Shades of Gray: Shell Shock - Combat Stress Reaction Documentary (1947)

http://thefilmarchive.org/

Combat stress reaction (CSR), in the past commonly known as shell shock or battle fatigue, is a military term used to categorize a range of behaviours resulting from the stress of battle which decrease the combatant's fighting efficiency. The most common symptoms are fatigue, slower reaction times, indecision, disconnection from one's surroundings, and inability to prioritize. Combat stress reaction is generally short-term and should not be confused with acute stress disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or other long-term disorders attributable to combat stress, although any of these may commence as a combat stress reaction.

The ratio of stress casualties to battle casualties varies with the intensity of the fighting, but with intense fighting it can be as high as 1:1. In low-level conflicts it can drop to 1:10 (or less).

In World War I, shell shock was considered a psychiatric illness resulting from injury to the nerves during combat. The horrors of trench warfare meant that about 10% of the fighting soldiers were killed (compared to 4.5% during World War II) and the total proportion of troops who became casualties (killed or wounded) was 56%. Whether a shell-shock sufferer was considered "wounded" or "sick" depended on the circumstances. The large proportion of World War I veterans in the European population meant that the symptoms were common to the culture.

At the outbreak of World War II most in the United States military had forgotten the treatment lessons of World War I. Screening of applicants was initially rigorous but experience eventually showed it to not have great predictive power.

The US entered the war in December 1941. It was not until November 1943 that a psychiatrist was added to the table of organization of each division, and this policy was not implemented in the Mediterranean Theatre until March 1944. By 1943 the US Army was using the term "exhaustion" as the initial diagnosis of psychiatric cases and the general principles of military psychiatry were being used. General Patton's slapping incident was in part the spur to institute forward treatment for the Italian invasion of September 1943. The importance of unit cohesion and membership of a group as a protective factor emerged.

Peacekeeping provides its own stresses with its emphasis on rules of engagement providing a containment of the roles for which soldiers are trained. Causes include witnessing or experiencing the following: Constant tension and threat of conflict. Threat of landmines and boobytraps. Close contact with dead people and the severely injured. Deliberate maltreatment and atrocities, possibly involving civilians. Cultural issues, e.g. male dominant attitudes towards women in different cultures. Separation and home issues. Risk of disease including HIV. Threat of exposure to toxic agents. Mission problems. Return to service.

A notable case of CSR in peacekeeping operations is that of Canadian General Roméo Dallaire, commander of the UN-run operation in Rwanda, UNAMIR. Unable to intervene to prevent the ensuing Rwandan Genocide, Major-General Dallaire was forced to watch as almost a million Tutsis were brutally killed. On return to Canada, feeling that he had not done enough to halt the genocide, and haunted by the images of dismembered victims, Dallaire contemplated suicide; in June 2000 he was found in a public park near Ottawa's Rideau Canal, drunk and overdosing from anti-depressant medication. This very public incident highlighted the impact of difficult sub-combat operations on soldiers and awoke the public's awareness to CSR (or, as it is often referred to by the public, post-traumatic stress disorder).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_shock

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[xxxDesign4Lifexxx]

Fake

[LEONIDASTREEHUNDRED]

@JDev82 propaganda to make people think its all ok

[kingofuganda]

@dawgho2

The fact its a film could be a reason...

[dawgho2]

looks acted to me...

[JDev82]

anyone know what this film was originally used for?

[declaration963]

@Uaxis you're the ones who get trolled, BY ME :D

*u mad bro*

[Uaxis]

@Uaxis Caught me trollin'. Good job.

TBH, I just do this to test people's IQ in a completely non-professional (but fool proof) manner.

[Uaxis]

@declaration963 Whaaaaat.

[declaration963]

@Uaxis I'm 2 month baby, PROBLEM ? :D

[Uaxis]

@declaration963 Did I in any way insinuate that? Please act like you're educated.