Affect Of General Environment On The Development Of Ptsd?

[Springer80]

The poor live in TERRIBLE conditions,

Hi, I just wanted to say that the poor live in an environment of greater mental complaints and violence, or at least in western, civilised/urban society. I lived half my growing up in lower middle class politeness and half on an welfare estate where teenagers beat each other to death with bricks cos they're weren't guns and 12 year olds ran protection rackets threatening to damage peoples cars if they didn't pay a fee.

I'm not saying poverty equals this environment., as nursenurse states and I have often thought I would swop an abusive/wire monkey upbringing in a western privileged middle class environment for a demonstrably loving and secure upbringing in a rural or poor environment any day.

Pencil, check out he EVENTS forum....I found two BBC RADIO4 series, one called 'All in the Mind' and the other 'Mind Changers', this last one has an episode where hey discuss Harlows work.

 

[Pencil]

I would swop an abusive/wire monkey upbringing in a western privileged middle class environment for a demonstrably loving and secure upbringing in a rural or poor environment any day.

I agree

 

[Springer80]

Another aspect of our environment is that of news, for instance the Boston Marathon Bombings....see EVENTS forum, 'BBC RADIO 4 'All in the Mind'.

We see trauma reported all the time. Because it sells, and most importantly, because we have 24 hour rolling news we hear about these things live, whereas we used o hear about them a day or two late, by which time the situation was usually resolved and the fear and suspense over with.

So there are people as arbiters of immediate environment, background environment/local culture and digital environment.

 

[Abstract]

Hi Pencil,
Glad you slept. Eventually.

I think there are some clues in what you wrote that elude to what I don't understand. Or that at least give me more understanding. Or piece together some of my understanding a bit better.

I am very familiar with conventional theory on resilience already where they list such things as having one close relationship or at least one person that one can go to; intelligence and I think a few other factors. They do not generally discuss a lot of what is described in the above excerpts.

people live on high alert all the tim

I think this is what I was wondering. If living on general high alert is something that could contribute. What I was thinking is coming into focus a little more clearly now and I am thinking there could be many different reasons to be on constant high alert. Other than having directly experiencing trauma that is, of course.

The kind of awful pervasive lack of safety you describe in South Africa would be a good example. As would neglect in a different way I think. And being a soldier in war regardless of if they were exposed to direct trauma in that context. And probably certain other jobs, possibly being in prison, etc etc.

However, at low levels of stress and trauma, vulnerabilities matter a great deal in determining whether the disorder will develop.

And I guess this is what I was wondering.

support from loved ones reduces cortisol secretion and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis activity (Barlow & Durand, 2012).

I think support must be the biggest protecting factor and the lack the biggest contributing factor other than the trauma so had put that aside when thinking about this thread but maybe what had not sunk in and connected the various parts is the various reasons why it is protective. If it lowers these stress hormones and that is part of what has a protective function then it makes some sense that having them raised all the time would do the opposite. Of course support would do way more than that methinks.

social determinants

And maybe maybe it is all like weighing up something. With some things adding a little more weight and others adding huge amounts until the scale breaks. And other personality factors etc add extra resistance or not. Does anyone think that is wrong?

Thanks again as that was actually quite helpful.

 

[Pencil]

Pencil, check out he EVENTS forum..

Will head over there as soon as my daughter is asleep. Thanks Springer.

 

[Abstract]

Hi loloma,

not feel like a human

I am sorry you feel like that too and sorry that those were your experiences.

Feelings for me were almost irrelevant as I was not allowed to have my own so I never considered what they may be until in my thirties. I was like a blank space other than all my concerns for other people and focus on the outside world.

I am sorry too about your mother. I did not watch it again as it is too upsetting but they did another phase in the experiment from what I can remember where some monkeys were locked away with no mother at all and they became totally insane.

I would say my mother appeared like a real live mother and thats what I thought but she kept turning unexpectedly into that robot that they used to scare the monkeys or the wire mother. Or the real live part was just an act and other things were going on instead. But maybe I am making that up and she was a normal mother. Very hard to know what is what when it isn't clear cut and when one has serious self doubt issues. I am back into a serious self doubt phase at present. All my therapy being eroded possibly.

