Stereotype Of Ptsd In Society

[Privateer]

My friends have all been very supportive about it (I think they all figured it was only a matter of time), but I'm worried that they see me as being too fragile to have fun with or, worse, as being dangerously unstable, given that their exposure to PTSD is pretty much limited to Rambo and Happy Tree Friends.

 

[matthios]

Inhell11- I wasn't trying to say YOUR statement was bogus... just the holdout that society has is bogus. :)

 

[InHell11]

Inhell11- I wasn't trying to say YOUR statement was bogus... just the holdout that society has is bogus. :)

Alright, just thought I'd specify since I know I mentioned it and wasn't sure if I worded it as well as I thought. So yeah I guess we'd be in agreement than.

 

[Shellbell]

I read the thread on that topic, and I'll look again but even there it does not say it has to be a direct threat to existence...it mentions other trauma. But in my case it was anyways, even so I don't think the new criteria disqualifies people who got PTSD through long term but not exactly deadly abuse. Also I think its a slippery slope trying to disqualify things like bullying but that is not the impression I got from the APA thread.

This is the APA's DSM V Criteria for PTSD;

A. Exposure to actual or threatened a) death, b) serious injury, or c) sexual violation, in one or more of the following ways:

1. directly experiencing the traumatic event(s)​

2. witnessing, in person, the traumatic event(s) as they occurred to others​

3. learning that the traumatic event(s) occurred to a close family member or close friend; cases of actual or threatened death must have been violent or 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); this does not apply to exposure through electronic media, television, movies, or pictures, unless this exposure is work-related.​

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As you can see there is no way workplace bullying now falls into this category. Unless there were direct threat to the person as in serious injury. It would no longer be called bullying if that were the case.​

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Shellbell, some bullying causes suicide. I was the victim of spiritual abuse which is another way of saying that I was bullied by toxic religous zeolots who said I caused the miscarrage of somone, that I was demon possessed and that I worshipped satan and that my children worshipped satan. Then there was the shunning and the gossip campaign waged against me. This took ten years of my life to try to overcome. If it was not for my children I too would have committed suicide.

So even though it says bullying is not a cause, I disagree. They destroyed me and my families reputation in the small town that we lived in and we were stigmatized. Finally we moved away and it took a year and a half to recover from living next to so many toxic neighbors. It was like the dark ages and a witch hunt. It was a cult. I was naive, gullible, vulnerable, and desperately needy. They recruited me. They were my abusers. A healing prayer with the pastor and the eldors turned into an exorcism.


Bullying is destroying so many lives. I think in time it will be included in the book. I would not wish this on anyone. It almost destroyed me and my family. We all moved far away from there and none of them know anything more about us. I could have lived without that horror and terror and torment and torture. just my two cents. If it is useless to you just throw it away.
I had no defense nor support nor friend. Only one person left the church over the way they treated us.

 

[Shellbell]

I totally agree with everyone you say Gizmo regarding bullying, but my comment was regarding workplace bullying.

I have had both bullying as a child in school and workplace bullying that lead to people having their employment terminated. There is a difference between the two. Workplace bullying is very distressing and can indeed cause severe depression that could and does lead to suicide. It does detroy lives but I don't agree that it can cause PTSD.

Your bullying was not workplace bullying and it was abuse, not bullying. There is a big difference. I'm really sorry all that abuse happened to you Gizmo and it was indeed extreme.

Some forms of bullying (like workplace bullying) could cause despression and anxiety at life threatening levels, but do not cause that necessary fear that switches the brain into survival mode to get PTSD.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Thanks Shellbell, I really appreciate the words of validation. Your support meant alot to me. There is a book written by Tim Fields called Bully on Cite and he covers the far ranges of workplace bullying. It also has the power to destroy lives and careers depending on how bad it is and how long it takes.

