Do People Fake PTSD?

[simplekindofgirl]

Philippa- oh my goodness.

Replay that quote to yourself the next time your condition is met with that adversity.

People don't know what to say to people who are in pain, and they usually say the totally worst things possible.

In fact, I actually just said something like this yesterday. "why can this person not just take a step back and say something, anything else but what he just said- because that feeling that he gave me- that feeling just sucked."

The truth about trauma- we often do not know how to shut it off once it is turned on, and the memory, the thoughts- we all too often can not just banish them and not think about them. They are "in our face" because they are what have made us this way. They exists in a "in the past and in the present" sort of way. And while one person can manage it by saying- no I am not going to think this way right now, another person can not. And it can be different from day to day. Some days I can shut it off, accept that it all happened and ignore it. I can not pretend that these things did not happen, but I can work past it on some days. But that is the best that I can do on my best days. On bad days- it takes a hold of me and it will not allow me to think of anything else. And that is the condition of my brain doing what it does, it is not a choice. If it were- none of us would need to be here, and none of us would have PTSD.

It is a shame that some people will accept a self diagnosis without having it confirmed, or when they do not have the condition and use it as a crutch or excuse for anything at all. However- it is nothing more than a shame. Personally- it has no effect on me. It does not take away from who I am or what I have been through. It does not invalidate me. And that is what I have needed, to validate myself, to validate the traumas that I have survived, to reach the point (and I am getting there) to say that I am not just a sufferer but a survivor. But I do understand, because I do have my bad days and then I can be quite bitter that anyone would willingly accept this title and condition for any kind of gain, and I can clearly see why we all get annoyed with the idea or even the mention of it.

Hugs to you Philippa- may you always find comfort and support here.

 

[Jen93]

This is exactly why I was so upset when in Grey's Anatomy a couple of seasons ago one of the characters was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

I worry sometimes that I'm not being heard, people actually dismiss it as "It happened 5 years ago. Let it go." Even my psychologist acts this way. However, with PTSD, we CAN'T let it go. We're ALWAYS affected, although we can MINIMIZE the triggers or flashbacks or symptoms, they never completely go away.

That's why I get mad when people portray Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as something that can be CURED: All of these people think that there's a glamorization about it; like they could say with pride "I beat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, I'm cured. It was tough but I did it." You can't. You can't "beat" it, but you can minimize it.

In this way, we feel demeaned and inadequate because of the misinformation that we can be cured, and we're left feeling hopeless because of people who fake PTSD, glamorize it, and say "It happened in the past, let it go." Yeah, bad stuff DOES happen, but the difference is that we CAN'T move past it, even though we WANT to.

 

[freakofnurture]

Since Borderline and PTSD are closely linked, often overlapping phenomena...

Once on a forum I encountered this teenage girl who postet gloomy poems and was all about how she had BPD. The diagnosis is still seen as a 'cool' fashion item in some teenage subcultures and the way she behaved didn't quite seem authentic. I wasn't sure however, so I wanted to adress it without directly confronting her.

So I made a post, asking what she thought about teens who fake BPD, and how I was angry about those kids because they cause people who really suffer from this horrible disease to not be taken seriously. I emphasised how important I thought it was to treat people with psychological illnesses with respect.

The next post by her was a confession, she said she was sorry and would never pose as a BPDer again. She left the forum although I explicitly told her that it's okay to make a mistake out of ignorance and that I was happy about her insight.

I think it's a good strategy to attack this problem. It is non-confrontative, it doesn't insult the person if they actually do suffer from the respective disease, and it educates posers about the disease as well as their responsibility.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

You should consider looking at the post immediately prior to your own. This thread is one that irritates a lot of the members, so I suggest you tread forward with extreme caution.


Let me start by stating and asking just a few things. Has this person had a traumatic experience that you know of? Because what you believe to be "intentional thinking" may not be intentional at all. For people who suffer from trauma and post trauma, it is often not a choice. And alcohol and substance abuse problems are quite common in trauma survivors. Posting her diagnosis on Facebook may be her way of reaching out, even if it does not make sense to you. Trauma seldom makes sense to a person who has ever experienced it.

I do believe YOU are the one who needs to re-read this thread, only pay particular attention to Anthony's posts where he says that people shouldn't censor themselves simply because it may upset someone else.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Rewind, let's reverse that...

