What It Looks Like From The Outside

[BlueOrange]

Last night's episode of Four Corners has a story about policemen suffering from PTSD being mistreated by major organizations. I didn't get anything valuable from stories about folks being mistreated. I did, however, find it valuable to look at those men talk about their lives. Specifically, to see what they look like, and to realise "That's what it looks like when I talk about it."

If you feel that your PTSD makes you a horrible person, then it's worth sharing an outsider's perspective.

 

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Interesting aspect @BlueOrange.

They look like normal, healthy people — until they talk about *it*
PTSD haunted their eyes and I suppose it haunts ours. Not all the time, but when topics get too close for comfort.

 

[Gamera3000]

Sometimes when I see people like that on TV, looking haunted or twitchy, I'll ask my husband if I look or act like that and he says yes. It always reminds me that I'm not doing as good a job of hiding it as I think I am.

 

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I don't want to have haunted eyes :(

 

[EveHarrington]

I don't ever talk about it!

I have been told that I act a certain way in certain places. So much for being a master of disguise!

 

[BlueOrange]

I realise I didn't say how I felt about it. I felt like they didn't look threatening. They looked hurt. And, that the iron self-discipline is a clue in itself. But that it's OK to look like you're hurting, because the normal reaction is to want to help.

 

[Go Hungry]

I know that I've got haunted eyes. One of the supervisors at work commented on it one time. He heard my boss take a nasty phone call from the line that I normally watch, and he asked if that was what I dealt with. My boss said, "yep, all day, every day". He then said that it makes sense, because sometimes he sees me and I've got this look on my face. I'm glad that people think it's just the customers... But I know that I definitely have an odd sense to me. Ever since I was a kid in school, the others knew there was something off. A lot of them thought I was gay, because it's like the kids fallback for anyone who's acting strangely.

 

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Read a good article on the Four Corners episode, thought I would share.

It's on PTSD in the Police Force/Emergency Services and it has great links to Combat PTSD.

Not sure how to add the link...