News Is ptsd being overused in media reports of workplace bullying? discussion

[Ice_Fire]

We cross posted again @Muttly!

 

[Friday]

Could not females being pressed up against walls be a cause of PTSD?

It would really depend on what’s happening.

There’s a big difference between some creep cornering you and oozing his so called charm on you, and the threat of real sexual assault. Context matters. A lot.

It’s like, being lined up against the wall. What’s the context? Are you about to be shot against it, or are you being safely secured to be placed under arrest?

And the middle ground... if there is honestly no way to know whether you’re about to be lined up and shot or lined up and arrested... and the semi-subjective (someone who has been lined up to be shot, or who has lived somewhere that the police routinely execute prisoners rather than arresting them, is far more likely to freak the hell out about a totally benign experience of being lined up, with absolutely no likelihood of escalation; meanwhile someone with another disorder, condition, or altered mental state may completely misread the situation. May in fact think they’re about to be shot, when they’re only being lined up for their own safety, a photo ID, or for lunch... but delusional thoughts don’t change the reality). The first group you’re looking at preexisting PTSD/trauma, the second group you’re very much looking at another disorder (or drugs, etc.) in play. Expectation of violence doesn’t mean there’s any actual / real threat of violence. As all of us who have hit the ceiling when a balloon popped or doorbell rings well know. :wtf: Aieeeeeeeee! f*ck f*ck f*ck.

(The doorbell did not give me PTSD. No matter how upset I got about it, or how much every cell in my body was absolute that this was a life threatening circumstance, it simply wasn’t.)

Simply being cornered isn’t enough. What’s going on whilst you’re cornered dramatically changes the type of event it is. And one’s perception of the event can be extremely telling, but doesn’t necessarily have any reflection on reality.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

And I suppose that why psychologists are pushing for a cPTSD classification too? As the PTSD requirements are very strict.

No, as far as I understand it from Anthony's thread about CPTSD (or the last one I read and responded to anyway when the ICD was first introducing it) you need to qualify for PTSD in order to qualify for CPTSD. That CPTSD is a subset of PTSD. Correct me if I am wrong there but that is how I understand it. Therefore, you still need to fit Criteria A trauma for a CPTSD diagnosis. Which isn't changing. It seems to hold a lot of the emotional deregualtion. Where, someone like myself that is diagnosed with PTSD and BPD but don't fit the "typical BPD" where manipulation is a big part of it and where I don't quite fit (according to my therapist) but I do have the highened emotions and emotional deregualtion (I fit the diagnosic requirements for BPD currently in the DSM 5), may have both diagnosis dropped and CPTSD put in it's place which answers the emotional deregulation part as well as my other symptoms. There is more of the CPTSD that I fit but I don't want to hunt that thread down and post them. But I seem to fit pretty squarly in the diagnosic criteria for CPTSD. And logotivity of trauma is the biggest difference in PTSD and CPTSD. My trauma happened from age 6 to 19.

Trauma and types of trauma dictate symptoms of PTSD (where you are reliving that past trauma in your present day life) so having trauma must is a big thing when it comes to what symptoms that trauma can cause later in life. Criteria A is only 1 criteria. It is the only one speaking of the trauma. The rest speak of symptoms. But having down what types of trauma can and cannot cause symptoms is a big needed item in a diagnosic criteria for a disprder caused by said trauma in my opinion. It stops the "I tripped over a curb and came back up with PTSD" nonscense that people seem to love to do. Which speaks directly to the topic of the thread. Not every trauma or event can cause PTSD. Not every bad thing on the planet that occurs to you can cause PTSD. Not every painful experience can cause PTSD. And I think knowing the difference is very important which stops this nonsense that seems to be going on.

