A documentary I watched about
the Civil War mentioned that soldiers arrived home physically and mentally
scarred. That made me wonder how those soldiers were treated for Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD). Only in the past 20 years has PTSD been fully
acknowledged and various treatments have been used with measured success.
From what I gathered, doctors
acknowledged that some of the soldiers couldn’t handle the rigors of war. They
referred to the condition as “soldier fever,” “survivor malaise.” or “home
fever.” Of course, we now know it went much deeper than “homesickness.” But
that’s how it was initially treated, which means that, for the most part, it
was ignored.
Symptoms of PTSD are noted
in survivors of historic wars and private battles. Think of the women who
became mentally unbalanced when left alone on the prairie to fend for
themselves and children while their men went hunting or fur trading. Armed with
a rifle and an ax, they were scared out of their wits as they waited to be
preyed on by everything from bears to immoral men and Indian raids. Those women
were walking nervous breakdowns, living on the knife’s edge.
PTSD was a big problem
after the Civil War, evidenced by the erection of large mental institutions.
Obviously, no one knew what to do with the men and women who had not recovered and
were dangers to themselves and others. So, they were warehoused. When in doubt,
put them behind walls.
Today PTSD sufferers have
psychiatrists, psychologists, and pharmacies to help them with their
nightmares, psychotic episodes, visions, nervousness, and other fallout from
war and extreme trauma. The Civil War survivors weren’t so fortunate. They had
to find their own way through the hellholes while their families and friends
looked on helplessly.
In my novel, Solitary Horseman, I delve into the
subject. The hero, Callum Latimer, served gallantly in the Civil War for the South,
but he feels like he’s been hallowed out and he finds little to appreciate in
his life after the war. My heroine’s brother, Hollis, returned from the war a
broken man. A gentle soul, Hollis did his duty as a soldier, but the price he
paid was steep. He is tortured with horrific memories and bone-rattling
nightmares. Some people should never be thrown into battle and Hollis was one
of them.
Controversial subjects interest
me and I include them in almost all of my romances. One of my books, My Wild Rose, received the first Janet
Dailey Award for a book that best addressed a social issue. That novel featured
Carrie Nation as one of the characters. Carrie opened the first home in the
U.S. for battered wives and children of alcoholics.
As we have been told,
what is not learned from history is bound to be repeated. So, I am compelled to
shed light on problems so that we can see how far we’ve come and how far we
still have to go.
Purchase Solitary
Horseman here:
You can get a
complete list of Deborah’s novels on her website. www.deborah-camp.com
Thanks for including my post here on this lovely and informative blog!
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