Describe and discuss the possible psychological effects on prisoners of internment (imprisonment without trial).
Interment is a gross violation on a person’s liberty without any legality. It has been a persistent problem first recorded during the 19th century, however it is known to stretch much further beyond this time.
Interment is believed to cause serious psychological damage to internees, due to harrowing experiences endured by prisoners of war that can include physical beatings, food deprivation, and torture (Tennant, 2007). The psychological disorders that can result from being interned and being subjected to some of the harsh treatments mentioned before include post-traumatic stress, depression, schizophrenia and mental disorientation. In the following essay the previously mentioned psychological disorders will be reviewed as well as other psychological effects that are believed to arise due to internment.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can develop if a person is exposed to severe and prolonged abuse, a traumatic event such as war, threat of or actual bodily and psychological harm or anything that relates to causing a person undue inexorable stress. PTSD has been found to be one of the foremost psychological disorders suffered by former prisoners of internment (Kinzie, 2007). It is a phenomenon that can be caused due to traumatic events, entailing gruesome acts including the internee being severely beaten, witnessing atrocities against other prisoners and being the subjects of medical experiments (Momartin et al, 2003). What then are the consequences of PTSD experienced by the internees? Due to the intense physical and mental torture suffered by prisoners a number of psychological and medical problems are experienced. In relation to the psychological problems, research has found that internees can suffer from nightmares, anxiety (Schreuder et al, 2000), hyperactive startle reactions, emotional numbness and...