When post-traumatic stress disorder is mentioned, it is typically associated with veterans, but what many don’t realize is that it happens too much more than just those in the military.
Various traumas manifest differently in a person based on many factors, such as home life and past problems. Most people are able to overcome a trauma, whether it be because the trauma is less jarring or because the environment and life before the trauma predisposed them for PTSD.
It is important that, as a society, we do not overemphasize PTSD as a problem related only to veterans because it can happen to anyone who experiences a trauma. Those who have experienced sexual assault are more likely than other non-combat traumas to develop PTSD.
Because of the lack of understanding around the disorder, life becomes even harder for those living with PTSD.
College and post-traumatic stress disorder do not partner well together. I hate to bring up that I have PTSD because I can see it on faces. They are confused because I do not fit with the standard assumption of people with PTSD. It affects everything. How other people view you, how you view others, yourself, and also the disorder.
The lack of knowledge in the public makes one feel secluded, even more so if he/she is non-military because it feels like the trauma wasn’t traumatic enough to qualify for the disease.
Daily life is highly affected by PTSD. The disorder has altered my college experience greatly. For one, I get scared when I am in a large group of people. This makes football games miserable for me, and basketball games are not an option.
Trust is not something that people suffering from PTSD can always navigate well. Everyone around you becomes something else, almost an evil version of themselves. And because with the disorder you trust less, you also act weird in public.
At college, I am almost always surrounded by a large number of people, putting me on edge and making focusing a difficult task.
Your brain is not yours. With the disorder, you are often reminded of the trauma and, sometimes, forced to relive it. Because of this, keeping up with tasks like class, homework, or chores is extremely difficult.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is walking on your college campus. It's sitting in your local coffee shop. You can find it in both men and women, young or old. They might have experienced a car accident, or maybe a paramedic saw something gruesome on the job that he could not get over.
The point is, trauma does not discriminate between veterans and civilians. It can happen to anyone at anytime. Trauma doesn’t live inside of a vacuum, and neither should we.
