Ptsd And Domestic Violence

[gypsysoul]

I'm not sure I understand why. Are you saying that smashing plates or punching walls IS related to PTSD but punching a person is not?

I'm not saying that at all. I'm drawing a line between being aggressive/violent in general and being violent against someone else. Those are two different types of aggression... I was talking about physical abuse towards an individual and only for ease of conversation. Aggression and violence can be very complicated topics overall, so I was trying to simplify it by focusing on one aspect.

Are you saying as long as you don't injure another person aggression is ok?

Hell no it's not ok in either form. However, aggression is a direct symptom of PTSD. PTSD can cause people to become more aggressive. My main point being that domestic violence and aggression aren't one in the same. In effect, PTSD does not cause someone to be domestically violent.


It seems my main goal of this topic went a whole other direction. I was not trying to be judgmental or say that someone's PTSD sufferings aren't valid. And I should not have brought my personal experience into this conversation. I just wanted to make it clear that PTSD, in itself, does not cause someone to physically abuse another person. Of course, that eliminates OBVIOUS signs of PTSD like during nightmares and/or dissociating into a battlefield (they are completely unaware of their actions). However, it's never, under any circumstance, excusable to abuse a loved one. If you find you're being abused, please ensure you are safe, regardless of the abusers reasons. Every life is important and we can't always save everyone.

 

[gypsysoul]

Not sure if I agree with this or not. I think you can be habituated to violence and multiple deployments to combat zones will probably do that.

If multiple deployments to combat zones was the main issue, there would be a ton of violent incidences involving combat veterans. Even violent crimes today occur by those that aren't veterans, so what is the cause of that? Childhood violence? Childhood abuse? Neighborhoods? Parenting? Genetics? Etc...? We can't forget that people that enter the military aren't always coming from stable home settings/backgrounds. That combined with deployments can definitely cause some comorbidity with PTSD, but that doesn't mean that all their other issues are because of PTSD from combat. Think about it, if habituated violence from combat created seriously violent people, they wouldn't be able to function in the military, period. However, most deployed individuals can still follow orders, do their work, and function when back in the states stationed at the home base or else they'd be discharged for medical reasons. And some of them deploy again and again, going through various medical assessments before doing so.

 

[Sighs]

PTSD, in itself, does not cause someone to physically abuse another

Absolutely agree with you there.

people that enter the military aren't always coming from stable home settings/backgrounds

I can't speak for the American military but our psych tests are pretty good. If you are psych unsuit you will not make it in.

if habituated violence from combat created seriously violent people, they wouldn't be able to function in the military, period

They function just fine in the military because of the discipline. @FridayJones explains this way better than me. The military lays down the discipline first. The violence is always in context. But if someone develops combat PTSD the discipline can start to slide.

@gypsysoul I honestly don't think you and I are that far apart on this issue. As I see it, we agree that having combat PTSD does not necessarily make a person violent. But that sometimes there are various factors to do with military training, combat experiences and PTSD that lead some people to struggle with violent tendencies. But that, regardless of the reasons, domestic violence is never ok.

 

[Sighs]

Oh - and as far as violent crimes committed by civilians go, best explanation I've ever come across is by Lt Col Dave Grossman. He explains how what used to be military training methods to habituate soldiers to killing have now become recreational activities for youngsters.

And there is also the fact that nature is violent and at the end of the day humans are animals. So, of course much violent behaviour in society has nothing to do with soldiers.