Canada and the World
Current Events with a Canadian Perspective
Last update
19 November 2010
Understanding Battle Fatigue
Shell shock is recognized as a mental illness not a character flaw that can be dealt with through punishment
During World War I hundreds of men were shot for cowardice; it wasn't until 1980 that the mental illness they likely had was recognized with a formal diagnosis.
It’s impossible to imagine what being in combat is like unless you’ve personally
experienced it. Those who have fought on a battlefield often describe it as a combination
of extreme excitement and gut-
Today, the condition is called post-
In World War II, soldiers were said to be suffering from gross stress reaction; with
Vietnam veterans it was called post-
PTSD shows up as memory problems, altered mood, trouble concentrating, disturbed sleeping patterns, nightmares, flashbacks, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, headaches, skin conditions, irritability, outbursts of anger, and episodes of anxiety and panic.
Sufferers from PTSD can become withdrawn and depressed, while others may grow to be aggressive. They experience emotional deadness, and distance themselves from other people.
Many self-
The condition has been increasingly accepted over the years and treatments have improved.
During World War I, the standard therapy for shell shock among ordinary soldiers was execution. Those who could not take the horrors of the trenches anymore got no help from medical officers.
The usual diagnosis allowed was “cowardice in the face of the enemy” and the treatment was a firing squad. This was mostly to put some backbone into the other troops.
According to Shot at Dawn, a campaign to have executed soldiers pardoned “officers were prescribed rest and encouragement, usually accompanied by withdrawal from the war zone for a longer period of rest and rehabilitation.”
By World War II, psychiatrists were attached to many military units at the division level.
Soldiers who were traumatized by witnessing extreme violence were pulled out of the front lines for treatment. This involved supportive counselling with the aim of getting them back to their fighting comrades within three days to a week; unless you were one of General George Patton’s soldiers.
Known to his troops as Old Blood and Guts (“His guts our blood”) Patton was a no-
In August 1943, he came across a weeping soldier, Charles H. Kuhl, in a military
hospital and he asked what the matter was. Kuhl said his nerves were shot -
The military no-
Sufferers are taught about the nature of the condition; that it is caused by extreme stress and is not a sign of personal weakness.
Patients learn how to manage their anger and anxiety, and improve their communication skills. Also, they are taught relaxation techniques that help them overcome emotional and physical symptoms.
Pharmaceuticals may also be part of the therapy, particularly anti-
According to Canada’s Department of National Defence a survey in 2002 “found that, in the year prior to the study, 2.8% of the Regular Force and 1.2% of the Reserve Force reported symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of PTSD. Over the course of their lives 7.2% of the Regular Force and 4.7% of the Reserve Force would have met the diagnostic criteria.”
The mission in Afghanistan is driving up the numbers of military personnel suffering from the condition.
© Canada and the World, April 2010
All Rights Reserved
In April 1917 Canadians captured Vimy Ridge from German forces. Under withering machine-
Carnage of that sort unhinged many soldiers; some could not take any more horror and deserted. During World War I, 22 Canadian soldiers were executed for desertion and one for cowardice.
In 2001, these men received an official apology from the Canadian government.
This picture shows Canadian machine gunners operating from shell-