War
War is defined as ‘a state of armed conflict between different countries or different groups within a country.’
War affects millions of people globally.
War affects everybody involved including:
- Civilians
- Serving soldiers
- Civilians who are called up or forced to become soldiers
- Civilians who stay in the country / region and witness combat and impacts
- Civilians hiding in bomb shelters or evading their enemies
- Those who are displaced or subjected to forced migration
- Prisoners of war
- Those subjected to or who witness war crimes
- Countries or regions that are invaded
- Bordering countries
- Countries accepting war refugees
- Countries affected by economic or other such implications
Typical war and combat incidents may include:
- Gunfire
- Bombs and explosions
- Mines
- Drone surveillance or bombing
- Mobilised combat vehicles such as tanks and missile launchers
- Air strikes by planes and helicopters
- Chemical or biological weapons
- Destruction of infrastructure such as transport and power facilities
- Causing environmental disasters
- Trench warfare
- Special forces operations
War and war-related incidents are traumatic events!
What is War Trauma?
Complex Trauma
War Trauma is a Chronic or Complex Trauma. We will be using the term, Complex Trauma.
A Complex Trauma is a trauma that happens when an individual experiences multiple traumatic events and refers to traumatic stressors that are premeditated, planned, and caused by other human beings.
During war, people are exposed to many different traumatic events.
War trauma events may include:
- Soldiers experiencing intimate violence
(e.g. witnessing death through direct combat or watching friends or comrades die) - Perceived or actual threat to your life or that of loved ones or strangers
- Witnessing extreme violence inflicted on others or as a result of violence to others e.g. torture, murder, seeing dead, burned or disfigured bodies
- Bereavement of loved ones
- Displacement and forced migration
- Ambivalent loss, being displaced and not knowing what is happening to the remaining family members left in a region or country
- Loss e.g. home, belongings, pets, car, savings, employment…
- Exposure to weather elements e.g. cold or heat
- Poverty e.g. limited or no access to shelter, food, water and resources
- Rape and sexual assault
- Children orphaned
- Mass graves
- Executions
- Imprisonment
Each of these events is traumatic in itself. In war zones, people are most likely to experience multiple traumatic war-related events and over a prolonged period.
This means that the trauma and responses are likely to have more serious mental health impacts on individuals. This is particularly true for anyone who cannot leave or escape war zones or who are prisoners of war.
War may result in more serious trauma impacts including:
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Panicking when reminded of the trauma
- Flashbacks (a PTSD flashback is when you relive your traumatic experience, and it feels like it is happening all over again right in that moment)
- Panic attacks (see section titled ‘Panic Attacks’ below)
- Being easily upset or angry
- Extreme alertness, also sometimes called ‘hypervigilance’
- Disturbed sleep or a lack of sleep
- Nightmares / night terrors
- Irritability or aggressive behaviour
- Finding it hard to concentrate – including on simple or everyday tasks
- Memory loss
- Being jumpy or easily startled
If you have these symptoms for a period of more than one month, then the trauma is usually termed as being PTSD.
You can find out more about PTSD at: Overview – Post-traumatic stress disorder or Symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder & C-PTSD
Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD)
CPTSD is a condition where you experience some symptoms of PTSD along with some additional symptoms, such as difficulty controlling your emotions, feeling very angry or distrustful towards the world. CPTSD is the experience of multiple and/or chronic and prolonged, developmentally adverse traumatic events, most often of an interpersonal nature such as war. CPTSD symptoms can occur even years after the war has ended.
You can find out more about CPTSD at:
Complex PTSD – Post-traumatic stress disorder
Panic Attacks
A panic attack is a feeling of sudden and intense panic (extreme anxiety) that normally starts and finishes abruptly lasting between five and twenty minutes; some can last up to an hour. They are very frightening experiences especially in the first attacks when you are not sure what is happening. Sometimes you may have specific feelings of fear or dread with an attack, such as feeling you are going to die immediately. This is not necessarily rational but the feeling is real and completely overwhelming.
A silent panic attack involves internal symptoms without experiencing external symptoms. For example, a person experiencing a silent panic attack may feel their heart rate increase or become dizzy, but it may not seem like they are going through anything on the outside. If you have panic attacks, carry a paper bag with you at all times.
When you feel the attack coming on:
- Sit down
- Take 6 to 12 easy, natural breaths, with a small paper bag held over your mouth and nose.
- Remove the bag from your nose and mouth and take easy, natural breaths.
This technique will help to reduce hyperventilation. It works by putting some of the lost carbon dioxide back into your lungs and body. This helps to balance oxygen flow in your body.
What are the Signs of War Trauma?
- Fear
- Loneliness
- Anxiety – excessive fear and worry
- Anxiety attacks – this usually involves a fear of a specific situation or perceived threat with a clear trigger. Symptoms can be prolonged and include worry, restlessness, and physical symptoms, such as changes in heart rate.
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Apathy
- Numbness
- Confusion
- Helplessness
- Loss of appetite
- Problems sleeping
- Changes in behaviour or personality
- Irritability and angry outbursts
- Powerlessness
- Panic attacks – this usually involves a feeling of sudden, intense and unexpected panic that normally starts and finishes abruptly lasting between five and twenty minutes, some can last up to an hour.
- Suicidal thoughts and ideations
Ukrainian Women and Children Living with Trauma
(Please note this video contains references to suicidal thoughts)