PTSD.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Many people in the general population associate PTSD with veterans of war or active duty military. A great number of people don't know what the acronym PTSD means, but they continue to only describe those in or that have served in the military and their actions.
This disease affects more than those that have seen war abroad. This disease affects children who have seen their parents die. People who have been in devastating car accidents and were the ones to live to talk about it. People who have been abused, done drugs, etc., etc. The list could go on forever.
What exactly is PTSD?
Post Tramatic Stress disorder is a mental health condition triggered by a terrifying event (Mayo Clinic). You either are witnessing it or it is happening to you. The signs or symptoms may not pop up immediately. Some of the symptoms are flashbacks, anxiety, uncontrollable thoughts about the event or depression. You can suffer anywhere from a few months after to your entire life. The saddest part about PTSD is there is no cure.
Statistics
All of the statistics displayed in the picture are disturbing. But the one that rattles me the most is that people with PTSD are 15 TIMES MORE likely to commit suicide. 8 percent of the U.S. population has a varying degree of PTSD; that could fill up the entire state of Texas. If you're standing in a crowd 20 of people, at least three to four people around you suffer from PTSD. Those are some scary numbers.
I'll repeat this again,
THERE IS NO CURE.
We must learn to understand.
As someone who has suffered from PTSD for many years, it took a long time and a great deal of courage to tell someone and get the help I needed to live and love normally.
Never Belittle Our Fears.
To us, going to a place that resembles where our event happened is like holding a bomb detonator that will go off if we move wrong.
Something as small as getting into a car can make us flash back to the awful time in our life.
Don't ever say, "Well it's just a building!" Or, my least favorite, "Just get over it."
We cannot get over it. It is a part of who we are.
Check Up On Us
When it's a time of year when our event happened, it's all we think about. Bring some cookies. Come watch Netflix. Remind us to take our medicine. Take us out of the house.
We will be grateful and thankful to be away from our thoughts and for your comfort.
When we're in the middle of an episode, don't smother, just love.
There is nothing worse than having a panic attack and someone being all in your face or putting your face to their chest and you can't breathe. Or asking too many questions and we can't answer them, which causes more anxiety.
One question at a time. Get a water. And be patient.
Not all of us have seen war, but we fight one in our mind each day. Every day that we make it through is a war won. There are never enough hours in the day to thank the people that fight alongside us to make it easier.
And for the ones reading that have PTSD:
You are more than the chemical imbalance in your mind. It is not a flaw, just a characteristic that makes you you. And you rock.
Take your meds everyday, feel the sun on your face, be bigger than the fear in your mind.
Dedicated to my family and friends that help me through the days. And to my daughter that makes me happy when skies are gray. <3
