STRESS AND COPING WITH TRAUMA OF WAR IN THE PERSIAN GULF

File: 110596_sep96_decls2_0028.txt
Page: 0028
Total Pages: 48

Subject: STRESS AND COPING WITH TRAUMA OF WAR IN THE PERSIAN GULF        

Unit: VAR. BUMED  

Parent Organization: BUMED       

Box ID: BX303818

Folder Title: USNS COMFORT TAH 20 MEDICAL ARTICLES 1991 1992                                                  

Document Number:          4

Folder SEQ  #:         13











                    The team agreed that it woulck pe necessary to establish

               services for the ship's crew, servicemen in the  theater of

               operations, and combat stress casualties during  the war.
               If, however, the ship received large numbers of  psychiatric

               casualties, mental health workers would be busy  taking care

               of casualties and the crew of the Comfort would  need to be

               prepared to provide much of their own psychological support.

                    The mental health team identified its initial task as

               providing information and training to the crew as

               prophylaxis against combat stress. At the sane time,
               development of traditional inpatient, outpatient, and

               consultation/liaison services were needed.

                    A ship's crew is a closed social system with a strong

               internal structure wherein each crew member relies on his

               shipmate for his survival. This system possesses
               extraordinary strength and resiliency when the group is
               strong, however, if this structure is weakened, group panic
               can occur. In a study of naval combat stress reactions,

               Weisaoth (1991) proposed that group panic is bound to have

               more deleterious consequences on a ship as compared to a
               shore based facility. He stated that group panic 11... is
               always a direct threat to the functioning of a naval ship as

               a whole."

                    Nurses and corpsmen are at increased high risk for

               acute and chronic post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)




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Document 48 f:/Week-39/BX303818/USNS COMFORT TAH 20 MEDICAL ARTICLES 1991 1992/stress and coping with trauma of war in the pers:1104960910243
Control Fields 17
File Room = sep96_declassified
File Cabinet = Week-39
Box ID = BX303818
Unit = VAR. BUMED
Parent Organization = BUMED
Folder Title = USNS COMFORT TAH 20 MEDICAL ARTICLES 1991 1992
Folder Seq # = 13
Subject = STRESS AND COPING WITH TRAUMA OF WAR IN THE PERS
Document Seq # = 4
Document Date =
Scan Date =
Queued for Declassification = 01-JAN-1980
Short Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Long Term Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Permanent Referral = 01-JAN-1980
Non-Health Related Document = 01-JAN-1980
Declassified = 04-NOV-1996