@BlueOrange, I personally view the criterion A discussion like this--asking someone whether they have a severe / catastrophic trauma that is based around the severity for PTSD, is like outlined by others, "are you in the right class" type question.
I take no offence when someone comes here and is honest, saying they just have anxiety, were bullied a little in school, so forth, and admit they don't have PTSD, but need support by people who understand. No worries with that. This community is the largest in the world for trauma, so people may use it for things that are not befitting of PTSD, but close to. I don't have issue, personally, providing people are open and honest, and those who aren't here with such severe trauma don't make a life choice to be part of this community with what is, in essence to those with PTSD here, trivial life issues. Whilst not trivial to them, they are in the scope of PTSD severity trauma. Honesty, openness, then leave, for anything less than PTSD severity trauma.
I say PTSD severity trauma because there are plenty of people here without diagnosis, awaiting, self-diagnosed, so forth, but their underlying trauma is of the severity and type that does cause PTSD. We are a combined PTSD / trauma community, as one creates the other, though our focus is at that severity and intensity of catastrophic level trauma.
When someone comes here claiming they have PTSD, told or self-diagnosed, from a relationship breakdown, cheating spouse, so forth, and when asked if they have other trauma in their history and answer, "no," it honestly comes back to that attitude of diminishing those here who do meet actual PTSD criterion from that level of severe trauma endured. Whilst a relationship breakdown or cheating spouse can be devastating to a person, it still doesn't come close to being raped, tortured, going to war, beaten within an inch of your life, et cetera. Comparing a cheating spouse to living through a tornado and near being killed by flying projectiles, your house disappearing around you, and such, is really to piss on all of us here who have experienced severe, catastrophic trauma.
If someone said to me,
"I have PTSD from a cheating spouse," I would say,
"no, you do not. Is there other trauma in your history, such as child abuse, accidents, so forth, that you have told your physician, other than just a cheating partner?"
If that answer was no, then I would tell them they're in the wrong place and to get another opinion, as they've been duped down the wrong path.
Some people have answered that question with prior trauma in their history, as I would outline to them then, that is what they have been diagnosed with PTSD from, and their cheating spouse is just the icing on the cake that has broken them. That is the truth based on current diagnostic standards for diagnosis for PTSD, whether ICD or DSM.
Me, nor anyone else here, or in the world, get to make-up their own diagnoses and tell people they have something without some type of scrutinised, assessed, peer review process. Mental health is rife with this issue because most of it is based on best guess from statistical analysis, observation and peer discussion, compared to medical health, being able to take and analyse a sample, obtaining quantified results to derive an outcome. Mental health is far from that level of accuracy, and whilst screening assessments are constantly getting better within mental health, the reliance on the patient giving accurate answers is the gaping hole in the process.
It's like a whole lot of recent reading into personality disorders I've done... and the #1 issue is that when screened, most people with personality disorders know which answers to choose based on what they view as those around them who are considered normal, because they're typically trying to beat the test from the get go, especially sociopaths. Basically, mental health screening is poor compared to physical health screening.
I believe if we start telling people they have PTSD from things that aren't listed in the spectrum, then we're just becoming part of the problem, instead of part of the solution to provide as accurate information as possible, without lying or deceiving people. I'm big on honesty and the truth.
