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What Is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (ptsd)?

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anthony

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I have provided three different explanations from relevant, credible Australian sources, then my own simple analogy at the end.

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The Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder defines PTSD as:

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a serious psychological reaction that develops in some people following experience of overwhelmingly frightening or traumatic events. It can result from many types of trauma, especially those which threaten life and those of human design. Such events include, but are not limited to, combat, assault, sexual assault, natural disaster, accidents and torture.

In one form or another, it has been known since ancient times and descriptions of PTSD-like reactions can be found in early Greek and Roman writings. More recently, it has been called by other names, such as shell shock, battle fatigue, accident neurosis and rape trauma syndrome. PTSD can affect people of any age, culture or gender.

Most people who experience trauma will have some kind of psychological reaction - this is part of a normal human reaction to overwhelming experiences. Feelings of fear, sadness, guilt, and anger are common. However, most survivors recover in time and only a small proportion will go on to develop the serious, long-term problems that are characteristic of PTSD.
Anxiety Australia put a slightly different spin on it, though really means the same thing, but maybe you can identify some of the symptoms to yourself?

According to the American Psychiatric Association (1994), post traumatic stress disorder develops after someone is exposed to an extremely traumatic event and they reacted to the event with intense fear, horror or helplessness. Such traumatic events include:
  • war
  • torture
  • rape
  • child sexual or physical assault
  • physical assault
  • being kidnapped
  • terrorism
  • a natural disaster (e.g. a bushfire, flood or cyclone)
  • a major car accident
  • being diagnosed with a potentially fatal illness, e.g. cancer
  • finding the body of someone who has committed suicide or been murdered
Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) write PTSD as:

PTSD is a psychological response to the experience of intense traumatic events, particularly those that threaten life. It can affect people of any age, culture or gender. Although we have started to hear a lot more about it in recent years, the condition has been known to exist at least since the times of ancient Greece and has been called by many different names. It is referred to often in literature and the work of Shakespeare provides several good examples - some of these appear in this book. In the American Civil War it was referred to as "soldier's heart", in World War I it was called "shell shock", while by World War II it was known as "war neurosis". Many soldiers were labelled as having "combat fatigue" when experiencing symptoms associated with PTSD during combat. In the Vietnam War, this became known as a "combat stress reaction". Some of these people continued on to develop what became known, in 1980, as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Traumatic stress can be seen as part of a normal human response to intense experiences. In the majority of people, the symptoms reduce or disappear over the first few months, particularly with the help of caring family members and friends. In a significant minority, however, the symptoms do not seem to resolve quickly and, in some cases, may continue to cause problems for the rest of the person's life. It is also common for symptoms to vary in intensity over time. Some people go for long periods without any significant problems, only to relapse when they have to deal with other major life stress. In rare cases, the symptoms may not appear for months, or even years, after the trauma.
PTSD is an entirely normal reaction to an abnormal amount of stress. Having PTSD does not mean you're mentally ill, nor does it mean that you are weak or somehow deficient. Instead, think of it this way; no matter how strong your leg bones, if enough force is applied, they will break. Given the proper care, they will heal; and so can you.

My simple analogy is:

In some cases a leg may be so damaged that it may never return to its original state. Your losses may be similarly enormous; however, with support, you can find ways of coping with your permanent loss and discover new talents to develop and new reasons for living.
 
As usual, you present the facts and address these issues for us to process on a personal level. Well Done Anthony!
 
As a carer I am really happy to see the comment: "PTSD does not mean you are mentally ill"...because my partner does not have a therapist who understands PTSD, this has not been made clear. I'm sure my partner's reluctance to share that he has PTSD is partly caused by the thought that people will think he has a mental illness - that whole stigma thing.
 
I have been honest with people about my PTSD. A man that I was seeing told me I shouldn't talk about it or the fact that I spent a month in the psych unit to anyone because they would think I was a crazy person. I guess he was embarassed. I felt this was so wrong of him to say as my time in the hospital saved my life and how or why should I be ashamed of getting help. I am alive thank god, even though I suffer still. I do not have that person in my life anymore. I thank you for your insight...the broken bone explanation is a good one!
 
Wow, yeah i really needed to hear that too as every single "professional" i have talked to has wanted to put a mental ILLNESS spin on the whole thing. It seems I cannot get through a group sesssion at the VA without hearing that we all have a mental illness, we all are crazy or even that none of us will never get over it. Most of the other veterans even talk like that too and I think it is because they have all been going to these same groups for years and years over and over again.

So thanks for putting that part in there anthony. I also appreciate it just like i am sure alot of others will also.
 
That is the crux of my friend's problem as well -- his trauma stems directly from people falsely characterizing him as mentally unstable, a kook, a nutcase, and then acting on that by brutalizing him as well. They claimed his mental instability led to him being violent (a lie!) which they then had to suppress in the most physical terms possible (beating, etc.). Now, his PTSD -- directly caused by those life-threatening actions -- has caused him to be further traumatized and denied treatment. Yet his mind is as sound and sharp as the sanest among us. Except for when he's overtaken by a PTSD episode. He's not crazy, the system is crazy.
 
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