The massive amount of media coverage containing disturbing imagery is psychologically destructive for many people. The excessive media coverage is a cause of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children and adults, and is a memory trigger for war veterans. “PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that occurs after experiencing or witnessing life threatening events, military combat, natural disasters, serious accidents, or rape. People suffering from PTSD relive experiences through nightmares and flashbacks.”(National Center for PTSD) The disturbing imagery the media reveals through television is a cause of PTSD in children and adults. Examples of disturbing imagery on television are “…footage of a dead Iraqi girl with a severe head wound and the lifeless bodies of U.S. soldiers believed to have been killed execution style” (Barney 1). These images are factors contributing to the rise in PTSD cases. In a study done by the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a group of children who watched war related television over a seven week period reported more PTSD symptoms than children who did not watch war related television (Hamblen). American households leave their televisions on for an average of seven hours a day (Defleur and Dennis). This does not mean that one person is watching television for seven hours straight, but nonetheless, the television is on. Children in most American households are being exposed to images of traumatic events for many hours each day even though no one has made the conscious decision to expose these children to these images. Seeing traumatic images before a mind fully develops is a large contributor to PTSD (Hamblen). However, the excessive media coverage not only affects children, but adults as well. In another study done by the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a group of 237 adults was divided in half with one group watching television clips of terrorism and political violence, while the other watched clips of non-threatening programs. The first group was reported to have more anxiety (Hamblen). More adults than children make the conscious decision to watch television news, and when they do, they are exposed to the disturbing imagery, leading to a rise in PTSD cases. The media causes PTSD in adults and children, but the media deepens the severity of the PTSD that war veterans and television journalists already have. The disturbing imagery the media reveals through television is a memory trigger for war veterans, intensifying their PTSD. This is called symptom exacerbation, or retraumatization (Barlow). This occurs when symptoms of already severe PTSD become intensified. “Sixty four percent of Vietnam war veterans with PTSD say that the media is the most common memory trigger.” (Barlow) The images on television cause veterans to relive the traumatic events of previous wars and battles through flashbacks and nightmares. The media is a heavy burden on those who wish to forget the things they experienced, but can’t because of the images the media exhibits for the public. The excessive media coverage of the war is not only psychologically destructive to the people who watch war coverage on television; it is harmful to the journalists who get the media coverage, as well as the military members who must protect them.

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Some topics in this essay:
Stress Disorder, Smith Instead, Kakutani People, War II, Geraldo Rivera, York Times, St Louis, Center PTSD, Kakutani Television, Saddam Hussein, media coverage, embedded journalists, coverage war, media coverage war, excessive media, disturbing imagery, excessive media coverage, journalists iraq, war veterans, war prime-time entertainment, prime-time entertainment, american citizens, war prime-time, embedded journalists iraq, distraction hazard armed,