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 100000 from the Gulf War and an untallied total from the Iraq front and fighting in Afghanistan. The number also includes some 35000 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 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 developsand how we can help service members take the steps to heal today.