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| Shell shock | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Bullet air, soldier's heart, battle fatigue, operational exhaustion[1] |
 | |
| First World War veterans displaying a few of the myriad of symptoms associated with "shell shock"/"war-neurosis".[2] | |
| Specialty | Psychiatry |
| Symptoms | Thousand yard stare, tremors, sensory overload, inability to speak, tinnitus, |
| Complications | Insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder |
Shell shock is a term that originated during World War I to describe the type of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that many soldiers experienced during the war, before PTSD was officially recognized.[3] It is a reaction to the intensity of the attacks and fighting that produced helplessness, which could present as panic, fear, flight, or an inability to reason, sleep, walk, or talk.[4]
During the war, the concept of shell shock was poorly defined. Cases of "shell shock" could be interpreted as either a physical or psychological injury. Although the United States' Department of Veterans Affairs still uses the term to describe certain aspects of PTSD, it is mostly a historical term, and is often considered to be the signature injury of the war.
In World War II and beyond, the diagnosis of "shell shock" was replaced by that of combat stress reaction, which is a similar but not identical response to the trauma of warfare and bombardment.
Despite medical alerts, long-term trouble was disregarded as a cowardice and weakness of mind by military leadership.[5] In recent decades and following the 2003 Iraq war, shell shock has been linked to biological brain damages, such as concussions and micro-tearing of the brain tissues.[6]
There are terms that exist that describe similar characteristics of shell shock, like the thousand-yard stare, which both come from the stresses of war.
- ^ "Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – Doctors Lounge (TM)". www.doctorslounge.com. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
- ^ "(1918) WWI veterans: Shell shock sequels, war neurosis.[4k, 60fps, colorized]". YouTube. 31 October 2021.
- ^ "Is Shell Shock the Same as PTSD?". Psychology Today.
- ^ Hochschild, Adam (2012). To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914–1918. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. xv, 242, 348. ISBN 978-0-547-75031-6.
- ^ "SHELL SHOCK NOT SERIOUS.; Physically Sound Soldiers Are Immune, Allied Surgeons Find". The New York Times. 2 July 1918. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ Worth, Robert F. (10 June 2016). "What if PTSD Is More Physical Than Psychological?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 20 December 2023.