Haunted by Combat

Across history, the condition has been called soldier's heart, shell shock, or combat fatigue. It is now increasingly common as our service men and women return from Iraq, Afghanistan, and other ongoing combat zones. Since 1990, Veterans' centers here have treated more than 1.6 million affected men and women, including an estimated 100,000 from the Gulf War and an untallied total from the Iraq front and fighting in Afghanistan. The number also includes some 35,000 World War II veterans, because PTSD does not fade easily. Regardless of the months, years, and even decades that have passed, the traumatic events can flash back as seemingly real as they were when they occurred.In Haunted by Combat Paulson and Krippner range across history and into current experiences and treatments for this haunting disorder.

They take us into the minds of PTSD-affected veterans, as they struggle against the traumatic events lingering in their minds, sometimes exploding into violent behavior. The authors explain how and why PTSD develops—and how we can help service members take the steps to heal today.

Daryl S. Paulson is a Psychologist, a Fellow of the American Academy of Traumatic Stress, and a veteran of the U.S. Marines who served in Vietnam. He has worked extensively with veterans affected by PTSD.

Stanley Krippner is Professor of Psychology at Saybrook Graduate Institute and Research Center. He is also the editor of The Psychological Impact of War Trauma on Civilians (Praeger, 2003). And, he is a member of the Advisory or Editorial Boards for journals including The Behavioral and Brain Sciences and the Journal of Humanistic Psychology. His many awards include the American Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology.