News The Lastest News Report On Ptsd Has Me Seeing Red

[Grama-Herc]

So, I'm sitting here watching the Fox News channel and this "idiot" professor from England ? (I think) appears to be interviewed about PTSD and his study. He then proceeds to explain how PTSD is NOT a disorder----it is JUST a condition, from which the sufferer can recover and that can actually be a plus in someones' life. He just kept going on about how PTSD can only be associated with a solider from war. He also said that every day trauma is NOT PTSD, but it is PTS and (I'm paraphrasing) PTS can actually build character.

Is this guy for real? ? ? ? ? I got so pissed as he was talking. I found myself yelling at the TV. Go to Fox and Friends (this date) and check out what ProfessorSteven Joseph had to say.

Added by Anthony: http://video.foxnews.com/v/1285033425001/is-ptsd-being-over-diagnosed

 

[catjudo]

I looked but couldn't find it. It's probably there, just didn't find it right away. Your first mistake is in watching Fox News! I'm kind of kidding, but kind of not. That whole network pretty much gets me worked up into a ticked off frenzy so I generally avoid it. ;)

 

[Grama-Herc]

Well, I only watch on the weekends and probably need to watch something else. Actually it is just ON for the noise.

 

[catjudo]

Ahh, if it's noise you're needing, I have a rowdy, almost-7-year-old I can send your way! She NEVER stops talking! :D

Unfortunately, her *mute* button and *power off* button are out of order!

 

[IsisDC]

"Fox News" ...well, that could be the problem...LOL! :p

 

[healingangel90]

I just watched a small clip from the interview this morning and woww. Trauma is trauma, no matter how common. I've seen on these forums that we can all relate at so many different levels even when our traumas may be completely different. There's so much I want to say to this man. My feelings about this interview are all over the place.

 

[amethist]

I found it and well, lets say I hope he never has to got through what all sufferers have gone through.

"Make your relationships stronger and you look at life differently."

Hell yea you have to look at life differently, you have no damn choice, make relationships stronger, you wana tell all those who's relationships have fallen apart because of what Post traumatic Stress DISORDER has done to them.

No mention of time lines from trauma to when PTSD is then diagnosed. Of course your going to have nightmares from something traumatic happening, not normal if you dont.

He looked half a asleep to me, and that's being polite.

http://video.foxnews.com/v/1285033425001/is-ptsd-being-over-diagnosed

 

[healingangel90]

He made it sound like you should feel lucky to have been traumatized! Like you said amethist, obviously you have to look at life different. Sure, some relationships seem stronger, but only because you learn the hard way what relationships are worth keeping. And yes, people do become more mature. I am a mature person because I have to be. Someone took my childhood away from me.

And I love that the focus is on too many people being diagnosed with PTSD - maybe the problem is about too many people being traumatized and victimized on an everyday basis. The real issue is that these traumas have become common.

He makes me :mad:.

 

[catjudo]

Ok, I just watched it. A lot of what he said sounds very similar to things that we say here on this forum. There is a distinction between PTS and PTSD. Just because someone experiences a traumatic event does not mean that they will develop PTSD...they may experience intense reactions such as flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, etc but that does not mean that it will continue indefinitely and develop into PTSD. We've said many times here on this forum that there are some people who are receiving PTSD diagnoses when they don't actually fit the criteria. Experiencing a traumatic event does not automatically mean PTSD.

He did also speak to his opinion that there are some events in life that can be traumatic in the moment, make life difficult for awhile, but not necessarily lead to PTSD and that going through these events and the recovery can sometimes make a person stronger, or more understanding, or give some sort of unexpected benefit (for those that don't develop PTSD).

Did I agree 100% with every word he said? No. But overall, I did not find what he said to be that far off the mark or offensive. JMO

As to him looking half-asleep...let's consider the time difference. He was in the UK appearing on an early morning show in the US. What is time difference? He likely was half-asleep!

And let me add that I don't like defending the video because I cannot stand that network or 99.9% of the stuff that they air. Just calling this one like I see it.

 

[Meadowsweet]

Its funny, I read the text of this interview first, and have just watched the fox news report. I think the tone of voice used by the interviewer put quite a different slant on what the man is saying.

I can only look at myself, but I think there are times when Ive felt a natural trauma response and if I'd have spoken up at that point, the effect of trauma might have had a very different outcome. I think that is what he means by post traumatic stress. There is a natural stress response, but it is quite ordered. It is present, it is processed, it is put in its proper place within the mind.

In my mind, the feeling "please dont hurt me" comes out as "I love you" and, "help I'm scared" comes out as "go away and never come back", the feeling of fear from the past comes out as a belief that it is here is the present and a sense of natural caution is completely over exagerated. Those are the things in my mind that are disordered.

To me, the man is saying that there is that difference between post traumatic stress and post traumatic stress disorder.

 

[healingangel90]

I think I may have taken his words too personally, and thought of it as I am one of those over-diagnosed people. I'm constantly fighting off thoughts that my problems aren't big and I'm just overreacting and I guess when I saw this, I knew he would've agreed with that. Now I'd like to know what difference there is between PTS and PTSD... maybe I don't necessarily have a disorder. But then why am I still this messed up 7 years after the abuse stopped? Sorry for this comment -_- Just had to let that out and it wasn't easy to do.

 

[catjudo]

Maybe take a look at this to help answer some of your questions. [DLMURL]https://www.ptsdforum.org/c/wiki/acute-stress-disorder/[/DLMURL]