Combat stress reaction (CSR) is a term used within the
military to describe acute behavioral
disorganization seen by medical personnel as a direct result of the trauma of
war. Also known as "
combat fatigue" or "
battle neurosis", it has some overlap with the diagnosis of
acute stress reaction used in civilian
psychiatry. It is historically linked to
shell shock and can sometimes precurse
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Combat stress reaction is an acute reaction that includes a range of behaviors resulting from the stress of
battle that decrease the
combatant's fighting efficiency. The most common symptoms are
fatigue, slower reaction times,
indecision, disconnection from one's surroundings, and the inability to prioritize.
Combat stress reaction is generally short-term and should not be confused with
acute stress disorder,
post-traumatic stress disorder, or other long-term
disorders attributable to
combat stress, although any of these may commence as a
combat stress reaction. The
US Army uses the term/acronym
COSR (
Combat Stress Reaction) in official
medical reports. This term can be applied to any
stress reaction in the
military unit environment. Many reactions look like symptoms of
mental illness (such as
panic, extreme
anxiety,
depression, and
hallucinations), but they are only transient reactions to the
traumatic stress of
combat and the cumulative
stresses of
military operations.
