The toll of war captivity: Vulnerability, resilience, and premature aging

It is apparent from clinical experience and the literature that persons, who experience severe physical or mental trauma, are susceptible to premature aging (or psychological symptomatology). Long-term follow-up of repatriated prisoners of war also confirm this observation. Coping with physical and mental sequelae of captivity means a constant struggle to maintain some kind of homeostasis. Often, this delicate equilibrium fails. Claude Bernard stated that To have a free life, independent of the external environment, requires a constant internal environment (Bernard, 1957, P. 8). This is the underlying principle of homeostasis. When it collapses due to wear and tear processes, premature aging/morbidity process takes place.