'War and Mental Health: shell shock, battle exhaustion and PTSD'

摘要

Although much has been written about the effect of war on soldiers who are essentially sane, those who were driven mad by the experience have been neglected. Peter Barham has addressed this issue in a scrupulous and heartfelt study. He has researched the lives of soldiers who became psychotic during World War I, exploring how they were handled first by military medical authorities and later when absorbed within the traditional asylum system or discharged to the care of the Ministry of Pensions. Whilst politicians and the press highlighted the case of the shell-shocked veteran, who as a result of administrative failures found himself stigmatized as a lunatic, soldiers who were psychotic and remained in institutional care were largely forgotten by society and by scholars subsequently. Evidence about these service patients is scattered and difficult to find. Barham has carefully pieced together accounts from a wide range of sources and produced a compelling account of how both doctors and government bodies treated such veterans.