And Drs handing out a diagnosis like it's candy is one of the biggest issues surrounding this topic. Not using the DSM/ICD to dognosis like they should be doing. I found a vlogging family on youtube recently where a 3 yr old got a PTSD diagnosis (and a service dog, which is how I found them) due to being sick in the hospital. Nothing life threatening as far as I can tell from the story. Nothing he even remembered. His mother was feeding him the story in the video. He wasn't mistreated in the hospital. He didn't have invasive tests. He was just sick. And his symptoms more aligned with sensory processing disorder or Austism and there is a must time of seperation from trauma to dignosis for PTSD and that time had not elasped. The family decided on their own that he needed a service dog and they did the same for their 13 yr old with asthma (though she can go to school without that service dog so I fail to even see how she needs a service dog to do tasks that she cannot do for herself but I don't know their entire life). Where I have issue is where they decided on their own she needed their family dog as a service dog for her and a doctor did not advise them of that need.

Anyway, come to find out he had PANDAS. A disease caused by the strep bacteria which is effecting his brain. If that doctor did not quickly slap a PTSD diagnosis so dang fast on a 3 yr old they would of not been barking up the wrong tree for a few years. A completely different tree. He would have gotten help way sooner and this bacteria would not have had a chance to do the damage it is currently doing where he now needs IVIG.

Doctors slapping a diagnosis is a big issues here. And people wanting to explain everything that happened to them that caused pain and the only explaination for them that they can find is PTSD. Self diagnosing. 2 of the biggest issues I can think of. People need to stop trying to make PTSD fit around their symptoms and self diagnosing and go see a 2nd opinion. In my opinion.

 

[Marinna]

I think it could cause problems and change public perception, but I think it's generally based on misunderstanding of what constitutes critereon A trauma.
For example, I have seen people post on fb that they have PTSD from losing a child (natural causes). I would never challenge them on it because it's a genuine belief and has probably been diagnosed, plus they have been through hell. losing a child is IMO one of the worst and probably THE worst thing a human being can go through. My Cat A trauma was nowhere near as distressing.

PTSD isn't a special club reserved for people who have been through awful things. It's a diagnosis given to those who have been through a particular TYPE of awful thing and have the related symptons for a specified period of time. Thats the problem I think.
I have no beef at all with someone who has lost a child (insert other serious distress here) and has been misdiagnosed.

This lady however? Seems like an attempt at validating an upset or pointscoring. The mentality of 'PTSD must mean I've been through the WORST and can subsequently claim all the 'sympathy' and 'attention' I like. PTSD is not about who has had the worse life experiences but it is seen that way by some people. Some of my friends have had shittier lives than me but haven't had a Cat A trauma and developed a medical condition. This doesn't mean my experiences are objectively worse than theres. I don't like PTSD being used like a trump card in a sympathy contest.

In this case I think it is being used to point score against her bully. Maybe I am being too judgy. Maybe she doesn't understand. Maybe she has pre-existing PTSD and this has acted as a stressor. Based on the article though, it is pretty insulting. Not just because of invalidation, but because PTSD isn't just anxiety after upset. It has major psysiological symptoms and is more of an injury than a mental illness.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

losing a child is IMO one of the worst and probably THE worst thing a human being can go through.

I'm sorry. No, it's not. I don't like to trauma compare but I lost a child due to a force abortion with a BBQ fork (not natural causes). That was bad but it pales in comparison to some of my other trauma.

The mentality of 'PTSD must mean I've been through the WORST and can subsequently claim all the 'sympathy' and 'attention' I like.

Most people don't want sympathy or attention. Most people that I've seen just want answers and think PTSD answers it. Instead they should be seeking out a professional that uses the DSM or ICD to diagnose instead of self diagnosing or get a 2nd opinion if that professional doesn't use the DSM or ICD to diagnose. Sadly there are a lot of bad "mental health professionals" out there and instead on continuing to seek out the good one they take what the bad one said at face value. The example I used of the vlogging family. Yes, they were barking up a completely wrong tree for a few years, they still said "this isn't right" eventually and found another professional which diagnosed a completely other condition which was medical and not mental. That would be the right thing to do. Which requires some research on your end to even know it's not right and you need a 2nd opinion.

