29th Annual Student Research Conference
When the War Does not End: The Development of Care for PTSD
Thomas J. Barrow
Dr. David Robinson and Dr. Jeff Gall, Faculty Mentors
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the leading causes of concern for today?s soldiers returning from the battlefield. Defined as ?anxiety and flashbacks triggered by a traumatic event,? there have been countless studies done to improve the level of care given to those who suffer from this disorder. This care began in World War I, when it was first defined as ?shell shock.? There was fascinating work done at Craiglockhart War Hospital in Edinburgh for shell-shock victims, with the goal being to get them back to the front. This paper focuses on those who began the study which led to modern care for this disorder. From the first use of the term ?shell-shock? in The Lancet by Charles Myers to the American Psychiatric Association?s diagnosis of PTSD in the third edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, I will focus on those members of the medical field who developed care for this disorder, culminating in diagnosis and care given to today?s soldiers.
Keywords: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), World War 1, Military Medicine, Veteran's Medical Care
Topic(s):History
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: -1
Location: MG 2090
Time: 1:00