Hurt Locker and Ptsd
The Hurt Locker and PTSD
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is an anxiety disorder that runs through our military system and is often vastly overlooked. It is a little-known mental health problem that is poorly understood. It can be traced back to the times of the Civil War and has been given names like shell-shocked syndrome, PTSD, soldier's heart, and combat fatigue. A soldier who has experienced combat or military exposure of any level of severity can be susceptible to this anxiety disorder and its symptoms. The Hollywood film The Hurt Locker, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, depicts the American soldier’s battles with PTSD and shows how drastic its effects can be. There is a whole other world between life on the battlefield and life on the home front.
PTSD began to turn up on the public's radar in the past decade due to the growing numbers of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans seeking treatment for the illness. Victims of PTSD do not show any physical problems, which is often why family, friends, and military personnel can overlook the disorder. Returning veterans often show signs of PTSD by isolating themselves from friends and family, spending a lot of time alone, and using alcohol or drugs to cope with the emotional pain. Bad memories of the traumatic event haunt the victim and make them think, "why can't I function right now" (The Soldier's Heart"). In recent years, with US invasions in the Middle East, the military is facing scrutiny for not doing enough to warn, prepare, and force soldiers to get help.
The Hurt Locker is an award winning film that depicts the trials of an Army bomb-disposal unit in Afghanistan. It shows the struggles and stresses that each soldier in the unit has to face on a day-to-day basis in explicit, pain staking detail. Every day they go out to do their job could be their last. Any of the events that these soldiers go through could end up triggering an anxiety disorder while they are in the field or once they have returned home.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is an anxiety disorder that runs through our military system and is often vastly overlooked. It is a little-known mental health problem that is poorly understood. It can be traced back to the times of the Civil War and has been given names like shell-shocked syndrome, PTSD, soldier's heart, and combat fatigue. A soldier who has experienced combat or military exposure of any level of severity can be susceptible to this anxiety disorder and its symptoms. The Hollywood film The Hurt Locker, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, depicts the American soldier’s battles with PTSD and shows how drastic its effects can be. There is a whole other world between life on the battlefield and life on the home front.
PTSD began to turn up on the public's radar in the past decade due to the growing numbers of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans seeking treatment for the illness. Victims of PTSD do not show any physical problems, which is often why family, friends, and military personnel can overlook the disorder. Returning veterans often show signs of PTSD by isolating themselves from friends and family, spending a lot of time alone, and using alcohol or drugs to cope with the emotional pain. Bad memories of the traumatic event haunt the victim and make them think, "why can't I function right now" (The Soldier's Heart"). In recent years, with US invasions in the Middle East, the military is facing scrutiny for not doing enough to warn, prepare, and force soldiers to get help.
The Hurt Locker is an award winning film that depicts the trials of an Army bomb-disposal unit in Afghanistan. It shows the struggles and stresses that each soldier in the unit has to face on a day-to-day basis in explicit, pain staking detail. Every day they go out to do their job could be their last. Any of the events that these soldiers go through could end up triggering an anxiety disorder while they are in the field or once they have returned home.
Cited: Gavett, Gretchen. "Could Timely PTSD Treatment Have Prevented a Tragedy? | The Wounded Platoon | FRONTLINE | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. PBS, 26 Sept. 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. . Gavett, Gretchen. ""Web Therapy" for PTSD? | The Wounded Platoon | FRONTLINE | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. PBS, 9 Sept. 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. . “Interview with Nate Self, Author of Two Wars”- ShelfLifeTV. June 3, 2008 The Hurt Locker. Dir. Kathryn Bigelow. Perf. Jeremy Renner. Voltage Pictures, 2008. DVD. The Soldier 's Heart. Dir. Raney Aronson. Perf. Will Lyman. PBS: Frontline, 2005. "What Is PTSD? - National Center for PTSD." NATIONAL CENTER for PTSD Home. United States Department of Veteran Affairs. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. .