Soldiers in World War I suffered from psychological trauma caused by the horrific conditions of trench warfare, known as "shell shock". Symptoms included panic attacks, paralysis, trembling, headaches and sleep disorders. Initially deemed cowardice, shell shock was later recognized as a psychiatric disorder caused by stress. Early treatments were ineffective but rest, quiet activities and time improved recovery for many soldiers, though some struggled with symptoms long-term.

1. The Traumas of War

2. The Essential Question
• How did the combat of World War I
impact soldiers fighting the war?

3. A New Kind of Warfare
• The battlefields of World War I
featured new weapons, tactics,
and soldiers.
• Weapons such as grenades,
machine guns, flamethrowers,
and artillery caused horrific
deaths.
• Trench warfare exposed soldiers
to daily scenes of filth, death,
and horror.

4. Shell Shock
• Soldiers exposed to the worst
conditions of the war suffered
from a psychological trauma
known as “shell shock”.
• The term was derived from the
heavy artillery battles faced by
soldiers in Europe.
• Soldiers who survived the
intense battles of the Western
Front were most likely to be
afflicted with shell shock.

5. Initial Symptoms
• Soldiers with shell shock were
subject to panic attacks, which
caused men to flee the battle-
field.
• Others would suffer mental or
physical paralysis in the midst
of battle.
• Initially, soldiers suffering from
shell shock were deemed to be
cowards and were punished for
desertion.

6. Shell Shock Symptoms
• Once removed from the battlefield,
some soldiers suffered from
trembling, headaches, ringing in
the ears, dizziness, confusion, loss
of memory, and sleep disorders.
• Early medical opinion classified
these symptoms as a disorder
called “neurasthenia,” or a nervous
breakdown caused by the stress
of war.

7. Diagnosing Shell Shock
• Shell shock was largely
misdiagnosed, with most
soldiers offered little support
or medical attention.
• Symptoms were originally
blamed on exposure to
monoxide gas from shell
explosions.
• By 1917, medical officers
determined the disorder to be
psychiatric rather than
physical.

8. Early Treatment
• Doctors subjected shell shocked
soldiers to such treatments as
shock therapy, electric heat baths,
milk diets, hypnotism, and
placing patients in clamps and
machines.
• Later, more effective treatments
included rest, peace and quiet,
and modest activities such as
walking, gardening, and basket-
weaving.

9. Treatment and Recovery
• Many World War I vets suffering
from shell shock were often left
to deal with their issues alone.
• Over time, many soldiers were
able to recover, while others
struggled with their symptoms
for the rest of their lives.
• Later wars brought more research
and treatment for what became
known as “combat fatigue,” and
later as “post-traumatic stress
disorder” (PTSD).