I see a LOT of emphasis being put on only being able to legitimately say you have PTSD if you've been diagnosed by a professional.

Hmmm, let's think about that one!

I'd say the vast majority of the medical community is PTSD ignorant, but that doesn't stop the UN-qualified from handing out this diagnosis. On the flip side, someone like me who doesn't "re-experience" the trauma in typical ways (i.e. nightmares about the trauma and/or visual flashbacks), goes decades without being diagnosed, despite seeing dozens of professionals.

Am I getting my point across? That a professional opinion isn't even the end all and be all! Yes, I understand that nobody should self diagnose, I just hate how medical opinions always seem to be held as gospel, and those dispensing them are often put up on a pedestal.

Just my opinion, take it or leave it.

And I hope this doesn't get taken the wrong way, but I have a feeling it may be... Lol, does that mean I shouldn't even post? ;-)

I guess I just wanted to point out the flip-side of an argument based on my own experiences.

Carry on,
SOL

 

[simplekindofgirl]

ScaredOflonely-

I do believe YOU are the one who needs to re-read this thread, only pay particular attention to Anthony's posts where he says that people shouldn't censor themselves simply because it may upset someone else.

There is no reason to say something that directly attacks or intentionally degrades a person. As in asking a community within a forum as to whether or not a person is faking condition. not to mention that the accused is not present to deffend themselves, which is what my response had been about. It was not directed at you but to the post itself by another member. In other words, If you (being anyone) are going to accuse anyone of "faking" it, you had better do it with extreme caution. Not that you need to censor your own thoughts, feelings, etc while facing and supporting a person with PTSD. Certainly not.

We all have a right to our own opinions, and your next immediate post is completely agreeable. I don't think that there is anyone on the forum that would disgree. The diagnosis is often handed out too easily. If you had read all of the posts in the thread, I believe that you would have seen that as well.

 

[anthony]

I'm bi-polar and I really had to want to get better. Is PTSD like that, in that you really have to want to control it, before you will take the steps to try.

Yes, PTSD is exactly like that. PTSD and Bi-Polar are often misdiagnosed for one another when trauma is present.

I know bi-polar is forever, is PTSD that way or can it be cured?

There is no cure for PTSD, no. Like Bi-Polar, PTSD can be treated and controlled to some extent, though nothing exists to completely control it or cure it.

 

[Moony]

I met someone (a classmate at university) who claimed to have PTSD. I asked him what kind of symptoms he had, to which he'd say "well what do you get?". I said once because I didn't believe him, "I get a rash all down my back" and he said "yeah, I have that too". I just couldn't give him the time of day after that. He knew how to work the system as well to get the most he could out of his 'illness'. It really made me mad when I looked had how hard I had to struggle with my day to day, and he just had PTSD when it suited. It's sad what lengths some people will go to for attention.

 

[Definitely..maybe]

One of the men who raped me claimed to the police that I have him ptsd from being a non-human. Because I didn't deserve to be treated like a human.

I still don't get that.

Oh and anxiety from my starting an investigation against him.

 

[Ike]

Unfortunately there are those who are dishonorable enough to claim PTSD. I had a neighbor who was in Vietnam and he said at his exiting airport they posted a sign that said "PTSD don't leave Vietnam without it". He worked as a truck driver for 35 years until his brothers told him how to fake PTSD and get VA benefits. He now gets $35,000 a year tax free. That wasn't enough for him since his wife didn't have healthcare, he needed to be declared over 100% disabled so she could get healthcare and retire too. She also was paid for all Her out of pocket healthcare for the previous 5 years including cosmetic surgery.

 

[Deleted member 487]

Good point Ike. I'm sure I'm not the only one that expresses how much your insight not appreciated. I just do so out loud.
Yeah, you really hate it when people have a source of income that you do not approve of when you really have no business knowing anything about it.
Did you serve with him?
Were you there 24/7 with him?
How did you get the authority to decide who is or is not receiving benefits "dishonorable"?
What are your credentials and verifiable expertise to justify you making any judgement calls about anyone's record of service?
Especially when you already know very little about it...?

 

[RussH]

If these fakers want to have PTSD so bad; I'll be happy to give them mine.