It is a common misconception that a majority of people who suffer PTSD are soldiers, but in reality only about 1 in 10 people with PTSD have seen war. It is reasonable to understand why one would think a majority of people with PTSD are soldiers who have seen war. If you think about it, soldiers who have seen war have had to live through so much trauma on a daily basis. Constantly face to face with death, experiencing trauma in many different environments that could potentially create a trigger for the soldier in the future. This is the case with Ishmael Beah. Beah was a former child soldier in Sierra Leone, and he did many awful things to survive while he was young. Many things that he will probably re-live throughout his life, things he wishes he could forget. In fact, many of Beah’s friends that also fought in the war were described as showing signs of PTSD in his book, A Long Way Gone.
Best source: https://youtu.be/BEHDQeIRTgs
I like how you pointed out that people with PTSD don't necessarily have to go through war to have it.
ReplyDeleteThe part that stood out the most to me is how you confronted the misconception about PTSD and you disputed it with a ratio of people that experience it, proving that there are many other reasons, besides war, that could cause someone trauma and PTSD.
ReplyDeleteThe statistic that only 1 in 10 people who have PTSD is really interesting to me. I have a friend who has PTSD from her childhood and didn't realize how common PTSD is away from war.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely with your journal. I really like the way you described how many people are affected by PTSD and that's what really stood out to me in your journal. This is because I would expect most people affected by PTSD have been in a war but only 1 out of 10 is crazy to me.
ReplyDeleteI found it very interesting that only 1 of 10 have been to war. When you hear people talk about it you think of soldiers. I guess if there are suffering they are at war with something.
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