Trauma Is Not a Character Flaw
Is PTSD predictable? What makes someone shut down after experiencing terrible events…while others shake off the experience and roll on with the rest of their lives?
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that around 30% of Vietnam Vets suffer from PTSD. For recent wars, the figures are lower, perhaps because long-term effects have not yet been measured. About 12% of vets from the Gulf War suffer from PTSD; for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the numbers vary from 10% to 20%.
The New York Times reported this month that PTSD rates among trauma surgeons, who have been told to “stay in their lane” by the NRA (i.e. “Cut out the anti-gun-violence activism!”), are roughly the same –15% -although in a Philadelphia study, up to 40% showed signs of PTSD. Many have turned to activism as a way of preventing burnout in the face of the helplessness they feel, caught in the revolving door of cleaning up in the wake of gun violence.
My father-in-law is a veteran of WWII who enlisted at the age of 17. In his service he experienced combat, shooting others at close range, capture by the Germans, escape; he also witnessed the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp first-hand when it was liberated. Later, as a husband and father, he was a pretty regimented guy who tied his shoes again after taking them off, but he was consistent, fair, and loving. He did well in his career and racked up awards for community involvement along the way. He speaks of himself now as a “survivor” when many didn’t survive. But he does not have PTSD.
Are some people born stronger than others? Many people believe that the “resilient” possess innate elasticity. They are predisposed to be OK, no matter what. It’s class hierarchy as applied to the psyche: The strong are above the weak; the sane above the crazy; functional citizens pity those who are a drain on society. Who among us hasn’t been affected by judging others, or ourselves, according to these binaries?
It’s class hierarchy as applied to the psyche: The strong…
