After
      the
      Battle
      Has
      Been
      Fought...
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Marieéve
      MacGREGOR
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It
      was
      once
      called
      "soldiers'
     
     
      heart."
      What
      a
      brave,
      tragic
      title.
      Then
     
     
      they
      called
      it
      "shell
      shock."
      A
      little
     
     
      more
      true
      to
      the
      fact,
      but
      it
      still
      lessens
     
     
      the
      reality
      of
      the
      condition.
      Then
      "war
     
     
      neurosis"
      and
      "combat
      fatigue."
      No
     
     
      one
      could
      really
      figure
      out
      exactly
     
     
      what
      was
      wrong
      with
      the
      men
      and
     
     
      women
      who
      ‘came
      home,'
      but
      they
     
     
      knew
      there
      was
      something
      and
      hoped
     
     
      it
      would
      pass
      with
      time.
      Shock,
     
     
      fatigue;
      these
      are
      elements
      of
      life
     
     
      which
      come
      and
      go
      in
      our
      lives.
     
     
      Neurosis
      is
      psychological
      condition
     
     
      where
      a
      person
      has
      trouble
      coping
      with
     
     
      everyday
      life.
      It
      had
      nothing
      to
      do
      with
     
     
      preconceived
      trauma.
      What
      these
      patri-
     
     
      ots
      faced
      was
      not
      a
      passing
      phase,
      it
     
     
      was
      Post
      Traumatic
      Stress
      Disorder
     
     
      (PTSD).
     
    

    
     
      After
      returning
      from
      war,
      more
     
     
      than
      20
      per
      cent
      of
      all
      veterans
      suf-
     
     
      fered
      from
      some
      sort
      trauma.
      About
      1
     
     
      in
      20
      veterans
      from
      World
      War
      II
      still
     
     
      suffers
      from
      extreme-trauma
      side
     
     
      effects
      today.
      Nightmares,
      flashbacks,
     
     
      disturbed
      thoughts,
      withdrawal
      from
     
     
      everyday
      life.
      Most
      of
      these
      people
     
     
      could
      not
      go
      back
      to
      work.
      They
      could
     
     
      not
      function
      within
      family
      life
      as
      they
     
     
      had
      once
      done.
      They
      were
      antisocial,
     
     
      distracted,
      irritable,
      jumpy,
      and
      had
     
     
      concentration
      problems,
      all
      symptoms
     
     
      of
      PTSD.
      The
      government
      would
      com-
     
     
      pensate
      these
      people
      with
      money.
      It
     
    
   
   
    
     
      was
      all
      they
      knew
      to
      do.
      If
      sufferers
      of
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      war
      shock
      never
      got
      better,
      they
      were
     
     
      considered
      mentally
      disabled.
     
    

    
     
      Family
      and
      friends
      of
      PTSD
     
     
      victims
      did
      not
      know
      how
      to
      handle
     
     
      the
      situation
      any
      better
      than
      the
      gov-
     
     
      ernment
      did.
      They
      felt
      the
      individual
     
     
      was
      selfish,
      robotic,
      unfeeling.
      As
      far
     
     
      as
      many
      were
      concerned,
      the
      person
     
     
      they
      once
      knew
      was
      not
      who
      had
     
     
      returned
      to
      them.
      Because
      the
      victim
     
     
      was
      withdrawn,
      family
      members
      and
     
     
      friends
      often
      withdrew
      as
      well.
      Many
      -
     
     
      victims
      then
      turned
      to
      drugs
      and
      alco-
     
     
      hol
      to
      cope
      with
      their
      disturbed
     
     
      thoughts.
      They
      wanted
      to
      block
      out
      the
     
     
      images,
      make
      themselves
      forget,
      make
     
     
      it
      so
      it
      never
      happened.
     
    

    
     
      When
      a
      person
      suffers
      from
     
     
      PTSD,
      they
      have
      either
      witnessed
      or
     
     
      experienced
      one
      or
      more
      extremely
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ing
      with
      it.
      It
      is
      confusing
      and
      it
      dis-
     
     
      torts
      the
      mind.
      Why
      did
      it
      happen?
     
     
      How
      could
      it
      have
      happened?
      Is
      it
      my
     
     
      fault?
      Why
      didn't
      I
      stop
      it?
      The
      human
     
    
   
   
    
     
      .
      mind
      needs
      to
      make
      sense
      of
      things
      it
     
    
   
   
    
     
      doesn't
      understand,
      especially
      when
     
     
      those
      things
      are
      mentally
      distressing
     
     
      and
      personal.
      So
      it
      will
      recall
      and
     
     
      recall
      the
      events,
      trying
      to
      make
      it
     
     
      make
      sense,
      trying
      to
      make
      it
      right,
     
     
      justified.
      Make
      it
      ok.
      But
      without
      help
     
     
      and
      support,
      it
      never
      becomes
      ok.
      It
     
     
      gets
      worse.
      It
      gets
      heavy
      on
      the
      person
     
     
      and
      starts
      to
      crumble
      over
      them.
      This
     
     
      thought
      pattern
      is
      harmful
      to
      an
      indi-
     
     
      vidual,
      and
      over
      time
      will
      build
      up
     
     
      inside
      a
      person
      to
      create
      what
      is
     
     
      known
      as
      PTSD.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      They
      felt
      the
      individual
     
     
      was
      selfish,
      robotic,
     
     
      unfeeling.
      As
      far
      as
      many
     
     
      were
      concerned,
      the
      per-
     
     
      son
      they
      once
      knew
      was
     
     
      not
      who
      had
      returned
      to.
     
