Mission syndrome in soldiers coming back from their military service in Iraq

Abstract

This article brings up the problem of trauma connected with the battle situation on the example of soldiers who are stationed on the mission in Iraq. According to the unofficial data, every second soldier coming back from the mission suffers from the so-called post traumatic stress disorder – PTSD. Its symptoms include recurrent intrusive memories of traumatic events. Practice shows that despite the fact that well-trained soldiers go to Iraq, in some cases the conditions in which they perform the military service exceed their abilities of adaptation. Examples shown in the article imply a suggestion that the future “mission soldiers” should receive long-running training, which would enable them to adapt – to the greatest possible extent – to new conditions of life connected with the change of climatic zones and also to acquire the ability to manage in repetitive stressful situations involving the threat to their health and life.