Jacob Francis 3/13/14

Literature Review Conflict is an inevitable phenomenon. Just as conflict is an inescapable happening, so is its counterpart: the manifestation of war. In all of history, hundreds of major wars have been recorded, with an estimated four billion deaths as a consequence. The nature of war has not only resulted in the loss of so many lives, but has also caused tremendous mental health deterioration among the military personnel that participate in combat situations. Traumatic brain injuries and psychological stressors have become more evident according to Driscoll and Staus, authors of Hidden Battles on Unseen Fronts, whom believe that the ratio of wounded to dead has shifted from 4:1 in the 1940s, to present days proportion of 8:1. Of course the estimated statistic includes physical wounds, but amongst these are also psychological stressors and brain injuries. At this point in time, evidence of a relation between war and mental health is indisputable; the key question is just how forceful such psychological stressors are and what is to be done about them. There is plenty of irrefutable evidence to the existence of psychological stressors, such as posttraumatic stress disorder. The real question is whether or not these mental ailments are more prominent in war-affected areas. A study conducted with the Institutional Review Board of SUNY Downstate Medical Center, sought to explore the mental health of deployed military veterans and whether it varies from that of their civilian counterparts. Using the BRFSS survey, results (which were studied and analyzed using the IBM SPSS Statistics version 21) showed that there was a greater odd of adverse mental well-being among deployed men who served in the military. As concluded by Hoglund in the Military Medicine medical journal: The United States has been at war in Afghanistan since October 2001 and also

waged war in Iraq from March 2003 to December 2011. A substantial proportion of individuals who served in these wars suffered mental health consequences. Furthermore, the adverse mental health effects of war are prolonged. (Hoglund, 2014) Thus, this source provides factual evidence to the eminence of mental adversity amid war exposed people, contrasting from their noncombatant equivalents. Though its been found that war exposed soldiers have poorer mental health states, its also been understood that the same is true of warexposed civilians, such as adolescents studied from war-ridden Lebanon (Shaar, 2013), or those examined from the post-conflict in Northern Uganda (McMullen, 2012). Each of the articles discussed studies that were conducted analyzing the status of psychological distress amongst regular residents of these countries that were under conflict. Both conclusions indicated a larger notability of post-traumatic in the citizens that had experienced some visual degree of warfare and combat. Subsequently it is evident that not only is war causing mental anguish among the military participants, but the innocent civilian bystanders as well; therefore something must be done for the sake of not only the armed services, but also the defenseless citizens. Interestingly enough though, one of the more recent wars in history has suggested an indication of poorer mental health among its United States veterans than other military personnel that have served elsewhere during the wars era. This study, evidently, was conducted on veterans of the Korean War (Brooks, 2010). Notably, the study oversaw the factors ranging from the treatment of the veterans with post-traumatic stress to even an examination of the psychiatric treatment locations. All in all, Brooks article determined that there was convincing confirmation to the hypothesis of Korean veterans having lesser mental health; according to Brooks, a larger emphasize should be placed on aging veterans of the Korean War receiving much needed service from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Many solutions to the issue of an increase in mental health degeneration in military personnel have been explored in the nearby past. As explained by Mark Thompsons article written in Time journal, the United States Army has seen an increase in suicide rates over the past six years, with the leading cause believed to be rooted from post-traumatic stress; 22 of the 32 suicides studied had been deployed personnel, 10 had been deployed two or more times (Thompson, 2010). The U.S. Army has also taken the initiative to implement a behavioral-health campus building in Fort Campbell, in which they can diagnose post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries more efficiently. A few of the possibilities explored in the article by Thompson include strong anti-depressants and nonprofit mental health services. In any case, the solutions presented seem quite viable, and if the measures can relieve the mental distress of military combatants alike, can be quite advantageous as well. With mental health conditions becoming more prominent with combat exposure, a resolution needs to be obtained. Newer and better options have been developed over centuries, as we have discovered more and more about the elements of war each time it has been experienced. Conclusively, some type of action must be taken to provide assistance to the heroes whove been so dedicated to the protection of a country and its people; its the least that can be done to try and repay them for their valor.

Works Cited
Brooks, M. (2010). Evidence of poorer life-course mental health outcomes among veterans of the korean war cohort. Retrieved from: http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=2af3d688-e6d6-47cd-86ab50a017f3d22a%40sessionmgr4005&vid=6&hid=4213 Driscoll, P., & Staus, C. (2010). Hidden battles on unseen fronts: Stories of american soldiers with traumatic brain injury and ptsd. Havertown, PA: Casemate Publishers. Hoglund, M.M.(2014). Mental health in deployed and nondeployed veteran men and women in comparison with their civilian counterparts. Retrieved from: http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=2af3d688-e6d6-47cd-86ab50a017f3d22a%40sessionmgr4005&vid=4&hid=4213

McMullen, J. (2012, September) Screening for traumatic exposure and psychological distress among war-affected adolescents in post-conflict northern uganda. Retrieved from:http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=4c513118-a31d-4834-a423d9699e72e263%40sessionmgr4003&vid=6&hid=4111 Shaar, K. (2013). Post-traumatic stress disorder in adolescents in lebanon as wars gained in ferocity: A systematic review. Retrieved from: http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=2af3d688-e6d6-47cd-86ab50a017f3d22a%40sessionmgr4005&vid=9&hid=4213 Thompson, M. (2010). An rx for the armys wounded minds. Retrieved from: http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/detail?sid=4c513118-a31d-4834-a423d9699e72e263%40sessionmgr4003&vid=10&hid=4111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU %3d#db=aqh&AN=52793374