by Kasey Sailer

Created on: October 23, 2010   Last Updated: October 25, 2010

With something as controversial as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) there are bound to be myths.  I have been diagnosed with PTSD from my service in Iraq, and many people think that the only way you can get PTSD is by serving in a war zone.  That is one of the biggest, and first myth; that only soldiers can get PTSD.

Myth #1 – Only Soldiers can get PTSD

It isn’t only soldiers who can be diagnosed PTSD.  Anybody who has experienced some form of trauma can get PTSD.  You can develop PTSD from rape, domestic abuse, child abuse, being attack by a dog, or many other things.  Sufficed to say, it isn’t only soldiers who get PTSD, and it is myths like these that have added further emotional problems to people who get PTSD from something other than war.

Myth #2 – PTSD manifests immediately

Although can be true, since many service members today are developing the symptoms of PTSD right away, there are sometime when it can take years—sometimes even decades—to manifest.  Many Vietnam Veterans have lived healthy and productive lives, until years later when symptoms of PTSD begin to plague them.  Many have theorized that this is because of the current conflicts in the Middle East.  They believe that when these heroic veterans from the past hear about the killing and horrors of war going on in the world today it sparks memories that have lay dormant for over a quarter of a century.  PTSD can manifest at any given time and there are sufficient studies and researches that have been done to back this up.

Myth #3 – If you have PTSD, then that means you are weak

Many people think that if someone is diagnosed with PTSD it means that they are weak.  This couldn’t be further from the truth.  People who are diagnosed with PTSD have been through traumatic events that many people couldn’t even begin to comprehend.  They may think they understand what the person may be going through but until you have experienced something as horrible as what they went through you are only able to empathize.  Some people will judge you, but you will get those few brave souls that have empathy for you in your heart.  But empathy only goes so far.  Until you have experienced a similar event, you will never truly understand what they are going through.

Myth #4 - PTSD is a mental illness

It is true that PTSD has been diagnosed as a mental illness, but I don’t agree with this sentiment.  If you don’t want to consider this a myth then I wholeheartedly understand, but only ask that you hear my side.

The definition of PTSD is a normal reaction to an abnormal situation.  Now not everyone who has been through an abnormal situation gets PTSD, but there is a large enough number that does.  It just doesn’t make sense to call a normal reaction a mental illness.  I may be alone on this sentiment and perhaps it’s only me presenting a delusion to convince myself I’m not mentally ill, but I don’t think so.  I will leave this one up to you.  Perhaps it’s a myth, or perhaps it isn’t.

There are numerous myths surrounding PTSD and it would take numerous pages to list them all.  Instead, I have listed some of the most common myths.  Myths surrounding PTSD are a horrible thing as it makes the person who is suffering feel even worse when people present these myths to them as fact.  Hopefully someday there will be a level of PTSD education that will dispel most of these myths.

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