilian life arouses the same feelings of fear, rage, and grief.” (Shay, para. 25).
“The court, like more than 50 others created during the past three years across the nation, specializes in working with troubled veterans to get them counseling, link them to government benefits, help them regain a sense of discipline and camaraderie they had in uniform, and steer them onto a more positive course in life.” said William H. McMichael in his article, “Special Courts Help Vets Regain Discipline”. In McMichael’s article he follows two veterans who were in Russell 's’ Vet Court program. One veteran John Clum was deployed twice, both instances in very dangerous zones with multiple fatalities of close friends. Once back home, Clum faced many demons without help. He began to depend on alcohol, which led to his two DUI’s that landed him in jail where he tried to commit suicide.
PTSD means Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and is a deadly disease emotional and physically. For example, it causes veterans to see flash backs of what they have saw over seas, they can physically hurt themselves and are unable to control the disease. PTSD is known to destroy family 's and break them apart even though the veterans can 't control it. "When trauma reactions are severe and go on for some time without treatment, they can cause major problems in a family"(Carlson).This shows how most family 's get divorced after a veteran has come back from war because of how severe the disease is. No veteran wants to admit that they have a disease, because they want to be seen as a tough individual.
Years after the war, and after returning home to a somewhat normal lifestyle, a majority of veterans suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. Post traumatic stress disorder also known as PTSD is a delayed effect of the mind that includes severe cases of anxiety, regularly occurring panic attacks, and severe cases of rage. psychological disorders often led to divorce, drug abuse, and especially suicide. The war in Vietnam had the most cases of suicide amongst veterans than any other war in American history. More cases of psychological disorders resulted from Vietnam rather than World War I and II because unlike the two world wars, Vietnam wasn't a war with straight battle lines of back and fourth fire in which the position of the enemy
Veterans after the Vietnam War PTSD or also known as post-traumatic stress syndrome is a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event. Symptoms may include, flashbacks (reliving the trauma over and over), physical symptoms like a racing heart or sweating, easily startled, feeling tense or “on edge”, having difficulty sleeping, having angry outbursts, bad dreams, and mood swings. Although there are some people who have not actually gone through a traumatic experience still can have symptoms of PTSD. There are two ways to treat PTSD that have been proven to be effective on Veterans. These treatments are counseling and medication.
Mental health stigma in the military is defined as, “a dynamic process by which a service member perceives or internalizes this brand or marked identity about himself or herself or people with mental health disorders. ”1 The perceived mental health stigma in the military stems from proximal and distal impacts.1 The proximal impacts include interpersonal outcomes, coping mechanisms, attitudes toward treatment and the distal impacts include the personal well-being, readiness, quality of life, treatment-seeking, and treatment success.1 The United States Air Force has been promoting treatment-seeking through various programs to reduce stigma and facilitate a widespread culture shift that views mental health in the context of readiness and resilience.1 The Air Force has attempted to redefine mental health help-seeking as a sign of strength instead of a sign of weakness.1 Additionally, the Air Force has quadrupled the availability of mental health programs over the past six years.2 The Air Force has provided over seven mental healthcare treatment options to Air Force members.3 These options include: the airman and family readiness center, military family life consultants, installation chaplain, mental health clinic, behavioral health, family advocacy program, and master resilience
Their Escape from the War The Vietnam War was a difficult time for soldiers and the people on the home front. The soldiers were experiencing a completely different type of war, guerilla warfare. It was complete chaos and there were no organized battles or anyway to get a good attack on the Vietnamese soldiers, or the Vietcong as they were called. The soldiers were having to do unethical things and go against their will by killing these people.
PTSD is the main mental illness veterans have, PTSD is a horrible illness that is caused by experiencing a traumatic event. People with PTSD will experience flashbacks of the event that are terrifying and commonly causes the person to become angry(Barrera, How PTSD Affects the Veteran, theveteransvoice). If a person with PTSD does not receive necessary treatment than it can cause them to start abusing alcohol or becoming addicted to drugs. This can destroy a veterans whole life and it lowers their chance of getting a job and increases their chance of depression. All of these things severely hurt a veterans chance of ever getting a stable job and staying healthy.
Veteran Benefits The issue of veteran benefits in the United States is not taken as seriously as it should be in our country, even though it is a growing problem that needs to be addressed. The lack of available funding for veterans is especially obvious when compared to that available for lower income citizens, or even illegal immigrants. Also, what does exist appears to fall short in taking care of veteran’s needs. Considering that these veterans are people who have risked their lives fighting for this country, the fact that they are not receiving immediate benefits or even what they have earned is unfair.
This fear often creates barriers to those seeking care. Many veterans returning from war do not want to seek help from the VA or other mental health facilities for fear that others may see them as weak and helpless. Fanning & Pietrzak (2013) report that 60% of older male veterans currently have suicidal ideations and are not receiving mental health treatment. “Rural agrarian culture values, which champion a strong work ethic, independence and self-reliance, may inhibit treatment seeking behavior (McCarthy et al, 2012).
The effects on war is a long term struggle politically, economically, and through individual citizen views. People associated with war who suffer from the hardships, are very likely to be committed to constant fear. The struggle for survival burns into those minds, leaving them to rely on themselves for protection. This pressure and fear carries on throughout their lives affecting the people and his/her surroundings. Due to the mistreatment of people in war, their life post-war can be affected from the traumatizing experiences.
Veterans and active-duty members are considerably diverse in individual characteristics and life histories. Veterans refer to retired or discharge military population. Some suggest programs implemented are addressing too broad of a population and should be focused on specific veteran populations. Many veterans develop self- stigma, internalizing the negative beliefs society places on this population, and avoid seeking help. "Each of the military services and the Veterans Administration (VA) have developed educational campaigns to reduce the stigma associated with reporting emotional distress, raise awareness of the risk of suicide, and teach military personnel, veterans, and their family’s suicide prevention strategies (Brenner & Barnes, 2012).
In the United States, serving in the military is seen as a model of true patriotism, and rightfully so. Service members train for 10 weeks in their transition from civilian to a soldier. They train to be able to endure all the hardships that may come their way. Service members have to be in the best physical shape to serve and because of all that they do, they are thought of as brave and selfless people. Service members make extreme sacrifices to defend our country and act selflessly by doing so; it is fitting that they are seen as heroes by many Americans.
It may come and go over the years too. The significant impact of PTSD on the lives of veterans afflicted gives doctors a greater understanding of this illness. With knowledge about PTSD, returning veterans can seek the early diagnosis and treatment they need, giving them a chance to recover. Many veterans have spoken and stressed that the PTSD will never go away, even with treatment, group therapy, counseling, or medication. Awareness and understanding can also help and support the families.