Overview
This lecture covers the history, symptoms, and treatment of shell shock during and after World War I, highlighting its links to PTSD and the often inhumane response by military and medical authorities.
Definition and Origins of Shell Shock
- Shell shock is a psychological reaction to the helplessness experienced in war zones.
- Symptoms include panic, violence, anger, insomnia, inability to walk or talk, and other basic task impairments.
- Now classified as a form of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder); the term "shell shock" is no longer used medically.
- The term was first used by Charles Myers in 1915 after observing affected soldiers.
Impact and Cultural Response
- British military culture, focused on stoicism, viewed shell shock as a sign of weakness or poor character.
- Early symptoms included tinnitus, amnesia, tremors, dizziness, and hypersensitivity to noise.
- By December 1914, 10% of wounded British soldiers had shell shock; over 80,000 affected during the war.
- Treatment depended heavily on rank, unit, and individual doctors, leading to inconsistent care.
- 306 British soldiers were executed for cowardice or desertion, later pardoned in 2006.
Medical Understanding and Treatments
- Shell shock was first thought to be caused by physical injury, later understood as psychological trauma.
- Officers were seen as particularly vulnerable due to emotional repression.
- Initial treatment involved rest or hospitalization, but as cases increased, more severe and abusive methods were used.
- Harsh treatments included isolation, denial of pleasure, forced exposure to fears, and electroshock therapy.
- The British army banned the term "shell shock" in 1917, fearing it would undermine morale.
Aftermath and Continuing Stigma
- Treatments were largely ineffective; over 80% of patients never returned to war duty.
- Even 10 years after the war, 65,000 British soldiers were still being treated for shell shock.
- Victims continued to be stigmatized and ostracized long after the war ended.
- Other terms for similar symptoms emerged: combat neurosis, combat stress reaction, post-concussional syndrome.
- Modern understanding recognizes these sufferers as war victims, not cowards.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Shell Shock — Psychological trauma from war, especially WWI, now considered a type of PTSD.
- PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) — A mental health condition caused by experiencing or witnessing traumatic events.
- Electroshock Therapy — A medical treatment involving electrical currents, historically used abusively for shell shock.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review case studies on shell shock treatment during WWI.
- Read about the postwar lives of shell shock survivors.
- Reflect on changes in mental health understanding over time.