Question- need insight

[FlyingDove]

Is following the news excessively hypervigilance? I have had PTSD since 2014. My husband has it too. He denied it. He follows the news constantly argued with his brother etc. I have to stop this behavior in myself as bad as things are right now in the US and elsewhere

 

[whiteraven]

Is following the news excessively hypervigilance? I have had PTSD since 2014. My husband has it too. He denied it. He follows the news constantly argued with his brother etc. I have to stop this behavior in myself as bad as things are right now in the US and elsewhere

I think it can be. But...I followed the news very closely for a very long time because I majored in international studies (with a focus on US Foreign Policy) and I just found it very, very interesting. And I know a lot of folks who watch constantly and argue with people about it who do not have PTSD.

I stopped watching this year because it was too depressing and anxiety-making for me.

I think how you watch news and how it affects you at other times are factors that help determine if it is hypervigilance.

 

[FlyingDove]

I think it can be. But...I followed the news very closely for a very long time because I majored in international studies (with a focus on US Foreign Policy) and I just found it very, very interesting. And I know a lot of folks who watch constantly and argue with people about it who do not have PTSD.

I stopped watching this year because it was too depressing and anxiety-making for me.

I think how you watch news and how it affects you at other times are factors that help determine if it is hypervigilance.

I made a later post about this. He has buying freeze dried food. There are things he has purchased for self defense. I am not afraid of him so much as the I am of the indocrination I occuring to so many people. I am concerned about undue influence and letting critical thinking go by the wayside. I also learned about Dr Steven Hassan's BITE model of authoritarian control and I incorporate into my behavior. I know people can create a crisis because they believe they are " right". Yes. The news is depressing. Thank you

 

[Blue-Diamond]

I think it can be. But...I followed the news very closely for a very long time because I majored in international studies (with a focus on US Foreign Policy) and I just found it very, very interesting. And I know a lot of folks who watch constantly and argue with people about it who do not have PTSD.

I stopped watching this year because it was too depressing and anxiety-making for me.

I think how you watch news and how it affects you at other times are factors that help determine if it is hypervigilance.

It is ok to watch the news occasionally to keep up to date with the news. However, if you suffer with anxiety watching too much news can be debilitating and cause underlying triggers to occur. Too much negativity for anyone can cause anxiety. So, try to limit your intake of the bad news and set time line boundaries for yourself.

 

[Movingforward10]

I stopped watching the news at the start of the pandemic and then got rid of the TV so now don't watch anything save for movies on Netflix on my computer.
Because I was watching it all the time (the news). A morbid fastination. It gave me a sort of anxiety filled energy to watch it. And a sort of security because I felt I *needed* to know what was happening to be more in control. So yes, hyperviligence, but maybe more too?

Thing is: you can't change someone. And if he feels his behaviour is ok then he isn't motivated to change.
So how do you co-exist alongside that without it hurting you?
Or does he realise what he's doing and is there a way of him trying to change?

 

[FlyingDove]

I stopped watching the news at the start of the pandemic and then got rid of the TV so now don't watch anything save for movies on Netflix on my computer.
Because I was watching it all the time (the news). A morbid fastination. It gave me a sort of anxiety filled energy to watch it. And a sort of security because I felt I *needed* to know what was happening to be more in control. So yes, hyperviligence, but maybe more too?

Thing is: you can't change someone. And if he feels his behaviour is ok then he isn't motivated to change.
So how do you co-exist alongside that without it hurting you?
Or does he realise what he's doing and is there a way of him trying to change?

Thank you for your reply. He has been harsh critical with me. Yes there has been some change in his behavior. He comprehends the damage he has done. I have changed my behavior. I tried earlier in our relationship to get us into couples therapy. His reply was I don't need a psychiatrist telling me what to do or that I am crazy. He and his brother talk nearly everyday and argue. There relationship has been dysfunctional since childhood. I know quite well he is mostly not going to change. That responsibility lies with me.

 

[FlyingDove]

It is ok to watch the news occasionally to keep up to date with the news. However, if you suffer with anxiety watching too much news can be debilitating and cause underlying triggers to occur. Too much negativity for anyone can cause anxiety. So, try to limit your intake of the bad news and set time line boundaries for yourself.

Thank you. I have begun to do this already. I like to keep up with medicine psychiatry pyschology etc. It helps improve my health and I work better with my health care provider treatment plans. I am going to set more boundaries with myself beginning today.

 

[Friday]

Is following the news excessively hypervigilance?

IME it’s depends on what you’re following.

 

[arfie]

it most certainly does in my own case. i treat the evening news like a loaded hypodermic needle. it has sent me down many a psychotic rabbit hole.

"manicky" is the word i use to describe the effects i get from watching mainstream news programs. i like to keep up with current events, but i have done my own research since the 80's when one of my early therapists noted the extreme agitation i experienced from reading newspapers, watching the evening news, etc. that was pre-internet. i suspect i might be one of those random violence headlines if i had been absorbing internet levels of that dirty laundry.

hyper-vigilance is only one of the psycho-ticks routinely triggered by mainstream sensationalism. "manicky" covers much more ground. I have even been known to fly into manicky episodes over the sweet stuff. save the double footed kittens, ya'll. . . i have a placard for you to carry at the protest.

 

[prynne]

My partner has this same extreme panic reaction to the news and he does have PTSD. It has been wearing on me recently when all he wants to talk about is how the world is ending. It seems like he can't be convinced to put. the. phone. down (!!!!!), so I don't know what to do at this point. But you aren't the only one who experiences something like this

 

[somerandomguy]

It could be. An obsession with conspiracy theories regarding the news is also not uncommon with PTSD.

 

[FlyingDove]

Thank you all for your comments on my husband news consumption. It is very helpful.