ptsd Ptsd - Is This A Fair Statement?

[Bill (USAF Retired)]

My paralegal work puts me in close proximity to folks who give legal advice to Soldiers who are facing medical evaluation boards.

A lieutenant colonel stated "those who talk the most about their PTSD tend to have the least PTSD."

Would the Been There Done That folks here on Hadit consider this a fair statement, or oversimplified?

(My thoughts: That's the ultimate in Catch 22. How are you supposed to file for something that if you discuss it, you must not really have it?)

:: thinking I really need to do this law school thing so I can advocate for folks who need it ::

[Jim 501st]

PTSD is an ugly beast. I totally agree with Pete. Group helps, but the word ptsd hardly ever comes up.

At my C&P the Shrink told me and my Wife he could help me a lot more if I would talk in more detail about my stressor. I clammed up and didn't say another word.

Ptsd reminds me of FREDDY, Just waiting for me to go to sleep.

Jim 501st

[yoggie2]

I'm with Pete53 on this one. I go to psychotherapy once a week and we don't talk much about combat at all, but seriously how can you convey the feel and thoughts into words. Keeps trying to push me to a group and I tell him he can forget it..........

[ruby]

I need clarification on the statement people who talk about PTSD ----

Are they saying I have PTSD or are they talking about thier problems and stressors to anyone.

I agree with Pete that a person who has PTSD would not like to talk about it to those who don't have it. They just don't understand.

[bozoc]

From my own experience with PTSD both Pete and John are correct. Denial can go on for years. Everyone close to you knows something is wrong, but the person with PTSD doesn't think so and is usually the last to know.

I don't want to talk to folks about my PTSD. I see a shrink on a regular basis but at this point I am not ready to join any PTSD group. Hopefully I will be able to do that at some point in the future.

I guess when it really hit home for me was one night when I was having dinner with one of my sisters and her husband. I said something about talking to a mutual friend the week before. I told my sister our friend was acting strange like he was afraid of me or something. My sister and her husband looked at each other and then she looked back at me and said, "Bo, everyone is afraid of you." That really hit home and that is when I finally decided to seek some help.

[yoggie2]

ruby, I don't think there's are a doctors here but they can give you insight on how it effects us all, and its different for different people depending on the circumstances, you see where Bo doesn't see it , but I do, I stay away from folks because I think they think I mean and crazy, so I don't care much for people at all. Some of us don't notice it and some notice it to much........

Edited June 14, 2008 by yoggie2

[Pete53]

One of the best things that ever happened to me was when I found out that I was not crazy . But now I joke about being crazy so I went full circle.

Seriously, I worried for years that I was crazy and all I really was was anxious.