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Postcard photo of military men sitting on beds and on the floor of an open-air tent.
American Red Cross photograph of a tent for patients recovering from shell shock (1919).

"Shell shock" begins to be used to describe the symptoms of soldiers post-battle during World War I.

1915

SOCW
WAR
MHP
American Red Cross photograph of a tent for patients recovering from shell shock (1919).

The conversation begins in Britain, but quickly moves to the U.S. Now understood as post-traumatic stress syndrome, the impact of war is initially treated as "cowardice," or is solely understood as the physical effects of being near an explosion, such as hearing issues, headaches, difficulty concentrating, loss of sleep, and memory issues.

However, psychologists and social workers look at the symptoms and begin to develop treatment strategies that integrate an awareness of the broader context of the violence of war as the cause of impact. Social workers are charged with treating soldiers who have returned home. This marks the first time social workers are called upon to treat social issues that aren't limited to poverty.