My husband worked in a non union place that was bullying from the top down. People were spending alot of time covering their backs. They had strange rules like if you were absent three times you had to go into a corporate office and write and essay on why you should not have taken the time off. There were many petty things like that. My husband already had ptsd and he just covered his back and did what he was told. It was really stressful for him, but he retired and now is out of that environment and doing well. It did not affect him like it was affecting other workers. Interesting topic. Tim Fields also has a website that covers bullying at work. It was really educational for me.

There are alot of states that are applying for anit bullying legislation. It is a very serious problem. But once again, just my two cents to be tossed in the trash. Thanks for this thread. It is very interesting and educational.

 

[Shellbell]

Bullying is a globally increasing serious issue and I hate it and agree there should be tighter laws to control it deal with it. It causes many teenagers to end their lives and it does indeed occur within workplaces, I've been there. And it can cause serious issues like severe depression and anxiety.

I hate what you went through Gizmo - particularly at the hands of so called 'religious' people. It's why religion gets a bad name - far too much abuse of power etc. Disgusting. And what happened to your husband - people with power abuse that far too often. My workplace was a typical example of that too.

As this is a PTSD related thread though, I do believe bullying alone would need to become the kind of abuse that involves a serious threat to physical harm, or existence to get PTSD. It is a necessary factor in correct diagnosis.

 

[InHell11]

This is the APA's DSM V Criteria for PTSD;

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As you can see there is no way workplace bullying now falls into this category. Unless there were direct threat to the person as in serious injury. It would no longer be called bullying if that were the case.​

I read it, does not specify serious 'physical' injury, that's not the only kind of severe injury. I don't see how it would be impossible for constant bullying to cause PTSD.

As for workplace bullying I am not sure how it varies from general bullying, which in my opinion could be severe enough to cause PTSD depending on the nature of the bullying, the persons tolerance for stress and other genetic factors. But if bullying wouldn't qualify, what then could one be diagnosed with if they exhibit PTSD symptoms in relation to the bullying?

 

[Shellbell]

I think the serious injury requires the situation to be very very serious. It must do to cause the 'survival mode' to kick into the brain. Workplace bullying usually does not involve threat to seriously harm injure the person to the degree that causes PTSD. Workplace bullying such as getting yelled at by your boss, being threatened with losing your job, being told to watch your back, being conspired against, gossiped about, impossible demands etc - those kinds of bullying do not cause the brain to kick into survival mode. I know - I've had them. If it's more serious than that - and involves threats to physically harm or injure the person - then it's not bullying - it's threatened or physical assault and again it needs to be of a serious nature to cause PTSD.

Some people display some symptoms of PTSD - but don't have PTSD - as there are similarities to other illnesses, which they do have. If someone is being bullied to the point where they consider suicide, that is severe depression causing that, not PTSD. PTSD doesn't cause a person to be suicidal, depression does.

 

[InHell11]

Well I am not sure the fact such things did not cause your brain to go into survival mode really reflects everyone.

And I am not so sure depression is the only thing that causes a person to be suicidal, I mean I have been feeling that way and its mostly the PTSD I mean I grew up having to deal with anxiety and depression issues at one point the depression drove me to attempt suicide. But this time my main reason for feeling suicidal is I can't take the PTSD symptoms anymore. I'd prefer the days of just depression and anxiety, to this. I'll see what the professionals at the psych ward think since that is my alternate plan I will put into use.

I mean I kind of know my fair share about psychology, and when I was taking psychology in college I got the impression the DSM is a useful tool, but shouldn't be the only tool used to diagnoses someone. All the DSM can really do is try to define the causes and describe what symptoms the individual should exhibit.

Considering all the revisions and varying opinions of those in the psychology field indicates to me, even the professionals don't have it exact yet. So I doubt anyone here does.

Also, I meant if someone has all the necessary PTSD symptoms following something that was traumatic to them and the symtoms aside from it being say more of a psychological trauma than a threat of death or physical injury?

 

[Shellbell]

But I agree to disagree on this topic, trying not to overdo it on stressing myself out.

That's totally okay, it's a discussion and not everyone has to agree :)