serious question..

[handgun]

So,

Someone was telling me that they had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. From an event that happened years ago. And an event that they did not witness in person.

I will not say the exact event, to hide my identity and theirs as well (as you never know exactly who might be an INGO member) so i will try to respect them...

But it basically would be claiming that you have PTS over the state fair tragedy that happened last year. And just happened to be in the same state, or even the same city that this unfortunate event happened, but not be at the state fair when it happened, not even knowing anyone who was injured or died. But just watched it on tv, and read about it in the paper..

Is this truly possible?

Am I wrong to be concerned that this person in my eyes is a basket case.

I am not saying that post traumatic stress isn't real.. I believe it is real, but I kinda think that you have to actually witness, be apart of the event to suffer from it..

Thoughts??? Go...

 

[Sylvain]

 

[Tydeeh22]

i would assume the state of mind required for such a thing to occur is a one in a few hundred million kinda odds, but possible? anything is possible. am i going to claim PTSD due to an act of nature i was nowhere near? i think ill pass.

basket case.

pretty much sums it up IMO

 

[shooter521]

But it basically would be claiming that you have PTS over the state fair tragedy that happened last year. And just happened to be in the same state, or even the same city that this unfortunate event happened, but not be at the state fair when it happened

I was in the grandstands and watched the stage collapse in front of me, and I don't have any lingering effects, so I have a hard time believing someone could suffer from PTSD without being personally involved in an event.

On second thought, I am probably suffering from PTSD because I have a couple friends who served combat tours in the Middle East, and I've heard some of their stories.

Now, who can I sue?

 

[Hkfiend]

PTSD is a funny thing. Not funny haha, but funny in an odd way. I spent 9 1/2 years as Active Duty Army, in the Infantry. I saw 3 tours in Iraq, 04-05, 07-08, and 09-10. Spent a total of about 37 months over there. First deployment was in Mosul, more active, firefights, spent 15 hours a day on patrol. Lost a great LT, and a few injured sent back stateside, but casualties were fairly low. Second deployment in Baghdad during the surge, lot more casualties due to the enemy using EFP's. They cut through a up-armored HUMVEE like a warm knife through butter. Third deployment near Balad. Stupid cleanup, get ready to leave the country deployment. Didn't see a lot, didn't do a lot, a waste of time and money.

I don't think I have PTSD. My ex-wife said it could have been PTSD, but I wasn't the same. I have my problems but I really don't think I have it either. I know guys who have had PTSD. I'm currently a psychology major and I've done a lot of research on PTSD. Looking back at some of my friends and soldiers after coming home, a lot more of us should have probably been diagnosed with it.

On the other hand, I know a lot of guys who purposely used it as an excuse to get out of their contracts because they didn't want to be in the Army anymore. It wasn't going to war, it was the fact they didn't like having someone tell them what to do 24 hours a day. Unfortunately I considered some of those guys friends until they said things like that to my face.

Now I know you can get PTSD from other things, not just war, but I don't really see how they could be affected by something they didn't witness. The only way I could see it causing them anxiety would be if it happened to a friend or loved one that they REALLY cared about. Or maybe they just have anxiety problems and it's not really PTSD. Not really enough information to go on.

Some people just want to milk the PTSD thing. Someone I know who was in the Navy, aboard an aircraft carrier, and apparently came home with PTSD. His wife has written a book about living with a soldier with PTSD and apparently it's a big deal in some circles.

In the end, there are a lot of factors. The more I get into my psych degree, the more I see that psychology is still mostly a guessing game. I mean there are a lot of signs and factors, but they don't necessarily mean that if w, x, and y happen, then you will always get z. You might get o.

 

[handgun]

PTSD is a funny thing. Not funny haha, but funny in an odd way. I spent 9 1/2 years as Active Duty Army, in the Infantry. I saw 3 tours in Iraq, 04-05, 07-08, and 09-10. Spent a total of about 37 months over there. First deployment was in Mosul, more active, firefights, spent 15 hours a day on patrol. Lost a great LT, and a few injured sent back stateside, but casualties were fairly low. Second deployment in Baghdad during the surge, lot more casualties due to the enemy using EFP's. They cut through a up-armored HUMVEE like a warm knife through butter. Third deployment near Balad. Stupid cleanup, get ready to leave the country deployment. Didn't see a lot, didn't do a lot, a waste of time and money.

I don't think I have PTSD. My ex-wife said it could have been PTSD, but I wasn't the same. I have my problems but I really don't think I have it either. I know guys who have had PTSD. I'm currently a psychology major and I've done a lot of research on PTSD. Looking back at some of my friends and soldiers after coming home, a lot more of us should have probably been diagnosed with it.

On the other hand, I know a lot of guys who purposely used it as an excuse to get out of their contracts because they didn't want to be in the Army anymore. It wasn't going to war, it was the fact they didn't like having someone tell them what to do 24 hours a day. Unfortunately I considered some of those guys friends until they said things like that to my face.

Now I know you can get PTSD from other things, not just war, but I don't really see how they could be affected by something they didn't witness. The only way I could see it causing them anxiety would be if it happened to a friend or loved one that they REALLY cared about. Or maybe they just have anxiety problems and it's not really PTSD. Not really enough information to go on.

Some people just want to milk the PTSD thing. Someone I know who was in the Navy, aboard an aircraft carrier, and apparently came home with PTSD. His wife has written a book about living with a soldier with PTSD and apparently it's a big deal in some circles.

