PTSD with World War I Soldiers

By Emily Bath

What is PTSD?

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (Ptsd) is a development disorder. It is developed during a horrific event they've experience or witness; which they either feel hopeless/helpless.

Events that can cause Ptsd:


  • War
  • Sexual Assault
  • Childhood neglect/assault
  • Kidnapping
  • Terrorist attacks
  • Car Crash
  • Sudden lost of something dear

Noticing if someone with Ptsd can be very obvious and can change someone's personality instantly, and lifestyle will be affected.

Symptoms of Ptsd:


  • Flashbacks
  • Nightmares
  • Delusions
  • Depression
  • Burst of anger
  • Self-Blame/Guilt
  • Difficult falling asleep

With Ptsd, many things can trigger emotional/physical distress depending on the situation that caused the Ptsd.

Big image

This picture above this color is proven to relax PTSD patients.

Shell Shock

Shell Shock is still Ptsd, but Shell Shock is the name for World War 1 soldiers. This started was around 1915 when the soldiers were returning back from the war. The nurses and doctors examine the soldier who were acting "strange" and notice that they had amnesia, dizziness, headaches, reactions to noises, defensive and etc. But the doctors were confused because most of them didn't have any sort of head wound. They would call it a crippled mind.

Some of the symptoms of Shell Shock was a bit physical, because the soldiers couldn't sit or stand still, because of the fear of getting shot even though they are home. Click on the video below (WARNING GRAPHIC YOU DON'T HAVE TO WATCH) to see a soldier with Shell Shock.

Verdun- Shell Shock
Shell shock victims, were ashamed of them self because the society at the time considered them weak mind men, or also known as deserters. The soldiers with shell shock that got put down with shame were considered lucky because some got charged for weakness or a mock trial. Even some were put down by death from fellow family members because the family were ashamed of them.
Treatment for Shell Shock

Treatment for Shell Shock

At the time they didn't have many techniques to treat mental illnesses, but some of them were practically torture emotionally and physically these harmful treatments were :


  • Shaming/Isolation
  • Electric Shock Therapy


Electric shock therapy actually causes memory lost and torture, the doctors thought they were helping these soldiers forget the battlefield, and think they will snap back into a 'humane human being'. They would put a headphone sponge earmuffs type of device in water then put them on the patient's head and send volts of electricity to their brain. While the 'patient' bites down on a piece of wood, for the obvious pain they were in. The picture above is a patient going through electric shock therapy.


The shaming and isolation was to punish the 'weakness' out of the victims systems, they keep them alone in a dark, and question the victims with a series of test to see if they are proper enough to go back into the daily life, only 10% actually did.


Some were lucky to get the treatment of hypnosis, which make the old soldier believe he was never in the war and these memories were replaced with happier newer memories. But if the newer memorie didn't work they also tried helping them cope with loud sounds. This was considered the safest and most reliable way to help victims with shell shock therapy to a normal life.

My Reaction

I was honestly disgusted of how they treated and shamed the soldier... It's sickens me that that they decided it was a good idea to isolate them and shame them for something they couldn't control. The soldiers fought for there country and got mentally sick from it and people had the stomach to shame them! But i'm glad people found other ways to treat them beside shock treatment and shaming.

Work Cited

  • Groch-Begley, ​Hannah. "The Forgotten Female Shell-Shock Victims of World War I." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 08 Sept. 2014. Web. 16 Dec. 2015.
  • "Life after Trauma." 'Life after Trauma' N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2015.
  • "Shell Shock." Bbc.co. N.p., n.d. Web. Dec.-Jan. 2015.
  • Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2015.