“What did the aftermath of the war mean for the soldiers and what psychological and mental problems were prevailingly common amongst them?”
Pre-World War One, morale was high across Europe. War was still seen as a glorious occurrence, with much of the public still caught up in a 19th century view of war. Much of the public believed that the soldiers would ride horseback and ride gallantly to victory. No on could be prepared for the Total War that would follow. Soon, it became apparent that the war would not be sweet and short, and would not last until Christmas, but rather it would be a horrific type of war that had never been seen before. The war would see over 37 million casualties. (WWI Casualty and Death Tables)
While the war left many men physically wounded, affects on mental health was also a prevalent issue. One of these affects was PTSD, in particular ‘Shell Shock’, which refers to post-war trauma. Although initially not recognised as a mental illness, today PTSD is a recognised mental disorder.
Early in the world war, medicine could only describe the symptoms as having a physiological cause. The symptoms associated with PTSD nowadays were thought to be the result of a severely shaken brain. (The Shock of War) This might earn a soldier a ‘wound stripe’ for his uniform, which may allow the soldier to be discharged from the army and receive a war pension. (The Shock of War) However, by 1916 it became apparent that some of the soldiers displaying the symptoms that those who supposedly had ‘shaken brains’, had not been near the shelling. Thus, it was concluded that these symptoms- headache, tinnitus, loss of memory, disorder of the sleep, poor concentration, dizziness, ‘jelly-like shaking- were due to the weakness of the nerves, or ‘neurasthenia.’ ‘Neurasthenia’ is what is nowadays referred to as a mental breakdown- a reaction to constant fear and stress. (The Shock of War)
As the war advanced, psychiatry also advanced, and finally the conditions started to be recognised “as emotional collapse in the face of the unprecedented and hardly imaginable horrors of trench warfare.” (The Shock of War) This was convenient for officials, as it meant soldiers could be regarded as not being wounded, and thus be sent back into service. This last explanation is how we recognise PTSD today. It is commonly found in soldiers returning from war nowadays also. Today, we know how severe the disorder is and sufferers are often treated using a combination of therapy and medication. Soldiers are not sent back into war straight away, as if they were not injured. From this we can tell that there is now a very attitude to mental disorders in solider.
Depression was also a common issue among combatants, and as with PTSD it is linked to the experience of traumatic battle events. (Death Of A Soldier) Post-combat depression is characterised by a group of symptoms among which are a feeling of sad and a loss of ability to experience pleasure, low energy, self-blame, suicidal ideation, etc. Another (Death Of A Soldier) Depression goes hand-in-hand with guilt, as many men lost their comrades, leaving them not only companionless but also with the idea that they could have done something to save them, (Death Of A Soldier).
During the First World War, having emotional trauma was seen as a sign of weakness, and every soldier “must be induced to face his illness in a manly way’, as the medical superintendent at a military hospital in York, puts it. (Bourke) It was shameful to be left mentally wounded, and veteran Siegfried Sassoon perhaps best described this dismissive attitude towards mental illness. While in Craiglockhart in 1917, the war-veteran and famous wartime poet, wrote the poem ‘Survivors’ which can be seen below.
"NO doubt they’ll soon get well; the shock and strain
Have caused their stammering, disconnected talk.
Of course they’re ‘longing to go out again,’--
These boys with old, scared faces, learning to walk.
They’ll soon forget their haunted nights; their cowed
Subjection to the ghosts of friends who died,--
Their dreams that drip with murder; and they’ll be proud
Of glorious war that shatter’d all their pride...
Men who went out to battle, grim and glad;
Children, with eyes that hate you, broken and mad."
- Siegfried Sassoon
Craiglockart. October, 1917.
(32. Survivors. Sassoon, Siegfried. 1918. Counter-Attack and Other Poems.)
Lines such as “they’ll soon forget’ and ‘No doubt they’ll soon get well’ speak for themselves, reflecting the idea that one will soon recover. They will be able to move on and ‘soon forget their haunted nights’.
All of these currently recognised disorders were as a result of the war, and each of these posed their own challenges when it came to readjusting to civilian life. Nowadays we can appreciate that these mental disorders were just as difficult to deal with, if not more difficult, than physical injuries when it came to readjusting to civilian life.
Works cited
"32. Survivors. Sassoon, Siegfried. 1918. Counter-Attack and Other Poems." Bartelby. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.
Bourke, Joanna. "Shell Shock during World War One." BBC History. BBC, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.
"Death Of A Soldier." British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Edition) 290.6479 (1985): 1369-370. Web.
"The Shock of War." History, Travel, Arts Science, People, Places | Smithsonian. Smithsonian, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.
"WWI Casualty and Death Tables." WWI Casualty and Death Tables. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.
Figure 1: Shell Shocked Soldier, 1916. Digital image. Rare Historical Photos. N.p., 01 Aug. 2014. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.