The aim of the present work was to identify the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affecting the manifestation of aggressive behavior in combatants and to develop approaches to the prophylaxis of this behavior. A total of 174 veterans taking part in combat actions (aged 22–43 years) who had committed illegal acts were studied. Aggressive illegal behavior was most commonly seen in veterans with prolonged experience of participating in combat operations, especially after exposure to particularly severe (extremely severe) combat stress and who had had difficulty returning to peaceful life because of PTSD and characteristic personality changes. The results showed that all illegal acts were committed on the background of acute stress reactions of different degrees of severity, associated with interpersonal conflict (occurring suddenly or building up slowly). In these conditions, some PTSD symptoms in combatants masked the real circumstances of the psychologically traumatizing conflict situation, creating the impression of irreconcilable confrontation.
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Translated from Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii imeni S. S. Korsakova, Vol. 109, No. 12, Iss. I, pp. 41–45, December, 2009.
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Fastovtsov, G.A. Characteristics of Stress-Induced Mental Disorders in Combatants Who Have Committed Criminal Actions. Neurosci Behav Physi 41, 267–271 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-011-9411-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-011-9411-z