Originally Posted by Duelist
I recognize that it is not a disorder. It is simply something that happens to guys as a result of such experiences. That said, I am not a snowflake who is going to have a meltdown because someone calls it PTSD instead of PTS, in the same manner that today's crybabies freak out if you misidentify their gender/sexual orientation/preference.
Bigger things to be concerned about.
Well said.I recognize that it is not a disorder. It is simply something that happens to guys as a result of such experiences. That said, I am not a snowflake who is going to have a meltdown because someone calls it PTSD instead of PTS, in the same manner that today's crybabies freak out if you misidentify their gender/sexual orientation/preference.
Bigger things to be concerned about.
Jesus paid a debt he did not owe,
Because I owed a debt I could not pay.
For me I don't dwell on it. It was a moment in time. Its an event and an experience. I choose not to be defined by my thoughts or memories. I just accept them and stay in the present moment. Is anything wrong now, this moment? No. OK I'm good.
Are you loyal to the constitution or the “institution”?
My military service occurred in peacetime, and I don't have the same exposure to interpersonal violence as many others here. So, I'll keep my comments brief and mainly reiterate some of the points previously mentioned.
Much respect to @breakingtime91 for the original post. Sharing our inner struggles can be really hard. Keeping them bottled-up can be really destructive in the long run.
I think Sean Ryan is doing a great job helping bring this topic to broader awareness, and helping de-stigmatize it. I've been critical of Ryan before, but he's found his niche doing long-form interviews with combat veterans. His interview with DJ Shipley, in particular, was very impactful.
Ryan Fugit (sp?) also does good work with his Combat Story channel.
All Secure by Tom Slattery - mentioned upthread, is a powerful story of surviving PTS. The book really resonated with a buddy of mine, an Army veteran who has struggled dealing with his experiences in Iraq during the surge.
Dave Grossman is a controversial figure. I've read most of his work, and that of his detractors. Every time he is mentioned on this forum, it usually turns into an debate about whether his work is valid. @breakingtime91 obviously holds him in high regard. Out of respect for the original theme of this thread, perhaps folks who want to criticize Grossman's work can do it in a separate thread?
Honestly, it feels like a disorder to me. I don't like the way it makes me feel, so its not normal. I also don't really like talking about it, so while I don't want the label of a disorder, it doesn't feel inaccurate to me. Fully agree about bigger things to be concerned about. The name won't change anything for me. If other people are less weird about it if we drop the D, then great.I recognize that it is not a disorder. It is simply something that happens to guys as a result of such experiences. That said, I am not a snowflake who is going to have a meltdown because someone calls it PTSD instead of PTS, in the same manner that today's crybabies freak out if you misidentify their gender/sexual orientation/preference.
Bigger things to be concerned about.
I recognize that it is not a disorder. It is simply something that happens to guys as a result of such experiences. That said, I am not a snowflake who is going to have a meltdown because someone calls it PTSD instead of PTS, in the same manner that today's crybabies freak out if you misidentify their gender/sexual orientation/preference.
Bigger things to be concerned about.
I am out of my depth and most folks here have much more experience then me.
I think labeling it an injury like a broken arm or leg and treating it like that lowers the barriers and the walls for folks to seek out help. I think you can walk off the ledge more easily, “I am fucked up in the head and nothing will ever be right.” to “I got something broken that won’t show up in an X-ray but there are ways to fix it like the broken leg.”
I would be interested in other’s more educated thoughts.
The idea is that Post Traumatic Stress isn’t a Disorder, in that it is a predictable and pretty normal reaction to trauma (combat, abuse, or otherwise). So to remove the Disorder label as it if is a mental illness that may not be recovered from, and instead treat it as a situation that can be cared for and that can be better for many, if not most, can make the stigma many associate with it lessened.
A mental health practitioner who I work with often puts it this way: many people who work for a while in emergency service or combat arms will experience Post Traumatic Stress. It's a normal response to abnormal events. It becomes a disorder when the symptoms/effects become unmanageable or uncontrollable and truly impact your life in a negative way.
She pushes to treat the PTS before it becomes PTSD.
That's a very short description of a very long conversation so I hope the idea doesn't get lost.
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