Experiential Approach
This approach is draws on the patients' experience with the illness from their point of view. The sick role that the patient owns is based on their ideologies, practices, rights, and responsibilities that come with being a person suffering from an illness. The sick role includes three points. The first point is to acknowledge that your health is abnormal. Secondly, patients submit to the care of a professional. Lastly, the patient is excused from regular responsibilities. The sick role empowers the patient with a reason for their lack of participation in society and removes the stigma that may come with their assumed “laziness”. With the patient understanding and acknowledging their illness, they’re faced with a subjective experience. PTSD is a mental illness that carries a lot of stigma. People may be skeptical of this condition because there isn’t an actual medical test that can be conducted to say, yes you have this disorder, rather it’s based on the person’s ability to fulfill certain benchmarks that would define them as a sufferer of PTSD. These sufferers may find it hard to be taken seriously and may be viewed as incapable as functioning in our culture and society (Lecture 4.1).
Illness Narrative
When anthropologists study illness, they are interested in three different aspects. The first aspect is the narrative, (we will be focusing on the narrative here) which are the stories that the ill tell about their illness. Secondly is the experience, which is the way the people feel, perceive and live with their illness or disorder. Finally, the meaning, which is the way that people make sense of their illness and the impact they feel it, has on their lives.
I am going to focus on a documentary called True Life: I Have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (see the link at the bottom of the page). The veterans in the documentary benefited from sharing their story of suffering from PTSD because it allowed them to tell their side of the story which made them feel less isolated and feel empowered and in control of their disorder. These recollections may have also helped others that might be suffering from the same disorder to make them feel like there’s hope and they can get help too (Lecture 4.2).
ARTHUR, KENNY & ADAM
THE ABSTRACT:
This documentary follows three veterans of the Iraqi war filmed in 2008. All three of the veterans suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and were discharged from the branch of the military they were part of. They each go through different forms of coping and treatment to deal with their disorder. All three are trying to acclimate themselves back into American life but see themselves on the fringe of society.
Orientation
Arthur, a vet of the Battle of Faluja was going through a trial after getting a DUI. He wants to go into treatment but can't leave because of the pending trial. He's moving from couch to couch and feels he will lose it at any time.
Kenny is an Iraqi vet that is trying to get his life on track after returning home. He’s unique in that his mother was also a vet of the Iraqi war as she was a truck driver for the Army. He was going through therapy and trying to ensure he didn’t allow himself to get back to his suicidal state he was at before.
Adam was a vet that did three tours. He was a heavy drinker and was trying to get a foundation started to help vets cope with coming home and those suffering with PTSD. His charity (www.saveavet.org) involves holistic treatment instead of prescriptions and self medication for those suffering. All of his responsibilities have made it hard for him to cope with his PTSD and even though he's slowed down on drinking, he still uses alcohol as a coping mechanism.
Complicating action
All the men suffer from this roadblock that PTSD has put up. It has created a barrier of which their lives pre-war are behind one wall and their lives post-war which have purpose are behind another wall and their current selves are stuck in the middle with seemingly no way out.
Evaluation
This helpless feeling makes it hard for the three men to lead a productive life of functioning members in society. It's a vicious circle how they were released from the military because of their PTSD even though the only reason they have PTSD is because of the war that they fought while in the military. It is frustrating to them and makes life a lot more difficult and stressful.
Result/resolution
Arthur, Kenny and Adam all receive help in some form which allows for coping with their disorder. Furthermore, the documentary shows the men going to rehab facilities to cope with PTSD, getting jobs, and starting foundations which shows that they are breaking through that barrier PTSD had set up.
Coda
The three men were able to develop coping mechanisms which enabled them to begin to insert themselves back into society. They are seen getting the help that will not necessarily make them into the men they used to be, but create a new person that is equipped to deal with the new person they each are becoming. At the very least, they shared their story and took ownership of their health which empowered them.
IN CONCLUSION...
This documentary is an example of restitution narrative meaning that the illness is temporary and that it will get better. These men were seen as healthy before they went to Iraq and then focusing on "today" being sick but years from now they will be alright again. I can also see how this can be viewed as chaos narrative in that these men are disjointed and and show that life doesn't always get better but I think that just because they're not who they used to be doesn't me they didn't get better. It just means they've learned to cope with the new person they've become.
