scholarly journals Shell Shock: The Response of UK Neurology

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Raphael D. Howard ◽  
Robin S. Howard
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Historical Review ◽  
Shock Therapy ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Electric Shock Therapy ◽  
Shell Shock ◽  
Medical Response ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Post War ◽  
The Uk

The neurological and psychological manifestations of trauma, confinement, and terror became apparent throughout Europe as soldiers were evacuated from the trenches of the Western Front. The response in the UK evolved as a result of the experience of medical staff embedded with the troops in base hospitals and the philosophy of those treating returned soldiers in specialist establishment. There were widely disparate approaches to the management encompassing simple supportive care, a psychanalytic approach and radical electric shock therapy. The latter was partially driven by the Queen Square experience in the UK but was also concurrently widely pursued throughout Europe. With experience, care was increasingly undertaken close to the front lines using a philosophy of immediacy and expectation of recovery. Post-war analysis was startlingly unsympathetic, yet the experiences and management of <i>shell shock</i> have guided psychiatric and medical understanding of functional illness and post-traumatic stress over the subsequent century. In this historical review, we have sought to present features of the UK response to the neurological manifestations of trauma, the way in which these changed as the war proceeded and the political and medical response in the aftermath of war.

Post-Traumatic Stress (Disorder) in the Post-9/11 World

2019 ◽  
pp. 307-321
Author(s):  
Lawrence Tritle
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Brain Injuries ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
The United States ◽  
American People ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Shell Shock ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Improvised Explosive

This chapter investigates the issue of landpower from a demographic perspective, exploring the realities of military manpower in a time when fewer than 1 percent of the American people serve in uniform. Since 9/11, the United States has deployed in combat situations this minority of the population in Afghanistan and Iraq, where thousands have been exposed to a new-age weapon of choice, the IED, the Improvised Explosive Device. Many hundreds have been killed or maimed for life. Many thousands more have suffered debilitating, if not life-changing, head and brain injuries. The latest generation of diagnostic tools now available to medical professionals, magnetic resonance imaging, makes clear the catastrophic damage such weapons inflict on the human brain. These findings have enhanced the scientific and popular understanding of the nature of post-traumatic stress disorder, and such precursors as Combat Fatigue, Shell Shock, and Soldier's Heart. The lingering question remains the extent to which the USgovernment and the governed will recognize and act on the revealed science.

We need to talk about Epizelus: ‘PTSD’ and the ancient world

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-54
Author(s):  
Owen Rees
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Life Story ◽  
Medical Profession ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Ancient World ◽  
Diagnostic Model ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Ancient History ◽  
Shell Shock ◽  
Post Traumatic

In the pursuit to offer validity and lineage to the modern diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), non-historical scholars often remove ancient episodes from their social context and retrospectively diagnose them based on our modern diagnostic criteria. This approach reinforces our pre-existing ideas, and form a confirmation bias that does not help to grow our understanding of these injuries. As this article argues, the use of ancient precedents would offer greater benefit to the psychological and medical profession when used to ask new questions rather than reiterate old answers. This article addresses the use of ancient history in the psychological disciplines, especially concerning the topic of post-traumatic stress, and its earlier categorisation as shell shock. Before assessing the non-historical scholarship for the use of ancient precedents, this article sets out the historical debate around the topic and the methodological issues involved in using PTSD as a model with which to examine the ancient world. After which, the use of ancient history by psychological and medical researchers examining PTSD will be assessed. In turn, it will be shown how the removal of historical context has allowed misunderstandings of the original texts and for historical errors to permeate. The story of Epizelus, a man who went blind in battle without incurring any injury, will be used as a case study to show how ancient history has been misused, and vital parts of his life story have been ignored because they do not fit the modern diagnostic model. In particular this article will show how ancient episodes have been used to justify modern ideas and modern understanding, and propose new therapies, without the necessary historical due diligence.

scholarly journals Factors associated with poor self-reported health within the UK military and comparisons with the general population: a cohort study

JRSM Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 205427041769272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah C Jenkins ◽  
Sharon AM Stevelink ◽  
Nicola T Fear
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
History Of ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Military

