What To Never Say To A Ptsd Sufferer

[AngelaMarie]

It wasn't that bad!

 

[Lucycat]

After a period of sick leave following an attempt to take my own life. My 'return to work' interview.
Manager: " Clearly your work is not challenging enough for you"

WTF?? She knew why I was off. Clearly she simply 'did not get' that I was finding trying to stay alive an enormous challenge.

Oh, and by the way, she is a psychiatric nurse!!

 

[AngelaMarie]

(((Lucy))) People are just so mean and unsympathetic sometimes. After my suicide attempt one of my nurses told me "Well, obviously you have problems with your marriage, but there is nothing we can do. Live with him or find a way to go back to the US". This was while I was begging for help. I get it, Lucy.

 

[InHell11]

"are you sure you're not just dwelling on it"

"you where not even in the room that classmate of yours was shot in."

"Just distract yourself from the negative thoughts"
might as well tell someone who's being shot at to just distract them-self from the negative thinking.

"you can choose not to feel this way" really, if I could do you think I'd still be feeling this way.

"you're letting the negative thoughts take over" No I really have no freaking choice whether they bombard me or not.

"you shouldn't resort to drugs, alcohol or prescription drugs to help the pain." well then what I should just spend all my time in constant pain so I can be in torment and everyone else around me can be brought down by by my pain.

 

[Abstract]

Said when I cautiously mentioned I had started trauma T: "Maybe you should just pull yourself together and get on with your life and stop going to T".
Thanks. That helped my awful denial so much as that is what I say to myself all the time and it is the perfect cure for flashbacks I find.

 

[treble.maker]

I still think the best two I have experienced are (quoted directly):

1. "Why didn't you fight him?"
(um excuse me, were you there? I DID fight him. He just weighs twice as much as me.)

2. "Did you enjoy being raped?"
(there is not a single word of this sentence that I can understand.. but whatever, people are crazy.)

Also, not to be off topic, but this is great! A lot of these are really funny.

 

[Shellbell]

Wow treble.maker, whoever said that 2nd one is a nasty person. Yes some people are crazy and nasty with it. :(

 

[treble.maker]

Yeah shellbell. It devastated me at the time, but I think I have realized how ridiculous it sounds.

 

[Shellbell]

That is a very nasty and devastating thing to say to you. I'm sorry that happened. That person obviously has some real issues.

 

[Mandy Tad]

I have PTSD from work place bullying.. I was told by a very close friend
1- You are the blame, you let them bully you.. She knew I did everything to stop it, reported it to my manager who supported me, reported it to HR, it was only very late that I realised that it was not going to help when i was told that it was a political enviornment and nothing could be done. !! I was diagnosed with PTSD when I had flashbacks at my new job and had to leave a great career.

 

[JustBe]

I get "oh c'mon! You weren't even in the military!" Geez!

 

[Mandy Tad]

PTSD is not an injury that can be seen, if you break a hand or leg, people are very sympathetic, with PTSD you look the same. I have a doctor who said to me, You are perfectly allright, promise me today you will forget the past and move on, go get a job! this is coming from a doctor who deals with people suffering from PTSD and depression/anxiety.