This approach is draws on the patients' experience with the illness from their point of view. The sick role that the patient owns is based on their ideologies, practices, rights, and responsibilities that come with being a person suffering from an illness. The sick role includes three points. The first point is to acknowledge that your health is abnormal. Secondly, patients submit to the care of a professional. Lastly, the patient is excused from regular responsibilities. The sick role empowers the patient with a reason for their lack of participation in society and removes the stigma that may come with their assumed “laziness”. With the patient understanding and acknowledging their illness, they’re faced with a subjective experience. PTSD is a mental illness that carries a lot of stigma. People may be skeptical of this condition because there isn’t an actual medical test that can be conducted to say, yes you have this disorder, rather it’s based on the person’s ability to fulfill certain benchmarks that would define them as a sufferer of PTSD. These sufferers may find it hard to be taken seriously and may be viewed as incapable as functioning in our culture and society (Lecture 4.1).
Illness Narrative
When anthropologists study illness, they are interested in three different aspects. The first aspect is the narrative, (we will be focusing on the narrative here) which are the stories that the ill tell about their illness. Secondly is the experience, which is the way the people feel, perceive and live with their illness or disorder. Finally, the meaning, which is the way that people make sense of their illness and the impact they feel it, has on their lives.
I am going to focus on a documentary called True Life: I Have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (see the link at the bottom of the page). The veterans in the documentary benefited from sharing their story of suffering from PTSD because it allowed them to tell their side of the story which made them feel less isolated and feel empowered and in control of their disorder. These recollections may have also helped others that might be suffering from the same disorder to make them feel like there’s hope and they can get help too (Lecture 4.2).
ARTHUR, KENNY & ADAM
THE ABSTRACT:
This documentary follows three veterans of the Iraqi war filmed in 2008. All three of the veterans suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and were discharged from the branch of the military they were part of. They each go through different forms of coping and treatment to deal with their disorder. All three are trying to acclimate themselves back into American life but see themselves on the fringe of society.
Orientation
Arthur, a vet of the Battle of Faluja was going through a trial after getting a DUI. He wants to go into treatment but can't leave because of the pending trial. He's moving from couch to couch and feels he will lose it at any time.
Kenny is an Iraqi vet that is trying to get his life on track after returning home. He’s unique in that his mother was also a vet of the Iraqi war as she was a truck driver for the Army. He was going through therapy and trying to ensure he didn’t allow himself to get back to his suicidal state he was at before.
Adam was a vet that did three tours. He was a heavy drinker and was trying to get a foundation started to help vets cope with coming home and those suffering with PTSD. His charity (www.saveavet.org) involves holistic treatment instead of prescriptions and self medication for those suffering. All of his responsibilities have made it hard for him to cope with his PTSD and even though he's slowed down on drinking, he still uses alcohol as a coping mechanism.
Complicating action
All the men suffer from this roadblock that PTSD has put up. It has created a barrier of which their lives pre-war are behind one wall and their lives post-war which have purpose are behind another wall and their current selves are stuck in the middle with seemingly no way out.
Evaluation
This helpless feeling makes it hard for the three men to lead a productive life of functioning members in society. It's a vicious circle how they were released from the military because of their PTSD even though the only reason they have PTSD is because of the war that they fought while in the military. It is frustrating to them and makes life a lot more difficult and stressful.
Result/resolution
Arthur, Kenny and Adam all receive help in some form which allows for coping with their disorder. Furthermore, the documentary shows the men going to rehab facilities to cope with PTSD, getting jobs, and starting foundations which shows that they are breaking through that barrier PTSD had set up.
Coda
The three men were able to develop coping mechanisms which enabled them to begin to insert themselves back into society. They are seen getting the help that will not necessarily make them into the men they used to be, but create a new person that is equipped to deal with the new person they each are becoming. At the very least, they shared their story and took ownership of their health which empowered them.
IN CONCLUSION...
This documentary is an example of restitution narrative meaning that the illness is temporary and that it will get better. These men were seen as healthy before they went to Iraq and then focusing on "today" being sick but years from now they will be alright again. I can also see how this can be viewed as chaos narrative in that these men are disjointed and and show that life doesn't always get better but I think that just because they're not who they used to be doesn't me they didn't get better. It just means they've learned to cope with the new person they've become.
REFERENCES
Tazin, Karim. "Lecture 4.1: Experiencing Illness". http://anthropology.msu.edu/anp204-us14/week-4-lecture-1/ (accessed August 13, 2014).
Tazin, Karim. "Lecture 4.2: Illness Narratives". http://anthropology.msu.edu/anp204-us14/week-4-lecture-2/ (accessed August 13, 2014).
True Life: I Have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, 2008
Tazin, Karim. "Lecture 4.1: Experiencing Illness". http://anthropology.msu.edu/anp204-us14/week-4-lecture-1/ (accessed August 13, 2014).
Tazin, Karim. "Lecture 4.2: Illness Narratives". http://anthropology.msu.edu/anp204-us14/week-4-lecture-2/ (accessed August 13, 2014).
True Life: I Have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, 2008