Ptsd From Social Media

[anthony]

The other problem with online is that you can say anything you want... and really... where is the proof? There are people upon this forum who are lying about having PTSD... I guarantee it.

 

[Justmehere]

If she does have PTSD, sounds like she is reenacting her trauma, over and over and over. If she doesn't have PTSD, then she does have some other serious issues going on. Either way, I hope she gets off twitter and into a safer community where she can get help, and not be so trashed on the interwebs. It doesn't seem to be helping anyone, especially her.

 

[Pencil]

I just had never heard of social media causing this, I posted it only to find more information on it,

I have not read the article or tweets or whatever it is, and to me it is irrelevant whether she really has PTSD or not. What I think is relevant, however, is that many teenagers, for instance, have committed suicide as a result of cyber bullying. I'm not saying the responses are valid or not, just that it seems that if cyberspace is where you live, 'social annihilation' can be a big deal.

 

[Dana Taylor]

I was doing research on PTSD and came across this forum thread and am absolutely disgusted by some of the things said in here. We are here because we have PTSD. I was diagnosed by two shrinks and two therapists at the University of Pennsylvania and the cause was cyber harassment. Some of you should be ashamed of yourself for chastising and doubting a fellow PTSD survivor. If you are NOT a doctor who can diagnose this then you are NOT allowed to make a diagnosis.

 

[anthony]

I was diagnosed by two shrinks and two therapists at the University of Pennsylvania and the cause was cyber harassment.

To be perfectly honest, if you're claiming such and citing diagnosis from 2 x shrinks and 2 x therapist, all citing cyber harassment, then you should get away from that University because they're all idiots who can't even read and apply what they're learning. The first step in a diagnosis for PTSD is to meet the first qualifier, being:

A. Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence in one (or more) of the following ways:

1. Directly experiencing the traumatic event(s),
2. Witnessing, in person, the event(s) as it occurred to others,
3. Learning that the traumatic event(s) occurred to a close family member or close friend. In cases of actual or threatened death of a family member or friend, the event(s) must have been violent and accidental.
4. Experiencing repeated or extreme exposure to aversive details of the traumatic event(s) (e.g., first responders collecting human remains; police officers repeatedly exposed to details of child abuse).

Note: Criterion A4 does not apply to exposure to electronic media, television, movies, or pictures, unless the exposure is work related.

Now if yours was due to being threatened by death, and the threat has reality to you by people who know you across cyber networks, then you can fit criterion 1, however; that threat has to be real which means the threat has to come from someone who knows your whereabouts / you personally, or you believe from their statements that they know your whereabouts / you personally, to action that threat. There must be an element of reality to the threat that is real. A stranger who doesn't know you or your location, stating they're going to kill you via a social network, is not a real threat.

Cyber harassment does not fit within the confines for PTSD diagnosis anymore, and hasn't since the APA recognised this and changed the diagnostic criterion from the DSM IV to DSM V versions, specifically because physicians were watering down the diagnosis to fit people within the confines of specific word definitions. The current DSM V version does not allow cyber bullying to fit directly within the PTSD diagnosis anymore, and there are now more relevant diagnoses for cyber bullying. You should read, direct from the DSM:

Adjustment Disorder: In adjustment disorders, the stressor can be of any severity or type rather than that required by PTSD criterion A. The diagnosis of an adjustment disorder is used when the response to the stressor that meets PTSD criterion A does not meet all other PTSD criteria. A symptom pattern may be similar to that of PTSD, though not meet PTSD, so an adjustment disorder is diagnosed.

An adjustment disorder is basically anything up-to PTSD severity, but does not meet PTSD criterion.

Again though... as stated above, if you have a known person who knows your actual identity, location and where to find you, telling you they're going to kill you online, and you believe your life is in danger as a result, then that does fit the current criterion.

Bully Online hasn't updated their PTSD profile information to the DSM V, and are still citing out-dated information because if they changed it, it would no longer fit their argument for diagnosing those being bullied. They can no longer wrap bullying online within the actual and current PTSD diagnostic criterion. Physical bullying... that is a different thing.

We have the current and accurate diagnosis listed here, and maybe you want to read all four pages of it: [DLMURL]https://www.myptsd.com/c/thevault/posttraumatic-stress-disorder.17/[/DLMURL]

You may want to take note of such accompanying writings within DSM that help classify a stressor for PTSD, such as:

Criteria A

Criterion A outlines events that are considered traumatic enough for a PTSD diagnosis, which include but not limited to, war as a combatant or civilian, threatened or actual physical assault (robbery, mugging, physical attack, childhood physical abuse), threatened or actual sexual violation (forced sexual penetration, alcohol / drug-facilitated sexual penetration, abusive sexual contact, noncontact sexual abuse, sexual trafficking), being kidnapped, taken hostage, terrorist attack, torture, prisoner of war, natural or man-made disasters, medical (waking during surgery, anaphylactic shock) and severe motor vehicle accidents.

Whilst every conceivable type of trauma is impossible to list, the DSM clearly outlines a pervasive pattern of extreme violence or abnormal event not considered normal within life. Normal death, life threatening illness, debilitating medical illness, relationship breakdowns and other stressors considered part of normal life, are not necessarily considered a traumatic event by definition for PTSD. These lesser events are covered under other diagnoses, such as Adjustment Disorders, where a single stressor is responsible.

 

[Ed Norton]

Getting PTSD from social media, to me sounds like a bunch of horse hooey! I don't believe it for one second. If you have enough money you can get any diagnosis from a psychiatrist that you want. PTSD from twitter? Don't you believe it!

 

[SeanCharles]

I think judging and namecalling of strangers, especially by their real name, is victim-blaming, bullying, and wholly unsupportive.

I so agree here! We here on this forum claim to be non-judgmental, yet by doing the name calling of a complete stranger is hurtful and is definitely un-supportive when we're here to be a support for people.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

If this individual came here on the forum we'd call her out, too. And please, don't speak for me....I don't claim to be non-judgmental! I'm one of those who says there is judgment in EVERYTHING we do. And to be honest, there is.

Let's just take things one step further and say we can't criticize ANYBODY. After all, why stop at just so-called PTSD sufferers? Why should they be elevated above others? Really, we shouldn't be criticizing anyone, even our abusers, right?

 

[anthony]

Yep, please don't speak for me either about being non-judgemental. I think that statement in itself is a lie, to be perfectly honest, and I do not believe you can be non-judgemental. Non-judgemental does not help someone who needs the truth, it just solidifies their foundation of bullshit they're already working with.

 

[Justmehere]

I think we all do make judgements all the time. Some correct, some not.

I think this thread brings up this question for me: What are healthy/helpful and unhealthy/harmful ways to give feedback or to share judgements we have about someone else's life?

This is probably a key relationship skill most people on planet earth could improve upon. Myself included.