- Admin
- #1
anthony
Founder
A common myth surrounding Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) -- and mental health in general -- is that the sufferer cannot function in life. The stigma associated with mental health is based on the minority of sufferers and not the majority. Go figure, society opts to use the minority in labeling the majority!
This result is why mental health is stigmatizing; the misinformation presented to the population by, once again, our primary news and media sources focuses upon the negative, as the negative makes for good reading. Humans are flawed in this tendency to be so attracted to the negative, dramatic aspects of situations that are otherwise multi-faceted and occasionally downright mundane in actuality.
The media, and society, need get onboard with the majority statistics, the reality of those with PTSD and other mental health conditions. Think of it like this: the chances are significant that you work with someone suffering a mental health condition and have no idea, as mental health does not typically have obvious identifiers in the way that a broken arm, missing limb or an otherwise visible disability does.
There are always severe cases of mental health conditions, some of which may be identifiable, but these are the minority, not the majority. People don't have flashing signs on their forehead with "depressed," "anxious," "enraged," "tired," "epileptic," "PTSD" and so forth.
Having PTSD does not make you useless as an individual; it adds a level of struggle to your day through having to live with symptoms not otherwise experienced by most. Stigma is too often associated with focusing upon a fleeting moment within a person's day, week, year or lifetime. When put in context with time, do you want people to think you're forever crazy because you had an isolated meltdown due to overwhelming stress? Everyone has a breaking point.
You can read through our community and gauge from the writings therein that members must not get out of bed each day. Are they all on disability or something? On the contrary, the majority of this community are working professionals, from uneducated to tertiary qualifications. There are working doctors, lawyers, nurses, therapists, accountants, farmers, grocery store clerks, office and warehouse workers, public positions, military, self-employed and other working citizens all writing about their daily struggles with PTSD symptoms.
Mental health is no different to physical health. You will have aches, pains, illness and physical problems throughout your life. You will have the same dynamic flux with your mental health. You will have anxiety, depression, sleepless nights, anger, frustration and other suffering to some degree. Chances are you will do most things you normally do in your day, with minor adjustment only to cater your present needs. Claiming that someone with a mental health condition must therefore be dysfunctional in their lives is as preposterous as asserting that all of those with diabetes are blind amputees who can never ingest sugar nor miss a single meal.
Help de-stigmatize society by telling the truth about mental health, and by doing so, help cease the pervasively negative perception the media focuses upon, which they label as though a blanket statement for all with a mental health condition is appropriate when assessing psychological struggles. Mental health comes and goes in the majority of peoples lives. Nearly every person on the planet will suffer anxiety and depression in their life, none of which calls for the stigmatization that society has seen fit to saddle upon those with a psychological diagnosis.
This result is why mental health is stigmatizing; the misinformation presented to the population by, once again, our primary news and media sources focuses upon the negative, as the negative makes for good reading. Humans are flawed in this tendency to be so attracted to the negative, dramatic aspects of situations that are otherwise multi-faceted and occasionally downright mundane in actuality.
The media, and society, need get onboard with the majority statistics, the reality of those with PTSD and other mental health conditions. Think of it like this: the chances are significant that you work with someone suffering a mental health condition and have no idea, as mental health does not typically have obvious identifiers in the way that a broken arm, missing limb or an otherwise visible disability does.
There are always severe cases of mental health conditions, some of which may be identifiable, but these are the minority, not the majority. People don't have flashing signs on their forehead with "depressed," "anxious," "enraged," "tired," "epileptic," "PTSD" and so forth.
Having PTSD does not make you useless as an individual; it adds a level of struggle to your day through having to live with symptoms not otherwise experienced by most. Stigma is too often associated with focusing upon a fleeting moment within a person's day, week, year or lifetime. When put in context with time, do you want people to think you're forever crazy because you had an isolated meltdown due to overwhelming stress? Everyone has a breaking point.
You can read through our community and gauge from the writings therein that members must not get out of bed each day. Are they all on disability or something? On the contrary, the majority of this community are working professionals, from uneducated to tertiary qualifications. There are working doctors, lawyers, nurses, therapists, accountants, farmers, grocery store clerks, office and warehouse workers, public positions, military, self-employed and other working citizens all writing about their daily struggles with PTSD symptoms.
Mental health is no different to physical health. You will have aches, pains, illness and physical problems throughout your life. You will have the same dynamic flux with your mental health. You will have anxiety, depression, sleepless nights, anger, frustration and other suffering to some degree. Chances are you will do most things you normally do in your day, with minor adjustment only to cater your present needs. Claiming that someone with a mental health condition must therefore be dysfunctional in their lives is as preposterous as asserting that all of those with diabetes are blind amputees who can never ingest sugar nor miss a single meal.
Help de-stigmatize society by telling the truth about mental health, and by doing so, help cease the pervasively negative perception the media focuses upon, which they label as though a blanket statement for all with a mental health condition is appropriate when assessing psychological struggles. Mental health comes and goes in the majority of peoples lives. Nearly every person on the planet will suffer anxiety and depression in their life, none of which calls for the stigmatization that society has seen fit to saddle upon those with a psychological diagnosis.
