Fieldcraft 3 - 68W: Questions And Complete Answers What was PTSD called in the past? Right Ans - 1. Soldier's Heart: physiological signs, increased HR, chest pains, panic, sense of doom
2. Shell Shock: concussive or vacuum effects of exploding artillery shells and trench warfare
What is PTSD? Right Ans - psychiatric disorder that can occur following the
experience or witnessing of a life-threatening event such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or physical or sexual assault in adult or childhood
What is "dialing-up"? Right Ans - as you progress through mobilization toward deployment, anxiety gradually increases: you are mentally and physically preparing yourself for this new deployed environment
What is "dialing-down"? Right Ans - anxiety begins to decrease as you adjust to being at home but will not necessarily return to how it was before deployment (post-traumatic growth)
During deployment all Warriors experience change? Right Ans - Yes, everyone is impacted including families at home
How does deployment physically effect the body? Right Ans - 1. sleep deprivation during sustained operations
2. being on guard almost all of the time
3. physical threats
4. maintaining emotional control
5. extreme physical stress and exhaustion
6. carrying heavy loads, wear and tear on muscles and joints
7. injuries, including concussions/mTBIs and combat trauma
What is Post-traumatic stress (PTS)? Right Ans - aka combat stress
typical expected reactions to deployment stressors; everyone who deploys will experience at least a mild form of one or more of the signs at some point or points during their transition home
the sooner warriors seek help, the better the outcome Will dialing-down combat physiology take time? Right Ans - Yes
time, work, effort
Do all service members experience PTS? Right Ans - Yes
What is the goal of resilience training? Right Ans - to provide soldiers with adaptive skills to deal with any challenge to not just survive but thrive in the face of adversity
Risk-taking Behavior (red flags) Right Ans - the start or increase in frequency of behaviors that may endanger health and the health and safety of those around them
signs and symptoms are seen as "triggers"
Anger Problems (red flags) Right Ans - returning warriors can be easily angered or have uncontrolled anger; anger has been found to be a prominent symptom of traumatic exposure
Sleep Problems (red flags) Right Ans - returning warriors may have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, some may wake early and not be able to get back to sleep and have frequent nightmares (getting 7-8 hours of continuous uninterrupted sleep is extremely important)
Alcohol (or other substance abuse) Problems (red flags) Right Ans - half of all PTSD diagnosed warriors have associated alcohol problems, many of whom have not previously been "problem" drinkers
Relationship Problem (red flags) Right Ans - 25% of warriors report stress reactions that may interfere with their ability to trust and be emotionally close to others
What is the key to preventing psychological trauma from further developing into a physical disorder? Right Ans - recommend talking to experts (BH/chaplain) What physical disorder must be ruled out with a warrior demonstrating behavioral change? Right Ans - everyone experiences PTS but not everyone
experiences PTSD
Signs and Symptoms/Triggers of behavioral health problems Right Ans - 1. behaviors/reactions that impair performance or jeopardize training
2. persistent problems with sleep
3. reckless or dangerous behaviors
4. drinking too much alcohol, misusing substances
5. severe guilt or hopelessness
6. withdrawals from buddies, friends or family
7. rage, threatening statements
8. talking/joking about not wanting to be alive
Goal of Successful Transition Right Ans - to minimize "collateral damage" such as damage to relationships or careers, and general self-destructive behavior; they must learn how to transition from deployed mindset back to the "home front" and it will take time, work and effort
Broken Tail Light Right Ans - when a warrior does not realize that he or she has a problem; TAIL can be used to help friends with transition problems
TAIL Right Ans - T: tell them you're concerned
A: all are impacted by deployment
I: insist that they talk with someone
L: look for ways to help
What are the 3 things Medics are expected to do? Right Ans - 1. identify those warriors in your platoon/unit who are at-risk
2. talk to your soldiers and normalize their behavior 3. empower warriors to seek help because the sooner they get help the better the outcome
*always recommend that warriors talk to the experts, whichever is more comfortable for them; your role is to help them get the help they need
Important Points about PTSD Right Ans - 1. can be caused by exposure to a traumatic event 2. significantly impacts functioning (victims can no longer consistently perform duties of daily tasks)
3. is a diagnosis that requires a group of symptoms to be present for an extended period of time
4. must be diagnosed by a medical professional
What percent of soldiers are actually diagnosed with PTSD? Right Ans - only around 3-5% are diagnosed with PTSD
*most soldiers DO NOT develop PTSD as a result of their deployment experiences*
Which soldiers are at a higher risk of having serious stress-related problems? Right Ans - 1. genetic predisposition
2. early-life trauma
3. no strong social support system
4. regularly engaged in frequent or intense combat
5. witnessed injury or death
6. involved in a serious event where they felt they had no control, esp if they felt there was a mistake, poor leadership or negligence
Why are concussions hard to diagnose? Right Ans - mild TBIs can sometimes go undetected from the start and can be difficult to distinguish from moderate or severe brain injuries
*make sure warrior takes a break (take a knee) even if they insist they are feeling fine*
When to get a medical evaluation for concussions Right Ans - 1. within 50m
of a blast
2. direct blow to the head or LOC
3. vehicle involved in blast event
4. collision or rollover
*NOT EVERY CONCUSSION IS THE SAME, concussed warriors may exhibit different symptoms*
