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PTSD mighties: How do we feel when people say this?
Hi there! I'd like to start a friendly discussion because I'm curious if others feel the same way as me. I'm a teen who has been clinically diagnosed with PTSD a few years back. For a long time I was unaware of the physiological reason for my struggles, but was still in a lot of valid pain. When I found out it was because I had developed PTSD, I began to feel annoyed when people would use the term "PTSD" so casually in jokes or to comment on someone's response to something. They use the term so carelessly for something that causes so much pain!
Here's an example scenario: Rodney suggests that he and his friends go to the pool. They go, and Rodney starts a water war and absolutely annihilates them all. The whole time he's dumping buckets of water on them and throwing water balloons; his friends can't go two steps without being blasted with a super-soaker or otherwise terrorized by Rodney. It's all in good fun and they're all having a good time, but it's clear Rodney wins the water war. The next week, Rodney suggests again: "Hey let's go to the pool!" All his friends collectively scream "NO!!" and they all start laughing. "What, y'all got PTSD from Rodney?" laughs another friend. And they'd continue laughing. But for me there's a beat of silence in my mind when someone says this.
Why is a medical term that someone in the room may be diagnosed with, being used in an ... inappropriate? way? by so many people who are not diagnosed nor educated on the topic, and do not understand the weight and hardship that comes with this disorder?
How do you feel? What do you think? I don't know how I feel, so I am open to both sides of the conversation. No hate here! I'd just like to hear from fellow PTSD mighties, or people who are close with someone diagnosed with PTSD who may feel some type of way about this. The floor is yours... #PTSD #PostTraumaticStressDisorder #misusedterm #whatdoyouthink #HowDoYouFeel #ComplexPTSD #comorbidptsd
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