Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Those who serve in a war zone are exposed to events that are extremely stressful and threatening to life and health. They may be injured physically and/or mentally, and they may be confronted with terror, helplessness, hopelessness, and feeling out of control. Some of those who have served in combat zones continue having strong reactions afterward, and their bodies and minds fail to adapt to the absence of such threatening events. In such cases, we refer to a particular type of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the so-called combat-related PTSD. This disorder can occur not only in combatants but also in anyone else who serves in the combat zone (e.g., reserve personnel). Historically, combat-related PTSD used to be identified as war neurosis and shell shock. In ...