Does Anyone Else See Ptsd Everywhere?

[gone]

Okay, I'm newly diagnosed with CPTSD and have major amnesia, having forgotten everything traumatic in several arenas over various stages of my life. (My first recovered memory came after the Ariel Castro story.) So I'm spending pretty much all my time now (on disability) thinking about PTSD and basically rewriting my entire history and the story of who I am.

But I also find that I'm seeing PTSD everywhere, and I mean everywhere. It's like everyone I meet/know/remember also has PTSD they don't know about. How weird is this? Could it be true? Anyone else have this going on? Is it delusional? Is it a hypervigilance thing?

Sigh.

 

[WillyKat]

Yep. I had the same experience about a year ago. I see people walking the streets and imagine them carrying buckets of crap, bumping into each other, spilling crap on each other, hurting each other even thought they have the same issues.

I think it affects politics. It's kind of hard to see the gun culture, with its hypervigilance if not paranoia, without thinking it might be mass-PTSD. Seems to me they might just be a lot of hurt little boys reaching for something to give them strength.

 

[DMerish]

Yep - it's like before you become pregnant you don't notice so many people that are preggers. Then when you become preggers, it seems like everyone is ;)

 

[gone]

@WillyKat were you newly diagnosed when you began to experience that?

@DMerish does it go away when you're not preggers, er, I mean, symptomatic anymore? I find it pretty annoying since my internal debate goes either: I'm a secretly awesome amateur psychiatrist Dxing everyone everywhere... or I have clueless tunnel vision.

 

[Promicarus]

I find it pretty annoying since my internal debate goes: Either I'm a secretly awesome amateur psychiatrist Dxing everyone everywhere... or I have clueless tunnel vision.

Ha! I admire your honesty. Guilty, here! (Sometimes they can actually seem to coexist simultaneously--my uniquely penetrating powers of perception enable me to instantly unwravel the passing psyche...but fail to enable me to recognize my own kneejerk reactions as problems, for example).

So I'm spending pretty much all my time now (on disability) thinking about PTSD and basically rewriting my entire history and the story of who I am.

Congratulations. This is no easy task. I know. I'm only beginning same, myself, for the first time.

But I also find that I'm seeing PTSD everywhere, and I mean everywhere. It's like everyone I meet/know/remember also has PTSD they don't know about. How weird is this? Could it be true? Anyone else have this going on? Is it delusional? Is it a hypervigilance thing?

Hard to say without knowing who you're referring to, specifically. But I know that, for example, when I learn how to repair plaster, I tend to see more plaster around that's in need of repair. I think it's just a matter of informed focus. And I don't think there's much debate but that the average individual has had at least a few traumatic circumstances in his/her life...and as it's more common than not to work to keep the significance of these from ourselves, so as to be able to continue to convince ourselves that "everything's allright", and so to convince the world of the same...there are lots of people out there who have yet to acknowledge the fact that their attitudes outlooks and reactions have been affected by traumatic incidents in their pasts. We remain blind as long as we're able, all too often.

 

[Hopp]

Hi, I'm also experiencing this. I'm rewriting my story the last couple of years. I had forgot my twenty first years of life. Now I know a bit and I don´t know if I want to know more... I also see a lot of people that I think have CPTSD or very close to that. Actually I have also been experinecing that they get to know that diagnos later on, so sometimes I think it is true what I see...

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Honestly I have no idea what you're talking about. Well, I mean I don't see PTSD everywhere....really, anywhere for that matter.

Perhaps it's a way to feel less alone? It sucks feeling like you're the only one so you "armchair diagnose" everyone else with it and in a way it's comforting.

 

[The Albatross]

I am the only one in my sphere (church, two jobs, two families, friends and acquaintances) that has PTSD. But I did go through a phase in recovery where I had no difficulty being like that little boy in the movie the 6th Sense ("I see dead people") - I saw "sick" people. People addicted or abusing substances, people with untreated mental disorders and a few who were trying to work through those issues. I didn't like it at all.

I don't do that anymore. I do though notice and adjust my sails accordingly when I have to interact with the first two groups. In my mind, there are precious few who attempt to address/treat/resolve this stuff.

 

[Abstract]

It depends who you are surrounded by! Generally I think it's very unlikely. I come in contact with a lot of people and there are a few I have spotted which I think are likely and few more that I know are traumatised even though I doubt they have PTSD but in general it is very unlikely that you are going to be neck high in others with PTSD!

None of my immediate family and friends. Again no one in my immediate sphere.

I do spot those struggling or those who have emotional pain and a history of past harm very easily though. I have strong radar. There are lots of those around...

What are the signs you are picking up?

 

[anonymous]

It's really a pattern of disengagement. In the book Daring Greatly, the author actually does describe this as cultural PTSD.

I don't believe many people suffer from dissociation symptoms, but the disengagement is there.

 

[Hopp]

I actually know a couple of people that have this diagnose. I also know a person who is going through the "exams" right now, we'll see if she gets the diagnose too. Then I know people that are harmed, but that is not the same thing. I Think it depends on who you have in your suroundings (Spelling?).

 

[Promicarus]

@[DLMURL="https://www.myptsd.com/c/members/anonymous.16213/"]anonymous[/DLMURL]

I'm not sure I'm following you at all.