Objective To investigate the self-rated health of the UK military and explore factors associated with poor self-rated health. Compare self-rated health of the military to the general population. Design A cohort study. Participants A total of 7626 serving and ex-serving UK military personnel, aged between 25 and 49; 19,452,300 civilians from England and Wales. Setting United Kingdom (military), England and Wales (civilians). Main outcome measures Self rated health for both populations. Additional data for the military sample included measures of symptoms of common mental disorder (General Health Questionnaire-12), probable post-traumatic stress disorder (post-traumatic stress disorder checklist Civilian Version), alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test), smoking behaviour, history of self-harm and body mass index. Results In the military sample, poor self-rated health was significantly associated with: common mental disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder symptomology, a history of self-harm, being obese, older age (ages 35–49) and current smoking status. However, the majority of military personnel report good health, with levels of poor self-rated health (13%) not significantly different to those reported by the general population (12.1%). Conclusions Self-rated health appears to relate to aspects of both physical and psychological health. The link between poor self-rated health and psychological ill-health emphasises the need for military support services to continue addressing mental health problems.

“The Absurd Disordering of Notes”

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth Keyes
Keyword(s):  
World War I ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
World War ◽  
Psychic Trauma ◽  
Shell Shock ◽  
Medical Reform ◽  
Medical Institutions ◽  
Post Traumatic

Railway spine, nerve prostration, combat neurosis, post-traumatic stress disorder: throughout the twentieth century, a complex array of terms has been codified by cultural, national, and medical institutions to describe a body and mind made dysfunctional by the inability to process intensely disturbing memories. In the wake of World War I, trauma-induced mental illness—diagnosed and treated as “shell-shock” in countless veterans—became an imperative focal point for sociopolitical and medical reform throughout Europe. This essay explores the connections between this historically contextualized psychiatric disorder and the music of Ivor Gurney, a soldier in the British Army whose life and work was significantly affected by his diagnosis in 1918. Through particular disturbances of form, structure, and texture, Gurney’s musical landscapes reenact the conditions of psychic trauma by creating a world in which memories are disruptive, invasive, and ultimately disabling.

scholarly journals Predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder following critical illness: A mixed methods study

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 289-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ceri E Battle ◽  
Karen James ◽  
Tom Bromfield ◽  
Paul Temblett
Keyword(s):  
Critical Illness ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Apache Ii ◽  
Apache Ii Score ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Icu Stay ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Uk

Purpose Post-traumatic stress disorder has been reported in survivors of critical illness. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder in survivors of critical illness. Materials and methods Patients attending the intensive care unit (ICU) follow-up clinic completed the UK-Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome 14-Questions Inventory and data was collected from their medical records. Predictors investigated included age, gender, Apache II score, ICU length of stay, pre-illness psychopathology; delirium and benzodiazepine administration during ICU stay and delusional memories of the ICU stay following discharge. Results A total of 198 patients participated, with 54 (27%) patients suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder. On multivariable logistic regression, the significant predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder were younger age, lower Apache II score, pre-illness psychopathology and delirium during the ICU stay. Conclusions The predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder in this study concur with previous research however a lower Apache II score has not been previously reported.

scholarly journals Self-reported auditory problems are associated with adverse mental health outcomes and alcohol misuse in the UK Armed Forces

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred N. H. Parker ◽  
Nicola T. Fear ◽  
S. A. M. Stevelink ◽  
L. Rafferty
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Alcohol Misuse ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Hearing Problems

Abstract Purpose Auditory problems, such as hearing loss and tinnitus, have been associated with mental health problems and alcohol misuse in the UK general population and in the US Armed Forces; however, few studies have examined these associations within the UK Armed Forces. The present study examined the association between auditory problems and probable common mental disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol misuse. Methods 5474 serving and ex-service personnel from the UK Armed Forces were examined, selected from those who responded to phase two (data collection 2007–09) and phase three (2014–16) of a military cohort study. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between auditory problems at phase two and mental health problems at phase three. Results 9.7% of participants reported ever experiencing hearing problems alone, 7.9% reported tinnitus within the last month alone, and 7.8% reported hearing problems with tinnitus. After adjustment, hearing problems with tinnitus at phase two was associated with increased odds of probable common mental disorders (AOR = 1.50, 95% CI 1.09–2.08), post-traumatic stress disorder (AOR = 2.30, 95% CI 1.41–3.76), and alcohol misuse (AOR = 1.94, 95% CI 1.28–2.96) at phase three. Tinnitus alone was associated with probable post-traumatic stress disorder (AOR = 1.80, 95% CI 1.03–3.15); however, hearing problems alone were not associated with any outcomes of interest. Conclusions The association between auditory problems and mental health problems emphasises the importance of the prevention of auditory problems in the Armed Forces: through enhanced audiometric screening, improved hearing protection equipment, and greater levels of utilisation of such equipment.

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