American Sniper Chris Kyle Case Analysis

Two years ago the name Chris Kyle was not a household name, however, after the 2015 release of the hit film American Sniper, it quickly became one. In February 2013 Chris Kyle, the most lethal snipper in American history, was murdered by Eddie Ray Routh (Fernandez, 2015). Routh was a U.S. Veteran who completed one tour in Iraq, as well as helped with the clean up efforts after the earthquake in Haiti (Fernandez, 2015). Mr. Routh was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by a Dallas veteran’s hospital (Fernandez, 2015). This fact, as well as a recent history of mental hospitalizations, paired with recent bizarre behavior, created the stepping-stones for the insanity claim argued for by Mr. Routh’s defense team (Fernandez, 2015). However, during trail psychologists for both the prosecution and the defense found that Mr. Routh most likely did not actually have PTSD (Fernandez, 2015). On the side of the defense, the psychologists argued that rather than having PTSD, Mr. Routh was actually schizophrenic (Fernandez, 2015). Two years later in February 2015, the jury found Mr. Routh to be not only sane, but also guilty of the murder of Chris Kyle (Fernandez, 2015). This recent case brings PTSD into the spotlight and opens up the debate over what exactly PTSD is, as well as if
According to the American Psychological Association, PTSD is an anxiety-based disorder that develops after an extremely traumatic event, such as combat, crime, or a natural disaster (“Post-traumatic Stress Disorder”, n.d.). People suffering with PTSD may relive the event through flashbacks and nightmares and may avoid anything that reminds them of the trauma (“Post-traumatic Stress Disorder”, n.d.). Due to cases like Mr. Routh’s in the media, it is perceived that PTSD is more common than it actually