     
      them
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _The
      effects
      of
      PTSD
      are
      as
     
     
      true
      today
      as
      they
      were
      in
      the
      past,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      though
      now
      there
      are
      better
      methods
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      coping.
      The
      government
      of
      Canada,
     
     
      through
      the
      Department
      of
      Veterans
     
     
      Affairs,
      has
      researched
      and
      developed
     
     
      ways
      of
      fighting
      the
      trauma,
      fighting
     
     
      the
      nightmares
      and
      the
      depression.
      It
     
     
      starts
      off
      small,
      with
      eating
      healthy
     
     
      meals,
      doing
      exercise,
      establishing
      a
     
     
      daily
      routine.
      These
      things
      may
      seem
     
    
   
   
    
     
      redundant,
      but
      people
      with
      PTSD
      have
     
    
   
   
    
     
      violent
      events,
      and
      have
      trouble
      deal-
      receded
      from
      these
      sorts
      of
      things,
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      getting
      back
      to
      them
      takes
      a
      tremen-
     
     
      dous
      effort.
      People
      with
      PTSD
      need
      an
     
     
      incredible
      amount
      of
      encouragement
     
     
      and
      support
      and
      understanding
      from
     
     
      their
      family
      and
      friends.
      The
      best
      way
     
     
      of
      dealing
      with
      PTSD
      is
      to
      educate
     
     
      onself
      and
      those
      close
      to
      onself
      on
      the
     
     
      disorder
      and
      to
      understand
      it.
      This
      was
     
     
      not
      possible
      until
      very
      recently.
     
    

    
     
      As
      mentioned,
      people
      are
      still
     
     
      suffering
      from
      PTSD
      in
      today's
      socie-
     
     
      ty,
      and
      they
      aren't
      only
      the
      veterans
      of
     
     
      wars
      long-combatted
      and
      won.
      People
     
     
      are
      witnessing
      very
      disturbing
      images
     
     
      in
      the
      Middle
      East
      right
      now.
     
     
      Somewhere,
      people
      are
      watching
     
     
      young
      children
      get
      raped
      and
      women
     
     
      get
      beaten
      bloody
      and
      killed
      in
      vicious
     
     
      ways
      because
      they
      are
      worthless
      and
     
     
      unvalued.
      Many
      Canadians
      overseas
      at
     
     
      the
      moment
      are
      part
      of
      a
      peace
      force
     
     
      as
      opposed
      to
      a
      military
      troop.
      They
     
     
      are
      utterly
      helpless
      in
      these
      situations
     
     
      and
      have
      no
      power
      to
      stop
      the
      violence
     
     
      as
      they
      are
      witnessing
      it.
      In
      many
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      British
      marching
      through
      Peronne
     
    
   
   
    
     
      respects,
      military
      personnel
      today
      wit-
     
     
      ness
      much
      more
      horrific,
      unethical
      acts
     
     
      than
      the
      veterans
      of
      past
      wars.
      This
      is
     
     
      not
      to
      make
      the
      Holocaust
      less
      terrify-
     
     
      ing,
      or
      any
      other
      acts
      of
      treachery
      suf-
     
     
      fered
      by
      millions
      of
      people
      because
      of
     
     
      war,
      but
      today's
      traumatic
      experience
     
     
      is
      just
      that
      much
      more
      cold-blooded,
     
     
      that
      much
      more
      violent,
      that
      much
     
     
      more
      extreme.
     
    

    
     
      Survivors
      of
      the
      war
      zone
      need
     
     
      an
      outlet
      for
      what
      they
      have
      experi-
     
     
      enced
      while
      they
      were
      there.
      Today
     
     
      there
      are
      a
      lot
      of
      government
      plans
     
     
      which
      don't
      simply
      compensate
      the
     
     
      victims’
      sufferings
      with
      money
      but
     
     
      attempt
      to
      work
      through
      it.
      The
      new
     
     
      methods
      may
      also
      be
      used
      to
      help
      vet-
     
     
      erans
      from
      WWII
      who
      have
      been
      suf-
     
     
      fering
      from
      PTSD
      for
      the
      last
      50
      years.
     
    

    
     
      When
      a
      person
      suffers
     
     
      from
      PTSD
      (Post
     
     
      Traumatic
      Stress
     
    

    
     
      Disorder),
      they
      have
     
     
      either
      witnessed
      or
      expe-
     
     
      rienced
      one
      or
      more
     
     
      extremely
      violent
      events,
     
     
      and
      have
      trouble
      dealing
     
     
      with
      it.
     
    

    
     
      There
      is
      a
      new
      understanding
     
     
      of
      the
      psychological
      effects
      war
      has
      on
     
     
      a
      person
      in
      today's
      world.
      There
      is
      new
     
     
      hope
      for
      the
      men
      and
      women
      who
     
     
      gave
      a
      part
      of
      themselves
      to
      fight
      for
     
     
      their
      values,
      their
      freedom,
      their
      fami-
     
     
      lies,
      their
      beliefs,
      and
      their
      country.
     
     
      War
      has
      been
      mentally
      destroying
      peo-
     
     
      ple
      long
      before
      the
      time
      of
      the
      Ancient
     
     
      Greeks.
      It
      is
      about
      time
      that
      something
      ©
     
     
      was
      done
      to
      help
      win
      the
      war
      that
      peo-
     
     
      ple
      fight,
      after
      the
      fighting
      is
      done.
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
       
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      [5]