There has been a lot of focus on WW1 recently, with the centenary, and although there has been so much written and discussed about the physical traumas experienced and long term effects on day to day lives, significantly less has been explained about ‘shell shock’ and the effects on long term soldiers’ mental health.
Popular fiction has depicted some symptoms that have become stereotypes but don’t give the whole truth about the PTSD that came out of the war. The cultural shift from ‘stiff upper lip’ to more acceptance about the realities of war fascinates me and I can see why, after experiencing it, so many re-coiled from the horrors so that when circumstances looked like we were heading to a second world war, they initally preferred negotiation to fighting again.
Stefanie Linden’s article WW1: Shell Shock – The Myths and Realities explores some of the stories and facts and what it means for us as people. click hereto see the details or go to:
http://www.livescience.com/48896-wwi-shell-shock-the-myths-and-realities.html/