 

[Abstract]

I would swop an abusive/wire monkey upbringing in a western privileged middle class environment for a demonstrably loving and secure upbringing in a rural or poor environment any day.

Springer, totally agreed. Absolutely no competition. And I think it why one can go to very impoverished and far from ideal places and see families looking very happy. When one sees a lovely nurturing mother looking after the children.

 

[Springer80]

I think this is what I was wondering. If living on general high alert is something that could contribute. What I was thinking is coming into focus a little more clearly now and I am thinking there could be many different reasons to be on constant high alert. Other than having directly experiencing trauma that is, of course.

The European Sociey of Trauma and Dissociation report on community trauma work and studies....one was on segregated Norhern Ireland....imagine if a child has to constantly be wary of jeopardizing their own care if they see family members deemed be on the 'wrong' side. Or they cant play with who they want in the street cos they're Protestant.

I suppose cultural background can be political, religious, racial problems in origin that effect the fabric of how a place operates, sometimes in a very physical way.

I think support must be the biggest protecting factor and the lack the biggest contributing factor other than the trauma so had put that aside when thinking about this thread but maybe what had not sunk in and connected the various parts is the various reasons why it is protective. If it lowers these stress hormones and that is part of what has a protective function then it makes some sense that having them raised all the time would do the opposite. Of course support would do way more than that methinks.

I not only brings stress down it regulates the expulsion of and in turn determines the neurophysiological development. If expression alleviates emotion and emotional freedom allows the brain to develop properly, ie in terms of ego etc.

 

[Loloma]

Very hard to know what is what when it isn't clear cut and when one has serious self doubt issues. I am back into a serious self doubt phase at present. All my therapy being eroded possibly.

It is important to remember, that after many years of abuse and neglect, healing is a slow process. It can take a very long time to work through it all. All the suppressed feelings and doubt surface and cannot be pushed back. Like Pandora's box, once the lid is opened you can't close it. You're faced with having to work your way through it.

I found that I spent years trying to analyze my childhood section by section. Unfortunately it's never ending as there is always some incident that occurs that brings back memories. My T used cognitive therapy as I couldn't process the emotions I felt. They were crippling, hence the long hospitalisation.

You are doing better than you give yourself credit for. Asking questions and delving into areas that may be uncomfortable for you. Possibly looking for answers and trying to understand what happened and why. It's like being a six year old, where they go through a period of asking why to everything. Just remember, none of it was your fault. As children we have no control of of the environment we are raised in, nor the parents we have.

 

[Pencil]

I suppose cultural background can be political, religious, racial problems in origin that effect the fabric of how a place operates, sometimes in a very physical way.

Yes, and there are so many of these 'hotspots' in the world. Another example in South Africa is that of 'corrective rape' of lesbians. Black lesbians are gang raped and many are then murdered - 'to teach them and others a lesson'. So, being a black lesbian in SA is a special category that cuts across income, class, geographical area, background, etc.

I speak about SA because I'm familiar with what's happening here. But there are many places - such as the middle east - where being a woman or gay or a bit of a free thinker must in itself be grounds for PTSD or depression or simply freaking your nut every second of the day. And yes, Northern Ireland is another place where I think many children live with threats and have witnessed atrocities. Other places and issues: think landmines, think Somalia, think orphanages in China, think abandoned AIDS babies, think child-headed households due to parents' AIDS deaths ....

OMG, no stop thinking.

And this is why I am often very impatient with myself and my 'symptoms'. There is so much suffering in the world (of humans and animals), and here I sit on my little heap and shiver. WTF?? Can't I get over myself and get a move on and actually try to do something constructive and concrete?? Sheeeessshhhhh!!!!!!!!!

 

[Abstract]

And this is why I am often very impatient with myself and my 'symptoms'

Me too Pencil...

 

[Abstract]

Hmmm...There is more I wanted to say and also to reply to but for now wanted to jot down that it seems that maybe the things that I was thinking of as having formed part of my environment almost all possibly fit into criterion A. I wasn't traumatised by them (I don't believe so - I been caught out with that before) but they were there around me. They didn't feel like a big deal in many ways. But maybe there is a difference between them and some other stuff which is barely a topic at all.

Attempting not to get very frustrated and angry with myself at present. With limited success. So trapped in the unhealthiness of my tiny mind.