There are several different things that come to mind when people think about post-traumatic stress disorder, which is why it’s so surprising that there’s still such a misunderstanding about what it actually is. PTSD isn’t just being ‘triggered’ by things that remind somebody of their trauma. It’s the nightmares, the panic attacks, the sleepless nights, the nausea, the self-hate, the depersonalisation that comes with it, too. PTSD is a real, life destroying illness, and the stigma around it is dangerous and has to end.
Imagine looking down at your own hands, and not being able to convince yourself that they’re actually your hands. Looking into the eyes of a loved one and not being able to remember anything you’ve ever said to them. Imagine not being able to sleep at 5am when you have an exam at 9 o’clock the next morning that’s going to change your life because when you close your eyes you aren’t in your bed anymore, you’re back there, you’re living your trauma all over again and you can’t make yourself feel safe no matter how many times you tell yourself it isn’t real. Imagine waking up and not being able to breathe because you had another nightmare that the person who abused you for months was standing at the foot of the bed. Imagine stumbling out of bed and being sick until your throat bleeds because you can’t shake the nauseating feeling that something awful is about to happen to you.
Imagine going through all of this, and also having to deal with the stigma that comes from the people around you. Having to deal with comments like “but only soldiers can get PTSD!”, “you should just get over it and stop thinking about it!”, and “you should just avoid the things that trigger you and then you’ll be fine!” In an effort to start to change the way people think about PTSD, here are my breakdowns of these common misconceptions.
“But only soldiers can get PTSD”
This is an assumption about PTSD that simply isn’t true. Yes, post-traumatic stress is highly common amongst those that have been at war, but the disorder isn’t something that’s exclusive to them. PTSD is something that anybody can develop after going through a trauma. This trauma can include anything from living on a battlefield or being raped or assaulted to witnessing a car crash or violent scene. Although the symptoms may present themselves differently to different people depending on their situation, the overarching theme is the same – reliving the trauma. For a lot of people, sure, the trauma is war-related so their symptoms might involve nightmares about being back in the trenches or panicking when they’re exposed to violence or weapons. But the next person in the doctor’s office being treated for PTSD will have a completely different experience, and so will the next, and the next.
Changing the Way People Think About PTSD
by Nat White