Fictional Characters With Ptsd - Movies/film, Tv And Literature.

[Kas_Can_Fly]

Oh definitely Grey's! I don't really know if Meredith falls under the PTSD category from her mother as there's no Criterion A marker (though on second thoughts maybe her mothers self-harm), but she's definitely deeply affected by a broken childhood (attachment issues much?) and I would say a number of work related stressors led her to what could most certainly be PTSD. I've not watched all of Grey's, maybe season 5 or 6, but it's on my catchup list! Grey's has some great writing in it, my mum says it's better than therapy!

Sorry about the spoilers rainy_daze! I hope you didn't spoil anything too badly :) I agree about Zach but haven't seen as far as Bree (I think!)

I want to think of more now I'm sure there have been some that I've thought about whilst watching, but have forgotten about - I should have remembered this thread.

 

[mikeodea]

'The Fall' tv series available on Netflix. The lead character is a serial killer and shows signs of severe PTSD from killing others. Great show. Too bad it was canceled so quickly.

 

[Saule]

Kate Beckett in Castle, particularly the episode Kill Shot. Stana Katic won a Prism Award for her portrayal of a person dealing with PTSD in that episode.

Also the character Melinda in the novel/film Speak.

 

[rainy_daze]

@Kas_Can_Fly , Bree's mother dies in a traumatic way [I think she's a teenager at the time and witnesses it] and she ends up cleaning the blood, hence why she is so neurotic about being clean all the time. She drinks in one of the later seasons and other things happen. She is one person on the surface but in reality falling apart on the inside and when no one is looking. I guess I base a lot of it on the later Bree character. Great show. I liked the ending, but I'll shhh.

@Sheer Force of Will , Grey's is actually bursting with them :hilarious::meh:. Meredith attracts tragedy :nailbiting:.

The spoilers are fine though :rolleyes: it gives me some ideas on series to watch :happy:.

 

[Nebulustrix]

I know this thread is mainly listing characters with brief explanations, but I have a bit of commentary on this one:

I recently borrowed a book from the library called "Daughter of the Forest" by Juliet Marillier, and found an unexpected connection to the main character as she was raped and suffered extreme post traumatic stress. The author very realistically brought to life the pain and anguish of the loss of innocence, feelings of betrayal, vulnerability, constant fear, lack of trust... It was very hard to read and yet just as impossible to put down. I highly recommend this book for any PTSD sufferers from rape/abuse ready to face a theraputic challenge, and strongly suggest those who are extremely sensitive to triggers avoid this book.

I loved it... and hated it all at once, because it spoke deeply to the struggles I face within myself and brought much of my current pains and difficulties to the surface. I came to realize that I still have MUCH healing to accomplish, and that I really can't do it on my own. Instead of merely contemplating finding a therapist again, I am now actively seeking an appointment. And I find myself wondering if the author also suffered.... her characterization is SO accurate.

 

[Nothing]

Jimmy Darmody from Boardwalk Empire

 

[Kefira]

Just found this thread, really good list. I can't think of many to add because my main examples have been listed.

I just finished watching Flashpoint straight through and I thought the treatment of Ed Lane's PTSD was really well done. It's actually one of the main storylines, and they develop it from the very first episode onward. He confronts his mentor who's having a full psychotic episode brought on by stress and untreated PTSD and is suicidal. There's also some good moments after that interaction where members on the team recognize the need to look out for one another's mental health more and question all the "I'm fine's". Toward the end of the show a lot of the focus is on him getting the help that he needs and whether or not he'll be able to continue doing his job with everything he's seen.

 

[moonbeam]

There is a British film called Frankyln where many characters have PTSD (one very obviously has combat ptsd) but I would recommend caution as it can be um dark.

I'm trying not to spoiler bu t it does contain SI as well as flashbacks.

Gibbs in later seasons of NCIS (think series 7-8) has flashbacks to losing his wife and daughter, as well as him killing their killer.

In the TV show Archer at one point they say he has mild PTSD tendencies.

That's all I can think of that hasn't been mentioned.

 

[Kas_Can_Fly]

Kate Beckett from Castle certainly has some trauma related problems after being shot/sniped. River from Firefly also bears the hallmarks of being deeply traumatised, likely with PTSD and also dissociative and regressed in age somewhat.

Just realised Kate Beckett had already been mentioned. Sorry! ;)

 

[Kas_Can_Fly]

Also Frodo at the end of Return of the King; "How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on, when in your heart you begin to understand... there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend. Some hurts that go too deep, that have taken hold."

 

[BloomInWinter]

Both Sam and Dean in the tv show, "Supernatural" have it.

 

[Anarchy]

Watson from the adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

The last episode of the third series of the BBC's adaptation of the novels, "Sherlock" with Benedict Cabbbagepatch as a modern day Sherlock, has a wonderful scene* with Watson asking:

"Is everyone in my life a psychopath?"
to which Holmes (a self described "high functioning sociopath") replies
"Yes, you're addicted to life threatening situations and dangerous people"

Watson as a co-dependant as well as having PTSD

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*The other episodes in the third series were (IMO) crappy, and the computer graphics, and basic knowledge of guns in the last episode failed horribly; - a brass case emerging in slow motion out of the muzzle of a semi auto pistol.