 

[Marinna]

I'm sorry. No, it's not. I don't like to trauma compare but I lost a child due to a force a...

I said IMO to the lost child thing. I haven't lost a child so I don't know that pain.

I agree with everything else generally ptsd wise but I think in the case of this bullying article, it is probably a case of point scoring or validation seeking. Everything else is subjective and opinion based as i'm not an expert.

 

[Friday]

For example, I have seen people post on fb that they have PTSD from losing a child (natural causes). I would never challenge them on it because it's a genuine belief and has probably been diagnosed, plus they have been through hell. losing a child is IMO one of the worst and probably THE worst thing a human being can go through. My Cat A trauma was nowhere near as distressing

Very much agreed.

PTSD isn’t a pain scale. It’s a very specific reaction to a very narrowly defined set of circumstances. People can & do get PTSD from the job they love more than anything in the world. There’s a lot of misunderstanding about PTSD out in the world, but it’s that aspect of it that seems the most prevalent.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

I said IMO to the lost child thing. I haven't lost a child so I don't know that pain.

Understood. I only advised it as I feel that it's important to know that there are a lot of pain out there. What's worse then the other will always be subjective. But when you throw in cults, human trafficking, kidnapping, torture, and things like that, you start to gain a bit more prespective. In my opinion, it's important to know those things are out there as well. Again though, what's worse then the other is very subjective.

PTSD isn’t a pain scale. It’s a very specific reaction to a very narrowly defined set of circumstances.

Indeed!

 

[Ice_Fire]

PTSD isn't a special club reserved for people who have been through awful things. It's a diagnosis given to those who have been through a particular TYPE of awful thing and have the related symptons for a specified period of time.

This I agree with lots and I feel as though PTSD is being used by some people (both in and out of the media) to "join the club". I forget how long symptoms are supposed to have been ongoing since the traumatic event but I have thought previously that maybe that was a slight problem. There's the period of shock and high symptoms immediately after and I have thought before that some people get diagnosed... Too soon I suppose. It's difficult I suppose to draw the line between a normal processing and time of upset following something bad and when it's gone on too long and is interfering in your life to the point of being an illness.

I don't like PTSD being used like a trump card in a sympathy contest.

No I don't either and in my experience people who have PTSD don't want the sympathy and attention that comes from that. But do others, ie writers of articles like this, use it quite manipulatively to garner sympathy from the readership? Falsely? I don't have the answer to that and maybe I'm cynical but I think there is an element of it.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

No I don't either and in my experience people who have PTSD don't want the sympathy and attention that comes from that. But do others, ie writers of articles like this, use it quite manipulatively to garner sympathy from the readership? Falsely? I don't have the answer to that and maybe I'm cynical but I think there is an element of it.

Good point. I think maybe the ignorance of PTSD could be at play. But, then, when people hear PTSD their ears perk up a bit in my experience and so, maybe it's that, that the author is after to gain more readers. That sort of pisses me off. And it's only throwing more and more falsities out there.

 

[Marinna]

This I agree with lots and I feel as though PTSD is being used by some people (both in and out of the...

Agree 100%. Unless this bully threatened her life or sexually violated her It couldn't have caused PTSD. The problem is that alot of readers will now believe it can. Personally, I just want to heal. Couldn't give a darn if the whole world is diagnosed (ok it would irritate the hell outta me). Another problem is the impact on us and our recovery. If people are misdiagnosed or diagnosed too early (like you said) alot of people will miraculously be 'cured' of 'PTSD'. It will lose its meaning and more importantly research and funding.

Plus personally I don't want any raised eyebrows when I disclose my diagnosis. It's bad enough being asked 'what happened' immediatey on diagnosis. I don't wanna be doubted on top of that.

*immediatley on disclosure. Sorry i don't know how to edit yet

 

[Justmehere]

@Marinna - Please bring all forum matters to a help ticket and staff will be glad to help. Thanks!