Understanding shell shock - for iPod/iPhone

The Open University•www.open.ac.uk

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.

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Episodes

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.

Jul 28, 2015•10 min

Transcript -- Finding and interrogating historical data

Transcript -- 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.

Jul 28, 2015

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.

Jul 28, 2015•6 min

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).

Jul 28, 2015•4 min

Transcript -- What is shell shock?

Transcript -- 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.

Jul 28, 2015

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