Anyone Else With Ptsd That Is Not From The Military Feel Slighted?

[Alobe]

I think that if the OP had said they felt slighted, and focused on wanting better community validation, that would be one thing.

But they didn't stop there. They specifically compared support for veterans to support for civilian trauma survivors and indicated pretty clearly that they want the level of recognition and validation veterans have. They specifically indicated they wanted the same perceived kinds of support vets have and that the perceived or real lack of them for civilian trauma is a sign of disrespect.

The problem is that they assume veterans are not slighted and compared their experience with what they assumed is the respect veterans get.

They did so without expressing any clear understanding of the specific struggles and hell vets experience.

They did so without a full understanding that a yard sign for fireworks is not reflective of general universal support and validation of the trauma of war, and without understanding the full depth of crap veterans have to put up with that civilians don't have to deal with.

Comparison is a path to anger and depression.

The way all almost all PTSD survivors are treated is less than what it should be. That can be agreed upon.

 

[Apupu]

Really?

Where I am from, putting a sign on the yard saying "Attention everyone around me. I really don't like loud noises. Please refrain from having any sort of fun that may exceed XX number of decibels." will probably result in your sign being blown up.

PTSD Homes?
The hell?...
You want a living space constructed for the purpose of keeping people with PTSD segregated from the general public? Like a sanitarium? Or a ghetto?


What sort of recognition?
You want there to be a way for people to easily identify you as having PTSD?
How is that a good thing? Wearing a sign that says.
"Hey everybody! I have a mental illness. Please treat me differently than everyone else. For I am not a human being that is suffering. I am more akin to a leper. I used to be a person, now I am a creature to be gawked at and pitied.

 

[Luwiv]

You want there to be a way for people to easily identify you as having PTSD?
How is that a good thing?

I think the OP wants it to be something that is a good thing or at least that brings compassionate responses.

You are correct that this is more how society responds:

"Hey everybody! I have a mental illness. Please treat me differently than everyone else. For I am not a human being that is suffering. I am more akin to a leper. I used to be a person, now I am a creature to be gawked at and pitied.

It is this kind of response I think the OP doesn't like and thinks only civilian PTSD suffers get, not vets.

 

[Tolo]

First I would like to say a child living in an abusive household is in a war zone. They are trapped with no escape, they can never truly relax because while it might seem calm at the moment there is the knowledge things can explode at any moment and definitely will eventually. Never NEVER let your guard down. A child has no weapons, no troops to be bonded with and no one ever acknowledges what they are going through. Just the opposite, it is completely denied. Our troops are never deployed to an active war zone for 15 years or longer as the case with someone who is born in a abusive volatile household. Their enemy does not have contact with them even when they do escape.

I applaud our troops and I recognize they volunteer to keep us all safe and our freedoms alive. I believe they deserve all the help they can get. I understand the funds used to pay for their help is not available to civilians and I don't believe they are truly getting the comprehensive care they need or deserve. There is a long way to go.

 

[Acuk]

No one has communicated that people with civilian trauma are not living in war zones of a different kind or that their pain and suffering is lesser than that of vets.

 

[Coku]

Don't focus on this

 

[Uvare]

No one has communicated that people with civilian trauma are not living in war zones of a different kind or that their pai...

My post was not in anger or in saying anyone is considered less than. Well, not consciously anyway. I don't believe anyone's traumatic experience should be measured or compared to anyone else. We can and should share what has helped in hopes it helps someone else. I am actually very early in my recovery since I just started to accept how much I was traumatized and its effects in the past couple of weeks. By that I mean, I just started educating myself about CPTSD and the possibility of alters and what all that means. I definitely did not mean to imply any disrespect to our troops.

 

[Wunim]

First I would like to say a child living in an abusive household is in a war zone.

No, a war zone is a war zone. An abusive household is an abusive household. Both are traumatic. To say that one is equivalent to the other, is to incorrectly describe both. I'm not saying that the war zone is worse, or that the home is worse. I do think that trying to draw these kinds of equivalencies doesn't help anyone understand trauma better, and instead just leads to more people being confused about what trauma is (and is not).

How can society accept and understand PTSD but only for Soldiers?

Why is it upsetting that a huge population of people with this disorder are getting recognition? Instead of seeing it as 'more for them, less for me', you could try seeing it as 'recognition of PTSD benefits all people with PTSD' - because it does.

 

[Tivari]

Holy Shit, that is ugly.

People getting help is a good thing. I have no connection to the military whatsoever, but there truly are some poor f*ckers who need a lot of help.

They do not take help away from you.
Repeat after me.
They do not take anything away from you, and thinking so is childish and petty and very, very sad.

 

[Luwopuz]

Those damn cancer patients, hogging all the resources. Right?! So egoistic.

 

[Zobik]

I don't resent vets getting the help and attention they deserve. The one thing I do envy, if that's even the right word, is that it's sort of clean - it's a time, a place, shared by others - all in a different situation than everyday life. And it's something others understand without having to tell the story.
CPTSD - many traumas combined over a long period of time - is hard for others to understand, is individual and in isolation from others who may be having similar traumas, and often, in the case of domestic abuse, people think that you were free to just walk out of there and why didn't you.
On the other hand, I can't imagine the horror of war, and am glad that those who witness such horror are validated and helped.
I think it's two very separate things.
Vets undergo trauma in an effort to protect the greater population from perceived threats from other countries - and so they are heroes really, and we should support them in any way we can.
It doesn't take away from the fact that trauma is experienced by civilians in very personal and devastating ways - and by vets as well.
I think we should applaud the recognition of trauma suffered by vets these days - a great improvement on the "old days" where returning soldiers were expected to pick up where they left off, and often judged for their inability to do so.
It would be absolutely fantastic if everyone understood everyone else, but I don't think that day will ever come in this very far from perfect world! The best we can do is understand ourselves and have self compassion, not expecting too much from others. After all, the vast majority in this world do suffer in various ways, some more than others.

 

[Utapa]

Never once did I say that I resent vets, or do not support or appreciate them. Thanks though, to those who jumped all over me about it!

I simply said that there are areas where there is a lot of support starting up for vets with PTSD - which is great. The communities are finally understanding, also great. But tell someone not in these areas that you have PTSD from child abuse, and you "don't matter" because "only soldiers have seen some shit and are effected by it long term," not people who have had "time to grow up and move on." Rape victims? Oh they "can't possibly feel the same as a soldier," same with victims of domestic violence, etc...that just seems to be the mentality of those who don't understand PTSD.

It would be nice if EVERYONE could get help - at a reasonable cost - for PTSD; not only soldiers.

Also, as a side note...thanks to those who were negative towards me. I forgive you. It gave me some insight how I appear to "over react" to my s/o. He can't possibly know all that's happened to me because it is difficult for me to talk about, just as I have no way of knowing how my posts will affect any of you. I get it -some things are hot buttons for some; I don't take it personally :)