News Can Watching Violent/scary Movies Cause Ptsd?

[intothelight]

Today, the Dr. Phil show had a guest that suffered from not being able to feel safe in her house, and she felt this was due to watching the movie "Psycho". Here was Dr. Phil's response:

Dr. Phil says Caroline’s phobia has some qualities of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Since she’s seen things that have scared her, he says Caroline’s mind travels back to that fear. “If something gets inside of your head, if you empathize and personalize with a person [who's] being traumatized on television or in real life, and you identify with them, you can live vicariously through their pain and their experience. That very likely has happened to you,” Dr. Phil says.

I have a feeling that PTSD might be the new "designer" diagnosis. Maybe we can all find that "movie" that caused this and sue the filmmaker???

 

[amethist]

What a load of twaddle.

Can I sue the makers of Dr Who, for giving me nightmares and still to this day, scaring the cr#p out of me with the Cyber men.

Can I heck as like, because I have not got PTSD from watching years of Dr Who, avoiding the Cyber men episodes like the plague. I just get the jitters and run away, avoidance yes, PTSD not a chance.

 

[Kintsugi]

I can't believe he said something like that. I can't believe someone said that. Jeeze. I just can't comprehend it. What the hell is unclear about witnessing or being directly influenced by real or imagined fatal threats? I would like to see Dr. Phil and have a talk with him about what you get PTSD from. It is clear to me that people who think PTSD can be gotten in such an indirect way have never experienced trauma of any kind, let alone developed any kind of disorder from it.

Okay. So here's fear one. PTSD will become a designer diagnosis and get diagnosed wildly. PTSD for everything. Storm? PTSD. Bad day? PTSD. Kardashian encounter? PTSD (I may be able to sympathize with that last one).

Second fear, probably scarier--people with actual illnesses will be triggered by something like this, a movie, go to a doctor, and be treated for the wrong thing. What if I was abused, saw a movie that closely mirrored my abuse, and then was diagnosed PTSD for the movie, never uncovering my trauma.

At least movie PTSD would have a pretty simple cure. Watch the movie. Again and again. Fin. Case closed. PTSD is curable after all! NOT.

:alien:

 

[Cheshire]

That's so ridiculous. Talk about diminishing the reality of PTSD. Ugh.

 

[anthony]

He mentioned symptoms off... that is not saying they have PTSD. PTSD already has explicit aspects where it cannot be diagnosed, ie. seen on TV, is considered normal part of life, etc. Symptoms of something and something, two different things.

But yes... I see the impact someone like Dr Phil could have by really making such statements in the first place, because people will start running around trying to say they have PTSD because they watched something scary on TV... but no diagnostician could actually do that, as the diagnosis explicitly rules that out.

 

[intothelight]

Yes, it is correct that Dr. Phil said "like" and that is why I quoted the transcript. But I wonder how many viewers heard the "like"?

Even though we would like to believe that a diagnostician would not diagnose someone with PTSD based up something as trivial as a scary movies; however, when there are potential $$$$ involved, there is always the potential for abuse. I can see someone taking the criteria of "witnessing an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others." and really stretching it.

Objectivity and professionalism are relative.

 

[anni]

Yes, and if one was in 'TV' mode, you heard 'It's curable in 12 sessions'. Most are in TV mode with this stuff. The poor woman really was kind of a mess, but to have brought PTSD into the conversation at all, without offering any other possible diagnosis was sort of iffy on his part, I thought. I like Dr. Phil, don't get me wrong- he does amazing amounts of good, deals with abusers awfully well for instance, and tolerates your basic B.S. not at all. This woman was driving her husband insane with fears, had watched scary movies- that the PTSD had been brought into the conversation at all is going to encourage neurotics, I'm afraid, that's all. The dam dog is one, when I turn on the faucet and he thinks he's getting a bath. It doesn't take much.

 

[anthony]

They already have... by diagnosing people in relationship breakups with PTSD, general injuries, etc...

These are the very people who forced the APA to change the DSM V criterion to be so narrow and specific to the type of event.

 

[Kim]

Wow. I'm speechless and that's probably a good thing.

