Shell Shock During Ww1

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During World War I, the stress of the war caused millions of soldiers to experience traumatic symptoms. The war’s destruction not only impacted soldiers physically, but caused devastation mentally and emotionally. These symptoms were diagnosed as a psychological disorder called “Shell Shock.” Shell Shock during World War I caused millions of soldiers to be in a state of distress both physically and mentally, with few options for rehabilitation. What is “Shell Shock?” Shell Shock is a term to describe the reaction of soldiers during or after war. The official The name “Shell Shock,” first appeared in the British medical journal The Lancet in February 1915, six months after the start of the war. Capt. Charles Myers of the Royal Army Medical Corps found the symptoms of three soldiers who were exposed to exploding shells extremely similar, therefore naming it “Shell Shock.” Many doctors were against the use of the term “Shell Shock” and did not use this name when diagnosing patients. The term “War Neurosis” was commonly used. Today, the official term for Shell Shock is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. This disorder is caused when…show more content…
Hundreds of women were sent as nurses and ambulance drivers to treat the wounded soldiers. These women were exposed to severely mangled men and hundreds of death related cases every day. Although shell-shock was rarely diagnosed for soldiers during this time, it was even more rare to see a women diagnosed. In Helen Zenna Smith's book Not So Quiet, there was a female ambulance driver who was sent home on "sick leave" after she witnessed a friend dying at the front, but received no medical attention. Many of the women who showed symptoms of shell-shock were simply ignored or were sent home because they “could not handle the
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