Post by dannusmaximus on Jun 19, 2017 2:36:27 GMT
There. I said it.
Now don't get me wrong. PTSD is a legit thing, something that it's about damn time we as a society try to understand it and provide help and resources for those who legitimately suffer from it. Suffering in silence is no bueno. Combat vets, victims of violent crime, victims of disasters, folks who respond to those disasters, etc., all deserve our help and understanding.
The thing is, in the words of a paramedic buddy of mine: "PTSD is the new back pain*... Anybody can say they have it, there is no objective test for it, and it's taboo to question if they actually DO!"
EVERYBODY has PTSD. I've had people in their 30's announce they had PTSD because their 'nana died when they were 14. Every other person I make a run on who claims to be a veteran has it. My wife just made a run on a family who announced their FOUR YEAR OLD had 'the PTSDs'. The IAFF (International Association of Firefighters, the union representing most career firefighters) just announced some big national push to address the growing crisis of rampant PTSD in the emergency services. Public festivals where no pets are allowed now have dogs running around everywhere with hand drawn vests on that say SERVUS DAWGG with the owner claiming PTSD. It's fucking absurd.
When did this happen? Do we now have a societal expectation that any exposure to a mental or emotional or physical trauma will result in some disastrous psychological problems? In the fire and police service, it's become damn near ghoulish. Teams of 'Critical Incident Stress Experts' roam the various services, ready to swoop in and implement 5 step plans for anybody who has seen...well, shit, pretty much anything that would have been considered an upsetting but expected part of the job 20 years ago.
Is this just another scam people are using to get attention and/or get disability benefits? At this point I feel like If I make a run on a dead kid and don't announce a need to take a leave of medical absence and complete a full battery of grief counseling then I am the one who is somehow fucked up!
I'm not even saying that people should just suck it up. If a colleague of mine needs help because of something they've experienced, I want them to get it. I am very fortunate to have an understanding wife who is ALSO in public safety, and I will absolutely cry on her shoulder if the need arises.
Just venting, I suppose, and maybe I'm just overly exposed to this particular phenomena because of my job. Anybody else noticed this trend in our society? Am I way off base?
*And yes, I understand that debilitating back pain and injury is also a real and horrible thing. But run a shift at the ER with me and see how many 20 year-olds come in with back pain that is 10/10 (with a pulse of 52 and a blood pressure of 110/75, noting indicated on x-ray, MRI, ultrasound, etc...) then begin running down the list of pain pills that "really seem to help them out..."
Now don't get me wrong. PTSD is a legit thing, something that it's about damn time we as a society try to understand it and provide help and resources for those who legitimately suffer from it. Suffering in silence is no bueno. Combat vets, victims of violent crime, victims of disasters, folks who respond to those disasters, etc., all deserve our help and understanding.
The thing is, in the words of a paramedic buddy of mine: "PTSD is the new back pain*... Anybody can say they have it, there is no objective test for it, and it's taboo to question if they actually DO!"
EVERYBODY has PTSD. I've had people in their 30's announce they had PTSD because their 'nana died when they were 14. Every other person I make a run on who claims to be a veteran has it. My wife just made a run on a family who announced their FOUR YEAR OLD had 'the PTSDs'. The IAFF (International Association of Firefighters, the union representing most career firefighters) just announced some big national push to address the growing crisis of rampant PTSD in the emergency services. Public festivals where no pets are allowed now have dogs running around everywhere with hand drawn vests on that say SERVUS DAWGG with the owner claiming PTSD. It's fucking absurd.
When did this happen? Do we now have a societal expectation that any exposure to a mental or emotional or physical trauma will result in some disastrous psychological problems? In the fire and police service, it's become damn near ghoulish. Teams of 'Critical Incident Stress Experts' roam the various services, ready to swoop in and implement 5 step plans for anybody who has seen...well, shit, pretty much anything that would have been considered an upsetting but expected part of the job 20 years ago.
Is this just another scam people are using to get attention and/or get disability benefits? At this point I feel like If I make a run on a dead kid and don't announce a need to take a leave of medical absence and complete a full battery of grief counseling then I am the one who is somehow fucked up!
I'm not even saying that people should just suck it up. If a colleague of mine needs help because of something they've experienced, I want them to get it. I am very fortunate to have an understanding wife who is ALSO in public safety, and I will absolutely cry on her shoulder if the need arises.
Just venting, I suppose, and maybe I'm just overly exposed to this particular phenomena because of my job. Anybody else noticed this trend in our society? Am I way off base?
*And yes, I understand that debilitating back pain and injury is also a real and horrible thing. But run a shift at the ER with me and see how many 20 year-olds come in with back pain that is 10/10 (with a pulse of 52 and a blood pressure of 110/75, noting indicated on x-ray, MRI, ultrasound, etc...) then begin running down the list of pain pills that "really seem to help them out..."
