Post Traumatic Stress Disorder In The Film Brothers

The film Brothers portrays two brothers on two completely different paths. The story of this family gives the audience an insight into the consequences of war. A very vivid example of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is displayed. This movie is serious and I believe very relatable, especially to military personnel and families. Let me explain my findings and reasoning in the case of Brothers.
This film surrounds the lives of one family and exposes all its broken parts. One brother, Sam, "the favorite," is a Captain in the Marines headed off to Afghanistan for another tour. The other brother Tommy, just released from prison for robbery, is trying to start over on a positive path. Sam's wife Grace and two girls, Isabelle and Maggie, are heartbroken
that he must go overseas again. Sam and Tommy’s father Hank is extremely proud of Sam for serving his country and makes no secret of his contempt for Tommy. Very shortly, word arrives that Sam was in a fatal helicopter crash in Afghanistan. With no body, the family has a funeral for Sam and slowly tries to recover. Tommy steps in for Grace and the girls, trying to be a good father figure by keeping them busy and happy by playing with them. He also helps Grace around the house with projects his brother would have done, like remodeling the kitchen. We, the audience, learn that Sam has survived and been taken capture with another soldier by the Taliban. They endure torture, starvation, and desperation. The Taliban end up forcing Sam to brutally kill his fellow soldier to survive. After being rescued by another troop of American soldiers, Sam is returned home. His family welcomes him home with love and excitement; however, Sam seems to feel no joy in the event. Sam holds all the secrets of what happened to him and what he did inside his own head. It is immediately evident that Sam is not okay and definitely not himself.
Sam is clearly suffering from some form of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder due to the horrific events he has been through and the guilt he feels.
I believe the guilt is a large reason Sam is cold and won't open up to anyone when he returns. He is quiet and isolates himself as if he isn't really present in his own life mentally. We see that Sam is angry at himself for killing a fellow soldier and he takes that anger out on others. His wife Grace and brother Tommy suffer the most projected anger and guilt when Sam accuses them of sleeping together while he was gone. At one point Sam even lashes out at his daughter for something very small. She is obviously scared of her now unfamiliar father. Sam's refusal to talk to anyone about the events he suffered or how he feels, makes it impossible for him to adjust back to normal life. It’s like pressure building and building in a soda bottle, eventual it's going to explode. Sam finally has a complete mental break when he gets his wife to confess that she did kiss his brother Tommy. Sam suddenly explodes in a fit of rage. He gets very angry and immediately starts destroying the new kitchen that Tommy had put in while he was away. Tommy arrives in the middle of Sam's fit to protect Grace and the girls. However, his presence does not help the situation. Sam gets angrier, fighting his brother and pulling a gun. When police arrive outside his house Sam turns the gun on himself. Horrified, his wife and brother try to reason with him, eventually getting him to drop the gun. The movie ends with Sam in the hospital getting the help he needs and finally opening up by telling his wife about killing another soldier. This is an obvious relief and release of bottled emotions for Sam. With his secret out Sam has taken the first step to
recovering.
Sam is suffering from a sub-type of PTSD called Acute Stress Disorder. I came to this diagnosis because Sam shows all the symptoms of guilt, anger, fear, isolation, and an internal struggle with his emotions that are signals of PTSD. In accordance to the DSM5 Sam has had trauma exposure; he has experienced extreme fear, helplessness, and horror; he has emotional numbing and interpersonal problems, (American Psychiatric Association, 2014). However Sam's symptoms were evident immediately after his return from his traumatic experience making it Acute Stress Disorder.
Since Sam is now hospitalized he has a safe place to work through his emotional stress. Cognitive-Behavioral therapy is the best treatment for Sam. He needs to release all these internalized emotions and try to move past the traumatic events he has experienced. I believe Sam has a good prognosis now that he is getting the help he needs. He will be monitored and only released when he is ready to get back to his regular life. As I said earlier he has taken the first steps toward his recovery by opening up and letting someone else know what he did. If he sticks to that path in his therapy Sam should do very well. Sam did not really show signs of depression, just a lot of guilt. However, his guilt did cause him to turn the gun on himself. So I would recommend SSRI’s initially along with treatment. If he cannot get past his guilt though this may lead to chronic depression in which case I would recommend SSRI's to treat the depression and continued therapy for his guilt. He of course needs strong social supports which I believe he has with his wife and his brother. Both Grace and Tommy showed how much they care about Sam by warmly welcoming his return and trying to help him get back into a normal life. And they show their love again when they try and calm Sam to keep him from killing himself during his breakdown. His family does not want to lose him so I believe they will always be there to support him. If this support continues while Sam is in the hospital and after his release I believe he will go on to live a pretty good life.
I believe Brothers did an excellent job showing realistic symptoms of PTSD. The actors, especially Toby Maguire who played Sam, did a very realistic job of portraying the symptoms without being melodramatic. I was glad the film was very serious and showed the seriousness of PTSD to the audience. I do believe this film is an eye-opener to those who may not understand how entire families are affected by war. I would recommend this film to anyone wanting to understand more about what military veterans may experience. Sam’s story had a good ending but not all PTSD cases do.