Shell Shock

Shell shock was first reported to occur in Great Britian, who coined the term "shell shock." Since Great Britian was one of the only countries to really notice what was happening with their soldiers and see how they were being affected, their country has the most reported cases of shell shock. The total number of those treated in Great Britian was around 80,000. All countries dealt with the PTSD similar. If you had the disorder during the war, the commanders would send you right up the the front line as an "example" to other soldiers that you could fight through it. This potentially made the shock worse. If you continued to cower you were sent home from war to an asylum, electricly shocked or put to death for being weak. The countries didn't really take the disorder seriously till sometime after the war when the cases skyrocketed even higher.

World War I

"...everyone had a 'breaking point': weak or strong, courageous or cowardly - war frightened everyone witless..."

During WWI, it was said that 56% of soldiers died at war. The soldiers that survived however were left broken and damaged. Shell shock (or more commonly known as PTSD) occured in almost every WWI veteran. Shell shock is a phsycological disorder usually developed after dramatic events have taken place. For example, a war. There is no exact cure for shell shock but there is a series of therapy treatment that can help with the emotion toll.

Historical Question

Which country in WWI had the most impact of shell shock? How did the country deal with it?

Citations

1. "Militaryhistorynow.com." Militaryhistorynowcom. 11 June 2014. Web. 8 Jan. 2016. (secondary)2. BBC News. BBC. Web. 8 Jan. 2016. (Secondary)3. Shell Shock Victim (WWI). 2011. Film. (Primary)

ShellShock

Detailed Information

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WWI Victim

WWI Soldiers in a trench