Understanding shell shock - for iPod/iPhone The Open University
-
- Education
What was the impact of World War I on those who took part? How has the trauma of World War 1 been depicted in art and literature? And what can we learn from the past to help treat combat stress reactions and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? 2014 marks the centennial year of the beginning of World War 1. It was a war of unprecedented scale and brutality, with countless casualties. It also left a poisonous legacy for the 20th century and beyond. This free online course explores the subject of physical and mental trauma, its treatments and its representation, as experienced by both combatants and civilian populations.
-
- video
Finding and interrogating historical data
Annika Mombauer and Vincent Trott show you how you can do some ‘desk research’ on the history of World War One. Their task is to find out how many people died. You can use these skills to trace both the victims and survivors of shell shock.
-
Transcript -- Finding and interrogating historical data
Annika Mombauer and Vincent Trott show you how you can do some ‘desk research’ on the history of World War One. Their task is to find out how many people died. You can use these skills to trace both the victims and survivors of shell shock.
-
- video
What is shell shock?
Dr Fiona Reid, an expert on shell shock, describes what shell shock was, how it was treated and how it was regarded by contemporaries. She also explores the specific British connotations of the term, and the way we associate it with the First World War in particular.
-
Transcript -- What is shell shock?
Dr Fiona Reid, an expert on shell shock, describes what shell shock was, how it was treated and how it was regarded by contemporaries. She also explores the specific British connotations of the term, and the way we associate it with the First World War in particular.
-
- video
Treating shell shock
Dr. Fiona Reid discusses the various methods that were used to treat shell shock. These might include rest and distraction, or could entail more extreme treatments, such as electric shock therapy (faradism).
-
- video
Attitudes to shell shock
Dr. Fiona Reid talks about developing attitudes to shell shock after World War 1.