battle fatigue

To date only one study has evaluated the effectiveness of these approaches in treating combat stress reactions in deployed settings (Solomon & Benbenishty, 1986; Solomon, Shklar, & Mikulincer, 2005).

(19-27) It has even been suggested that caffeine may contribute to the development of combat stress reactions such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Besides the more obvious physical trauma of the loss of limb(s), soldiers may suffer more invisible trauma: traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression that may lead to suicide, combat stress reactions, military sexual trauma, and substance abuse.

It was only after the end of the war that Benjamin Rush, a physician of the period and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, became among the first to suggest that rehabilitation in some form would be better than mere punishment for dealing with men who did not want to fight due to what today would be classified as combat stress reactions (Ward, 2006).

A stigma can come from military culture itself, society in general, or the terminology used to describe and treat combat stress reactions. Thus, this article discusses barriers to care, provides a current model for mental health care, and examines each of the Services' programs to explain the progress made since my time in command and to highlight where improvements are needed.