Drug Abuse

Question by Tyler House: Help with ptsd characteristics?
Hello i am currently writing a story about a marine whose platoon fell victim to an ied attack in which he was severely injured. I have a general understanding of how people with ptsd act but could use clarification on a few points:

Are there different levels of ptsd? I know there is acute and chronic but i mean do some people handle it differently? Like could some cope in social environments like bars and such easier especially around friends who are supportive? I ask because the story has many other dealings going on and his affliction is really not the focus so are there people who suffer from ptsd that can go about their lives for the most part with limited breakdowns, he has them and carries the characteristics of one with ptsd but he only has meltdowns under stress, for instance he is dealing with divorce. He shows disinterest in life, irritability, and a lack of hope for the future, etc. I am just wondering if it would be out of the realm of believability to have him go on during a normal day with slighter symptoms such as slight startles at loud noises and such, but something that normal people around him may not notice much?

Also, would it be uncharacteristic of him to be going out having sex with a bunch of women to help him cope with his disease and divorce or is that uncharacteristic of one with ptsd?

Thank you for your help in my research.

Best answer:

Answer by Nom Nom Nom
There are MANY different “Levels” or severity of PTSD all the way from “I still have some bad dreams” to “I disassociate when I hear a truck engine.”

As our culture in the US becomes more and more destructive and the family structure dissolves into chaos and abuse we’re learning more and more about the psychology and biology of TRAUMA.

The theory on why today we have so many more Military men and women committing suicide is because SEVERE PTSD isn’t as much about what you experienced TODAY but that the stress of today and the NEW TRAUMA evokes the feelings of helplessness and terror that they experienced in Childhood. It re-activates the pathways in the brain that were set up when the person was molested at 6, beaten by alcoholic mommy all across childhood, or saw/experienced other horrible traumatic events during the prime developmental years.

I’m NOT saying that if one has bad PTSD it automatically means you were abused in one way or another as a child because every person’s brain biology is different and what is water off a duck’s back to one person might be a mind shattering experience to another, but humans tend to be very predictable and there is a statistical “Norm” that most people fit into and while it is not unexpected for a person in combat to come back with “Issues” of one sort or another due to the profound stress of combat the point is that those that enter the military having come from a healthy family of origin will tend to “Get over” the trauma of today much faster or not experience as severe a case of PTSD as those that were traumatised.

We know now that trauma in childhood, from mild to severe, is far more harmful than ever previously believed… It not only alters your personality but affects your very genetic development.

Raise children with a high genetic potential for physical or mental illness in a healthy home and they come out HEALTHIER that those without a high genetic potential for physical or mental illness raised in an abusive, chaotic, abandoning, intrusive, or neglectful family system.

Abuse in childhood not only alters your predisposition for mental illness but physical illness as well… Molested children grow up to have a dramatically increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

Additionally, nothing causes the expression of the genetics and brain biology for addiction like trauma… And nothing leads to acting out and suicide (Intentional or not) faster than the combo of substance abuse and trauma.

And when psychological pain isn’t being dealt with, that leads to all sorts of physical ailments as the brain tries to express it’s distress…

Fibromyalgia is SUPER SUPER common in survivors of trauma, be it childhood or adult.

Pseudoseizures are the result of profound trauma.

In women, unexplained pelvic pain and vaginismus is the result of trauma.

We’re also figuring out that PTSD, Bipolar Disorder, and Personality Disorders are all linked.

Just remember that there is NO SUCH THING as “Mental Illness” in that it’s not about some nebulous concept of “Mind” or “Consciousness” but for every disease or disorder it is based in your Biology, be it your brain or your pancreas.

? [pdf] Effects of Traumatic Events on Children – Mental Health Connection
http://www.mentalhealthconnection.org/pdfs/perry-handout-effects-of-trauma.pdf

? [PBS] What is PTSD?
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/heart/themes/ptsd.html

? [pdf] Childhood trauma and diurnal cortisol disruption in ?bromyalgia syndrome
http://louisville.edu/psychology/sephton/publications/Weissbecker%20et%20al.,%20PNE%2031%20312-324,%202006.pdf

? Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue and childhood trauma/ abuse
http://womenandfibromyalgia.com/2012/04/04/fibromyalgia-chronic-fatigue-and-childhood-trauma-abuse/

? Childhood trauma and diurnal cortisol disruption in fibromyalgia syndrome
http://www.fmaware.org/News24c0e.html?page=NewsArticle&id=5531

Answer by jmitw
I have FMS–it started when I was a 5 year old happy go lucky kid in a 2 parent suburban home with a stay at home mom and frequent trips to the beach….i thought I had the best family in the world…I had 2 serious injuries around that time and the PHYSICAL trauma may have triggered FMS….while it is true that a lot of people with FMS had an emotional trauma….that doesn’t mean that most people who experience emotional trauma get fms—its really only a small percent….in addition-fms is highly over diagnosed–most people actually have something else…

to get a more accurate picture of PTSD-you need to volunteer a lot of time with veterans and talk to them….advice on YA will not give you enough info.

sometimes having bad dreams is NOT ptsd–there is a lot more to it than that

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