From World War One to the Modern Day: Freeclaim Solicitors Explores the History of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Freeclaim Solicitors takes a look at the development of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a recognised medical condition, from the first diagnosis of a WW1 solider, to the present day.  

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental illness that usually befalls someone who has experienced a particularly traumatic event. The most common cause is military combat, but PTSD can also develop after personal attacks, such as sexual assault, incidences of conflict, or the threat of serious injury or death.

Typical PTSD symptoms include recurring flashbacks of the event in question, avoidance or repression of memories of the event, and high levels of anxiety that are present more than a month after the event.

Although Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is now a recognised medical condition, it hasn’t always been so. In fact, it is thought that the first cases of PTSD were discovered in World War 1 soldiers.

During the Great War, soldiers who experienced psychological symptoms were said to have suffered concussions from the impact of shells, coining the term “shell shocked”.  Shell shock was defined as “the dazed, disorientated state many soldiers experienced during combat or shortly thereafter”. Treatment for shell shock consisted merely of a few days’ rest, with the “firm expectation” that soldiers were to return to front life duty immediately after.

Furthermore, soldiers who made it through the conflict and returned home to their families were offered little to no support. It is thought that many soldiers lived with undiagnosed PTSD for the rest of their days.

Of course, in the modern day, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is particularly widespread amongst soldiers returning from active combat in Iraq and Afghanistan for example. As it is now a recognised medical condition, it can be classed, in the case of soldiers, as a workplace illness, which means they could make a legible claim for compensation.  

Freeclaim Solicitors have specialist military claims solicitors who can help with PTSD compensation claims and ongoing treatment. It is a complex area and our team of experts will need to prove that you are suffering from PTSD as a result of seeing active combat and furthermore that the army failed to diagnose your PTSD.

Freeclaim Solicitors has been dealing with compensation claims surrounding Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for over 25 years. If you or a loved one is suspected to have developed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, get in touch with Freeclaim Solicitors PTSD team today. For more information, visit the Freeclaim Solicitors website at http://www.freeclaim.co.uk/. 

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