In the end, there are a lot of factors. The more I get into my psych degree, the more I see that psychology is still mostly a guessing game. I mean there are a lot of signs and factors, but they don't necessarily mean that if w, x, and y happen, then you will always get z. You might get o.

Great response, well thought out! Much appreciated.

Now, to say something to you.. You stated you were overseas for 37 months that is aprox. 3.1 years. I don't know your age or how close you were to the person. But a lot of changes can happen in an individuals life in 1 year let alone 3. I know for a fact I am not the same person I was three years ago. Through interaction with work and friends relationships etc.. I have grown as an individual. My views, and even the way I react to things has changed significantly. So if i was gone from someone for that amount of time.. or a year at a time.. Someone I don't see regularly would think that I have changed significantly.

 

[mike8170]

From what I understand on PTSD, by just being diagnosed with it at a mild level, it must me events witnessed. I was diagnosed 30% PTSD, and I jumped into Panama, took Nasiriyah in the First Gulf War, and I had 3 tours in the Global War on Terror. 26 months in Iraq, 14 during and after the invasion, 12 months my last tour, and 12 months as an advisor in the Stan. This did not include 9 months in Bosnia, which was securing mass graves, which I still sometimes smell. I just don't see how an "unwitnessed event" can cause PTSD. It is nothing than normal stress.

 

[GBuck]

The simple fact of the matter is that some people are genuinely affected by what the see, and for them I have no malice. I do know a few people including my brother that suffer from PTSD, and it comes in many weird presentations.

Now, I think there are also a lot of people in this world that are extremely week minded and are looking for a reason for someone to pity them. Some of these people may even end up with PTSD, not because there is any logical reason for them to feel this way, but that they work themselves into a tizzy (for lack of a better word) so much that it becomes a part of them.

When I hear about a national tragedy, or the loss of someone in a sad manner that I have not even met, is it possible for me to feel emotion or grief because of it? Yes. Does that mean that I have PTSD? No. It means that I am human.

 

[LEaSH]

I remember hearing that soon after Sept 11, British subjects were claiming the NHS equivalent to whatever they call PTSD over there. From watching the TV reports.

I really can't authenticate the reports. I hesitate to dismiss them as just being too soft - but they're - you know.

Horrible imagery effects humans in different ways. I don't know if PTSD is something that can be "unwired" or just maintained for the life of the patient. I know I don't want it.

 

[JimmyR]

I don't think I have PTSD. My ex-wife said it could have been PTSD, but I wasn't the same. I have my problems but I really don't think I have it either. I know guys who have had PTSD. I'm currently a psychology major and I've done a lot of research on PTSD. Looking back at some of my friends and soldiers after coming home, a lot more of us should have probably been diagnosed with it.

First, thank you for your service. We appreciate it.

Allow me to begin by saying that I am a Mental Health Professional (Master of Science in Social Work) and part of my job is assessing people in crisis and developing a preliminary diagnosis. That said, this is just my

I would say most folks with PTSD can generally tell there is at least something wrong; whether they know what it is is a different story. The criteria are pretty clear in the frequent re-experiencing of the traumatic event, avoidance, and hyper-vigilance. The key symptom, and in response to your statement about more people being diagnosed, is the last one, requiring the event to cause "Clinically significant distress or impairment." This is the essential symptom to any DSM diagnosis- if it doesn't hurt, its not a DISorder.

In the end, there are a lot of factors. The more I get into my psych degree, the more I see that psychology is still mostly a guessing game. I mean there are a lot of signs and factors, but they don't necessarily mean that if w, x, and y happen, then you will always get z. You might get o.

You are partially correct, but I don't know that I would call it a guessing game. It is definitely not as concrete a science as some, and I think that anytime you bring in the human element, you have to accept that individuality is going to be a difficulty to be overcome. I think you make a correct statement about our lack of predictability in mental illness, and that is a byproduct of the uniqueness of each individual and the circumstances around each event. As you continue your degree, you will hopefully be engaged in the relevancy of diagnosis and how effective it is in providing care to those in crisis. My experience is that every case of Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar, Schizophrenia, ADHD, etc. is going to be different. I am applying a label that best fits the person in question. Is it going to be exact? No, but by giving the most accurate diagnosis possible, it will make their treatment easier for the other professionals following behind me.

 

[SnoopLoggyDog]

Anything is possible when it comes to mental health issues. Your friend has made an obsessive association with a stressful event. If that is the focus of his waking hours, he can work himself into a high tempo case of PTSD.

Is it rational for him to do this? No, not by a long shot. However, claiming PTSD could be a mask for other issues lying below the surface. He needs to talk to a counselor and identify what is truly going on. After it is diagnosed, it can be corrected.

 

[CitiusFortius]

I was in the grandstands and watched the stage collapse in front of me, and I don't have any lingering effects, so I have a hard time believing someone could suffer from PTSD without being personally involved in an event.

Perhaps they are using the wrong words. I work in the entertainment industry and tv production. I never use to get nervous on scissor lifts while doing camera, now every time I'm on one I'm thinking about the kid that died at Notre Dame.

Also, I was working a festival a few months back that had a similar stage to what crashed. I definitely found myself looking up at it when the wind would sway it a bit and wonder...

Is that "Post Traumatic Stress?" I don't know....