 

[H89]

I can answer this question with a YES! The movies and TV shows don't even have to be scary to cause the PTSD.

Since I was 6 years old(I'm now 22) I've suffered from PTSD and severe phobias. To see you all make fun of this situation pisses me off a great deal. I kept my secret for 13 years knowing I would encounter to put it nicely "misinformed people" like all of you. I'm terrified of certain movies, TV shows, and actors. I can't even talk about what I saw in the TV and movie scenes without literally bursting into tears, having flashbacks, and severe panic attacks. I can't say the names of the actors or the name of the TV shows and movies without having the same thing happen. Everytime I see one of the actors I'm afraid of I start flashing back to a random scene I saw them in, I cry, I sweat, my heart races, I feel pure terror. Christmas is the worst time of the year for me because of a certain TV episode I saw, and the song that was used in that episode. Whenever I hear that song or a song related to the other actors I'm phobic of I have a full blown flashback. It's NOT a laughing matter!

I have a few choice words for the third poster .First off, I have been through "real trauma" as you worded it. I was beaten and verbally abused as a child by my mother and grandmother. I was also verbally abused throughout my entire school career. Being told things like "you're so ugly you should go kill yourself" on a DAILY basis.

The second HUGE problem I have with your post is you stating that getting PTSD from a movie would be easy to fix? EASY?!!! I've watched the movies and TV shows with the actors I'm phobic of over and over trying to get over my phobias. All that ever did was make my flashbacks etc, WORSE. I was diagnosed in 2009(starting seeing him in 2008) by a psychologist with PTSD, and Specific phobias. I've been on Social Security disability since that same year. I suppose you're going to call the SS doctor who upheld my diagnosis and approved my case an idiot for agreeing with my psychologist? My psychologist tried CBT, exposure therapy, and guided imagery to treat me. NONE of those worked. I'm currently taking 2mg of Xanax daily and 40mg of prozac daily those don't help much either.

My life is a living hell. I suffer from intrusive thoughts every couple of hours, and up to 20 flashbacks per DAY! I would love to be normal. Not some freak of nature that most of my own family and all of you make someone like me out to be. As for the OP I don't blame the film and tv makers. Do I wish they had never made the shows and movies? OF COURSE. Am I going to sue them because I'm fuc*ed up for the rest of my life? NO, I made the idiotic decision to keep watching thinking I could fix myself.

Those of us with PTSD no matter what the cause should be treated like human beings, not circus side show freaks.

 

[intothelight]

Hi H89,

No one here would minimize the effect that media has on triggering PTSD. It was being questioned as the primary cause.

As you stated:

I have been through "real trauma" as you worded it. I was beaten and verbally abused as a child by my mother and grandmother. I was also verbally abused throughout my entire school career. Being told things like "you're so ugly you should go kill yourself" on a DAILY basis.

Child abuse is a source of PTSD. Life triggers symptoms and triggers are as individual as the person and their trauma.
No one was intentionally poking fun at a PTSD sufferer. It is the lack of factual information about PTSD that started this post. Take your time and read, and I think you will find many who are triggered by media. My own television set sat in a closet for a year, and now it gets dusted more that it is used.

Debbie

 

[H89]

intothelight, thanks for your post. Most people I've explained my condition to have called me an outright liar. But I assure you that PTSD can be triggered by media(TV shows, movies, etc). At first my psychologist thought that I had a case of transference, that me being afraid of certain actors was because I couldn't deal with my abuse. He began to question that theory though. The first time I laid eyes on all 8 of the actors I'm afraid of I felt INSTANT terror. The first actress is from a very well known old children's movie. In her case he believes it might have been her facial makeup(the coloring of it) that freaked me out. That and the fact that she looked just like my great grandmother(who never abused me BTW). He doesn't have a clue why I'm phobic of the other 7 actors though. My great grandmother is the 9th person I have a phobia of. Everytime I see a picture of her(she's now deceased) I have the same panic reaction. I was terrified of the way she looked when she was alive as well. I had panic attacks anytime I was near her. My case is so unusual my pschologist has wondered if I should get neuroimaging(FMRI) to see what's going on in my brain when I'm exposed to the people I'm phobic of.