PTSD still is considered “new” in the world of mental health

PTSD: knowing is the first step

The Gazette
Erin Foster
Jun. 22, 2023

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can greatly impact any person who has experienced trauma in their life. Often associated with the aftermath and symptoms many veterans experience, PTSD still is considered “new” in the world of mental health.

Erin Foster is director of the Linn County Mental Health Access Center , which opened in 2021 (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
First recognized in the early 80s, PTSD symptoms were referred and described as “shell shock” and “war neurosis.” Since the 1980s more research, education and advocacy around PTSD has had a strong focus on military personnel and veterans. More recently the concept of post-traumatic stress disorder has trickled into everyday lives of those not in the military as we now understand trauma can be experienced in my forms and places by anyone.

It is estimated that over 70 percent of adults will experience a traumatic event in their lifetime and more than 20 percent will develop PTSD. PTSD is believed to affect more than 5 million U.S. adults in a given year, and while it does not discriminate by gender, age or race, it does affect women at a slightly higher percentage and middle-aged individuals compared to youth and those over the age of 60.

Although PTSD seems to be more and more common, so are the treatments and services available. The best clinical treatment for this condition still is cognitive therapies. These therapies can use exposure therapy that allows individuals to learn new coping mechanisms when triggers appear. Specifically, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapies have great research around them and are gaining more popularity in helping those with PTSD.
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On a personal note, if you read this site since the beginning, then you know the term "new normal" came from me. I cannot express how it feels to have those words being said as if it has finally become something we can live with, and not be ashamed we survived the cause of it.

Isn't it time to restore sanity under the law?

This is from Cornell Law School

A state's statutes will determine what constitutes standing in that particular state's courts. These typically revolve around the requirement that plaintiffs have sustained or will sustain direct injury or harm and that this harm is redressable.

What harm has been done to anyone other than the one making the choice over their own body? How does it hurt those against abortions being a legal choice they make for themselves?

In Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife (90-1424), 504 U.S. 555 (1992), the Supreme Court created a three-part test to determine whether a party has standing to sue:
The plaintiff must have suffered an "injury in fact," meaning that the injury is of a legally protected interest which is (a) concrete and particularized and (b) actual or imminent
There must be a causal connection between the injury and the conduct brought before the court
It must be likely, rather than speculative, that a favorable decision by the court will redress the injury

It seems to me that this country's laws support those who have been harmed and not those who do not like the choices others make for themselves. So far, we've seen that the only people being harmed are those subjected to the will of others. I heard some claim they do not approve of it and do not want to pay for it. Somehow they fail to see there are many things people do not approve of but they pay for them all the same as a taxpayer. Could you imagine if anything else in this country was based on selective tax disbursements because someone claims it is morally wrong to them?

The thing is most people in this country support the right for people to decide for themselves, which is a good thing.

Support for abortion rights overall has increased as state legislatures and courtrooms have instituted a growing number of restrictions and bans, according to the latest PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll. Sixty-one percent of U.S. adults say they support abortion rights, marking a 6-percentage point increase since last June.

Nearly a year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, U.S. opinions about that consequential decision remain largely unchanged in this latest poll. A majority of U.S. adults – 59 percent – still say they oppose the justices’ decision, which removed federal protections for many reproductive health care services, while another 40 percent of Americans agree with the nation’s highest court. (PBS)

No one should have the right to take a right away from someone else. No one should have the right to force their beliefs on anyone else while demanding their own rights be protected. Isn't it time to restore sanity under the law? 

There are females all over this country subjected to harm after harm, including the females that wanted to have children. Should it go wrong, they are subjected to suffering because doctors have been threatened with jail and fines for providing medical help. Young females discovering their rapist, not only removed the right of choice by forced sex but also subjected them to more harm having to fight to decide the rest of their lives. The list of harm being done goes on and on while more and more states substitute their "morality" for everyone else. 

It isn't just about abortions but sexual personal decisions everyone had equal rights to decide for themselves. When parents had the right to decide for their own children what is right for them or not. This is all more reminder of how we ended up with the Salem Witchcraft Trials. Forced morality and "Christian" values are an abysmal demonstration of God's Love.

"Can Chris ever live a normal life again?

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
June 16, 2023

"If you’ve read the rest of the series, you’ll love this book."

13th Minister Of Salem can be found here at Books2Read in eBook and print. It can also be found on Amazon.

Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite *****

Kathie Costos continues her series with the 13th Minister of Salem: Ministers of the Mystery. Chris is now famous beyond anything he ever imagined and cannot go out without a security detail. Death threats from Haman Cain’s cult abound after Chris took him down, and his books have brought him prominence that he doesn’t welcome. All he wants is a normal life, but something is coming that even he may not be able to stop. Planning his wedding and hoping for normality, Chris receives a warning from the Master, telling him his time may soon be up. What will transpire and can Chris ever live a normal life again?

Kathie Costos expands on Chris and his journey in 13th Minister of Salem and it is a great addition to a supernatural series filled with plenty of suspense. Chris’s growth has been solid throughout the series and that doesn’t change in this installment. He’s a strong character with plenty of demons to fight, and each battle takes a bit more out of him. The remaining role players are equally well-developed and are easy to relate to. This is not a story for the faint-hearted, nor is it for younger readers. It’s a dark tale, with adult scenes, and will send chills down your spine in places. Like the other books in the series, this is full of action, and it’s all go from the start. If you’ve read the rest of the series, you’ll love this book. It should not be regarded as a standalone as you will need the background from the first two books to understand this one.

When I read the review from Anne-Marie Reynolds, it hit me when she asked, "...can Chris ever live a normal life again?" If you have #PTSD, you may have been asking the same question.  Most of the people I've met over the years asked that question. What we all missed was that this is normal for us. It will never be 100% the way it was. Some of it may remain difficult for a long time but other things can become so much more than we ever imagined that they could.

I hope by the time you finish this series, you'll understand that the only limits on what you can become after surviving the cause of PTSD, no matter what it was, are the limits you place on yourself.

#PTSD Awareness is when all survivors with it matter

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
June 14, 2023

The headline on this is, New initiative for those who struggle with PTSD but there isn't anything "new" about it. Ask anyone involved in helping survivors survive surviving and they'll tell you how long we've known what works. The other thing is, it says it is open to everyone but think about how many non-veteran people will reach out for help from them.

A new initiative called The Suicide and Trauma Reduction Initiative for Veterans also known as Strive is now making an impact not just for veterans but for anyone with PTSD.

"Its open to anybody anyone whose experienced a traumatic event that they think they have PTSD can possibly benefit frim a treatment like this and that's really what strive stands for is provide treatment to those who need it and continue to refine and make those treatments better through research." says clinical director of the STRIVE program.

This one is a good article.

Post-traumatic growth—how to flourish after a PTSD diagnosis

by Laura Kelley, CU Anschutz Medical Campus
June 12, 2023

No caring person would wish post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—or the likely terrifying event that led to it—on anyone. But for those people who develop the mental health condition and find treatment, the skills and lessons they learn can improve their lives in unexpected ways.

PTSD and traumatic events often have long recovery periods. Talk about the growth that can come with treatment.

To be clear, many individuals with PTSD experience considerable distress as well as impairments across domains of their life—whether in relationships, work or school—but this does not tell the whole story. Recovery from PTSD is possible. For individuals who have recovered from PTSD, there is frequently a period of sizeable psychological growth. This growth can take many forms, including a greater appreciation for life, an increased focus on values-based living, a broadening of perspectives and an acquisition of new skills to better deal with day-to-day stressors as well as other traumatic events that may arise.
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Stranger Things of PTSD

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
June 13, 2023

"It's OK to not be OK" is the line from Stranger Things that got to me. What isn't Ok is when you are afraid to talk about it. Sure, it may make sense since a lot of people don't understand what you're going through and say a lot of stupid stuff topped off with judging you. It happens no matter what the circumstances are. You do have to be selective about whom you decide to open up to. A close friend, a professional, or people in your family, usually can be trusted. Above listening to you, they can offer you support, and a lot of the time, they will seek ways to help you find a way out of the darkness you're in.

Strangers and people you aren't really close to, tend to not listen very well and offer very little help for you. Trying to open up to them, will tend to leave you shutting down with the ones in your life that have your back.

Max in Stranger Things and most of the main characters were trying to get through their lives with #PTSD. The outsiders didn't understand what dealing with the monster Vecna did to them until they had to deal with him as well.

That is the best lesson of all. No one will understand what you're going through unless you tell them and no one will understand it as much as those that went through it, or something like it too.

Now a confession: I'm going through something right now health-wise with my husband and have been trapped at home most of the time. I ran out of things to watch. I read something about Stranger Things and decided to try it. I binge-watched the series twice and got so hooked I may watch it again. It may be a trigger for you because of all the violence, but if you have someone in your life needing to understand that surviving often leaves scars, it may help them. Also good to notice who is surrounding those suffering and needing someone to listen to them, needed someone too.