Clinical aspect of naval crews combat stress

Stress among naval mariners is caused by a new environment in the form of climate, noise, defective food, diseases or injuries, and others. Stress is aggravated by the lack of information, conflicts between mariners, changing decisions of superiors. The strongest stressor military action is the fear of losing life or health.

The stress leads to disturbances in the neuronal transmission and reduction in CNS cells, weakening the processes of neurogenesis. Its complications are a social problem for soldiers returning from humanitarian and military missions and their families.

Mariners cope with stress individually in the area of operations of the armed forces. When difficult situations overwhelm the possibility of compensating psyche, there are algorithms for psychological support. The basis for coping with stress is permanent, social support. The next level concerns support group sessions, involving soldiers after a traumatic event or completing a task. Sessions take place in a quiet place, after the cessation of activities. We are talking about defusing and debriefing technique. The highest level of coping with stress refers to psychotherapy. At first, in the field conditions, and then in the form of hospitalization in the country. Clinical forms of combat stress is post-traumatic stress disorder, acute stress syndrome, personality change as a result of the disaster experience, dissociative disorders, operational fatigue, DESNOS. The treatment of these disorders involves cognitive behavioral oriented trauma therapy and medical therapy with the use of SSRIs, SNRIs, and antipsychotics.

In the twenty-first century a inquiry into combat stress creates a tight prevention of its complications.