Shell Shock: The Psychological Impact of the War

The terrible physical effects of sending men into battle have always been self-evident, but only in modern times have the psychological effects been examined. Killing, watching friends die, leading soldiers to their deaths – all have a profound effect on those involved in the front line of war. There is a limit to what a soldier can endure before he becomes the victim of shell shock, battle fatigue, PTSD, or whatever terminology is in vogue. In this book, linked to a Channel 4 television series, individual soldiers tell their own stories of horrors to which they have been exposed, and of events that pushed them to the brink of human endurance. The author also relates the history of military psychiatry and the scientists who have to balance the demands of the army to “cure” soldiers and return them to battle with the demands of the soldiers themselves, struggling to understand their condition.