Do you have to lose consciousness to have a concussion? Right Ans - NO
2. Shell Shock: concussive or vacuum effects of exploding artillery shells and trench warfare
What is PTSD? Right Ans - psychiatric disorder that can occur following the
experience or witnessing of a life-threatening event such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or physical or sexual assault in adult or childhood
What is "dialing-up"? Right Ans - as you progress through mobilization toward deployment, anxiety gradually increases: you are mentally and physically preparing yourself for this new deployed environment
What is "dialing-down"? Right Ans - anxiety begins to decrease as you adjust to being at home but will not necessarily return to how it was before deployment (post-traumatic growth)
During deployment all Warriors experience change? Right Ans - Yes, everyone is impacted including families at home
How does deployment physically effect the body? Right Ans - 1. sleep deprivation during sustained operations
2. being on guard almost all of the time
3. physical threats
4. maintaining emotional control
5. extreme physical stress and exhaustion
6. carrying heavy loads, wear and tear on muscles and joints
7. injuries, including concussions/mTBIs and combat trauma
What is Post-traumatic stress (PTS)? Right Ans - aka combat stress
typical expected reactions to deployment stressors; everyone who deploys will experience at least a mild form of one or more of the signs at some point or points during their transition home
the sooner warriors seek help, the better the outcome Will dialing-down combat physiology take time? Right Ans - Yes
time, work, effort
Do all service members experience PTS? Right Ans - Yes
What is the goal of resilience training? Right Ans - to provide soldiers with adaptive skills to deal with any challenge to not just survive but thrive in the face of adversity
Risk-taking Behavior (red flags) Right Ans - the start or increase in frequency of behaviors that may endanger health and the health and safety of those around them
signs and symptoms are seen as "triggers"
Anger Problems (red flags) Right Ans - returning warriors can be easily angered or have uncontrolled anger; anger has been found to be a prominent symptom of traumatic exposure
Sleep Problems (red flags) Right Ans - returning warriors may have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, some may wake early and not be able to get back to sleep and have frequent nightmares (getting 7-8 hours of continuous uninterrupted sleep is extremely important)
Alcohol (or other substance abuse) Problems (red flags) Right Ans - half of all PTSD diagnosed warriors have associated alcohol problems, many of whom have not previously been "problem" drinkers
Relationship Problem (red flags) Right Ans - 25% of warriors report stress reactions that may interfere with their ability to trust and be emotionally close to others
What is the key to preventing psychological trauma from further developing into a physical disorder? Right Ans - recommend talking to experts (BH/chaplain) What physical disorder must be ruled out with a warrior demonstrating behavioral change? Right Ans - everyone experiences PTS but not everyone
experiences PTSD
Signs and Symptoms/Triggers of behavioral health problems Right Ans - 1. behaviors/reactions that impair performance or jeopardize training
2. persistent problems with sleep
3. reckless or dangerous behaviors
4. drinking too much alcohol, misusing substances
5. severe guilt or hopelessness
6. withdrawals from buddies, friends or family
7. rage, threatening statements
8. talking/joking about not wanting to be alive
Goal of Successful Transition Right Ans - to minimize "collateral damage" such as damage to relationships or careers, and general self-destructive behavior; they must learn how to transition from deployed mindset back to the "home front" and it will take time, work and effort
Broken Tail Light Right Ans - when a warrior does not realize that he or she has a problem; TAIL can be used to help friends with transition problems
TAIL Right Ans - T: tell them you're concerned
A: all are impacted by deployment
I: insist that they talk with someone
L: look for ways to help
What are the 3 things Medics are expected to do? Right Ans - 1. identify those warriors in your platoon/unit who are at-risk
2. talk to your soldiers and normalize their behavior 3. empower warriors to seek help because the sooner they get help the better the outcome
*always recommend that warriors talk to the experts, whichever is more comfortable for them; your role is to help them get the help they need
Important Points about PTSD Right Ans - 1. can be caused by exposure to a traumatic event 2. significantly impacts functioning (victims can no longer consistently perform duties of daily tasks)
3. is a diagnosis that requires a group of symptoms to be present for an extended period of time
4. must be diagnosed by a medical professional
What percent of soldiers are actually diagnosed with PTSD? Right Ans - only around 3-5% are diagnosed with PTSD
*most soldiers DO NOT develop PTSD as a result of their deployment experiences*
Which soldiers are at a higher risk of having serious stress-related problems? Right Ans - 1. genetic predisposition
2. early-life trauma
3. no strong social support system
4. regularly engaged in frequent or intense combat
5. witnessed injury or death
6. involved in a serious event where they felt they had no control, esp if they felt there was a mistake, poor leadership or negligence
Why are concussions hard to diagnose? Right Ans - mild TBIs can sometimes go undetected from the start and can be difficult to distinguish from moderate or severe brain injuries
*make sure warrior takes a break (take a knee) even if they insist they are feeling fine*
When to get a medical evaluation for concussions Right Ans - 1. within 50m
of a blast
2. direct blow to the head or LOC
3. vehicle involved in blast event
4. collision or rollover
*NOT EVERY CONCUSSION IS THE SAME, concussed warriors may exhibit different symptoms*
Do you have to lose consciousness to have a concussion? Right Ans - NO
