Whenever I see the term PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, I am reminded of a rant by the late George Carlin, who while, was a lefty, identified one of the things that has also been a sore spot for me, the watering down of the language over time:
"I don't like words that hide the truth. I don't words that conceal reality. I don't like euphemisms, or euphemistic language. And American English is loaded with euphemisms. Cause Americans have a lot of trouble dealing with reality. Americans have trouble facing the truth, so they invent the kind of a soft language to protest themselves from it, and it gets worse with every generation. For some reason, it just keeps getting worse. I'll give you an example of that. There's a condition in combat. Most people know about it. It's when a fighting person's nervous system has been stressed to it's absolute peak and maximum. Can't take anymore input. The nervous system has either (click) snapped or is about to snap. In the first world war, that condition was called 'Shell Shock.' Simple, honest, direct language. Two syllables, 'shell shock'. Almost sounds like the guns themselves. That was seventy years ago.
Then a whole generation went by and the Second World War came along and very same combat condition was called 'battle fatigue.' Four syllables now. Takes a little longer to say. Doesn't seem to hurt as much. Fatigue is a nicer word than shock. Shell shock! -- Battle fatigue.
Then we had the war in Korea, 1950. Madison Avenue was riding high by that time, and the very same combat condition was called 'Operational Exhaustion.' Hey, were up to eight syllables now! And the humanity has been squeezed completely out of the phrase. It's totally sterile now. Operational exhaustion. Sounds like something that might happen to your car.
Then of course, came the war in Viet Nam, which has only been over for about sixteen or seventeen years, and thanks to the lies and deceits surrounding that war, I guess it's no surprise that the very same condition was called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Still eight syllables, but we've added a hyphen! And the pain is completely buried under jargon. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
I'll bet you if we'd of still been calling it 'shell shock', some of those Viet Nam veterans might have gotten the attention they needed at the time. I'll betcha. I'll betcha."
I would add to Carlin's observation, that now we don't even say the eight syllables, we've got it down now to a four-letter acronym: PTSD.
Shell Shock? That part I do say my service had somewhat to do with. I worked in very loud machinery spaces and continues the same after I got out of the service. I was also exposed to 155MM Full Battery Fire about 50 ft from the guns with ears unprotected. This wasn't the impact but rather the firing I heard. I was asleep in the back of the 5 ton when the fire mission went off.
What is seen as Shell shock? An over reaction mainly too loud sudden noises? Usually associated with Artillery Units. The person hears a certain frequency noise and reacts. That is actually more likely Neurological Damage to the Vestibular System including Inner Ear and Ear Drums.
This can and it will trigger what is commonly called Panic or Anxiety Attacks. The body has a bad startle reflex too the events it can not handle. So how would I know? LOL Well the same time the PTSD hit me the other did as well. Certain noises, tones at certain frequencies would put me literally into seizures. "The Jerk" as one poster in here calls them is the brains response to an exaggerated by the Vestibular System Sensory Impulse. It is very real. It is also likely the most common reason for non phobic panic but rather sensory induced as in auditory induced panic attacks.
The reason this was not as such an issue before except in places like combat units is several factors one of which is technology. Or sense are bombarded literally everywhere we go. You actually could even have a touch of it and not realize it.
It does tend to hit persons though who as kids had sinus allergies, ear infections, etc where damage to the Vestibular System occurred. Vestibular Scientist or researchers are starting to put the pieces together and figure out that this is often mistaken in kids as ADD ADHD. The good new s is these kids and adults do not need Ritalin to treat it.
I know the truth of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I write the letters PTSD because on many forms such as Medical History it takes less space in an already limited place to list disorders. I also write G.A.D. which means General Anxiety Disorder. The doctor knows the abbreviations.