shell shock can take many forms but it is a reaction to the helplessness felt by those in a war zone and can manifest in many different ways including panic violence anger or an inability to perform basic tasks like sleeping walking or talking now classed as a type of ptsd the term has been retired in medical circles but it is still understood to be specific to those who have been involved in active warfare and combat like many mental health disorders humans have a poor history with how we've treated those with shell shock the term first arose during world war one when it was published in an article written by psychologist charles myers for the british medical journal the lancet after seeing the effects of combat in the soldiers at his war hospital post although shell shock was not a uniquely british disease no other european country has conducted any surveys or analysis into its impact during the war and it's been suggested the disease was not quite as epidemic elsewhere although it certainly was still an issue one of the causes of this could be the uniquely british culture and traditions of stiff upper lip and keep calm and carry on thanks to british stoicism reactions to shell shock were largely derisive and dismissive with sufferers seen as psychologically weak or lacking immoral fiber this is apparent in the words of a british general at the time there can be no doubt that other things being equal the frequency of shell shock in any unit is an index of its lack of discipline and loyalty the condition was first noted by the british expeditionary force who reported medical issues after combat such as tinnitus amnesia tremors dizziness and a hypersensitivity to noise december 1914 at least 10 percent of wounded british soldiers were reported as suffering from shell shock by the end of the war in 1918 over 20 000 of those left alive suffered from the illness and it was predicted there were over 80 000 sufferers during the war doctors were initially dumbfounded by the symptoms of shell shock to all intents and purposes symptoms looked like they resulted from physical injury with soldiers in the trenches going blind deaf mute or becoming paralyzed but doctors quickly realized that physical injuries weren't the cause when soldiers who had never seen the front line began reporting similar symptoms they soon believed that while any man could become disturbed by their experiences for it to continue for an extended period of time showed a lack of character this is despite the fact that more and more cases were reported as the war went on officers were apparently particularly susceptible as they were supposed to put on a brave face for their men and as such repressed their emotions even more than the average british man no one saw this side effect of war coming and soon hospitals overflowed with men suffering from shell shock the military had to take over private asylums and mental hospitals to provide beds for these additional unexpected patients in britain initially at least sufferers were sent away from the front line to convalesce in hospitals but as cases became more frequent and more men were diagnosed than the military could handle responses became harsher and treatment for patients more brutal it also varied wildly depending on officer rank unit and doctor involved one of the biggest and most shameful parts of the war was in our response to these soldiers 306 of whom were shot for cowardice or desertion of post we can't possibly imagine what these men were going through and the lack of sympathy and understanding to downright cruelty remains one dark spot of many in british history it wasn't until the 7th of november 2006 that they all received a posthumous pardon from the british government and those who were lucky enough to be treated during world war one did not have a great time of it some received a day or two of bed rest but more were shipped off to psychiatric hospitals to experience a variety of treatments medical officers were frantic and in desperate need of soldiers without physical injuries to return to the combat zone they focused on quick and harsh cures such as isolation forced deprivation of enjoyable activities and exposure to their fears for example patients who feared loud noises were placed in rooms overlooking busy main roads and worst of all was the extensive use of electroshock treatment which even some doctors objected to as they worried about the effects of prolonged exposure unsurprisingly these treatments did not prove effective and over 80 percent of patients never returned to the war by 1917 the british army actually banned the use of the term shell shock they claimed it was an inaccurate term and were apparently concerned of it being used as a get out of war free card but more simply they didn't want to admit the depths and extensive trauma that had impacted so many more soldiers than they ever predicted one of the most disturbing reports and a glimpse into how poorly shell shock victims were treated was published in 1918 by louis eland a british clinician that believed shellshock was simply the result of a loss of manhood and should be seen as a personal failure he claimed that all these men needed was to remember their bravado and heroism to become whole again if you fancy seeing the thoughts of a truly cold and unsympathetic man yilan's paper hysterical disorders of warfare is available to read for free online and is nothing short of horrifying in it he talks of his firm treatment methods on seven patients known only as a one through seven they included strapping one young man down to a chair for 20 minutes at a time while applying strong electricity to his neck and throat putting out cigarettes on his tongue and applying hot plates to the back of his neck yeland also believed he had discovered the cure for shell-shock-induced mutism and that the most effective treatment method was applying an electric shock to the patient's throat or thigh consistently and repeatedly until the patient could muster the word in the case of patient one he gleefully reports success that sounds more like torture to anyone saying forcing the patient to stay awake during hours of shock therapy walk around the room repeating vowels disparaging and berating them as they did so and refusing them water or any sort of release from his treatment until they managed to utter a cohesive and coherent sentence although horrific to modern eyes and ears yilan's methods and mentality were sadly not that different to many physicians of the time when the war ended soldiers continued to be treated for their injuries physical and emotional shell shock does not end when war does even 10 years after over 65 000 soldiers in britain were still receiving treatment and it's unknown how many were lost to suicide during those tragic years how we treated these heroes of war was deeply wrong and sadly understanding did not improve in the following years shell shock victims continued to be demonized and looked down upon by the public and many sufferers lived their lives in relative isolation as pariahs of society after the british army completely banned the use of the term shell shock many others rose up to take its place including combat neurosis combat stress reaction and post-concussional syndrome luckily today our understanding of psychiatric disorders has grown and we now acknowledge that shell shock sufferers were not cowards of wartime but victims of it how these men were treated is something that should remain in our national consciousness forever enjoyed this video don't forget to like and subscribe for more horrible or horribly interesting content [Music] i am