Something I have stuck in my head and frustrates me, was from years ago news media talking about PTSD in regards to civilians. The conversation felt very dismissive as if it was not possible to suffer from PTSD unless they fought in a war.

recently I was diagnosed with CPTSD due to a horrific home life growing up. Anyway all this has compounded to were I feel like an outsider.

I know cptsd is somewhat common and I’m wondering if anyone remembers this narrative in the news, and if anyone with PTSD/CPTSD has felt similarly?

  • shalafi@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    Not diagnosed, but I’m pretty sure I’ve fought it a time or three. Maybe still fighting?

    One Christmas Eve a couple of dudes barged in the house and took me at knifepoint, stole a thing. My roommate was much older, could have shot them, deemed it not worth the violence. Yeah, I was nuts about always having a knife on me, practiced for years until that wore off.

    Couple of years ago a black bear wandered in the dog door. Wasn’t here, a young friend was watching the house, and it made for a hilarious story. And then it sank in. Anything and anyone could come in that door. LOL, neighbor’s wolf hybrid crept in one night and I pulled gun on him. “BRO! You cannot creep like that!”

    Still, after the bear thing, I was paranoid about my pig getting attacked, or me. I stashed guns within reach everywhere in the house. Went kinda nuts for a year or so.

    There’s been other things in life, but suffice to say, you don’t have to go through combat to get fucked into a weird headspace.

    FFS, since Trump took over in 2016, and especially since the events of 2020, I’ve been a nutcase. I have a Colt .45 on my desk, 24/7. I have either a 12-gauge pump or an AR-15 by the bed, with lights and sights. And I practice. I’m under zero illusions that owning a gun makes anyone a badass.

    But at this point in history, I can see a few of my neighbors turning into Brownshirts, going door to door, collecting guns, loading trains, “for my own good”. (They all know I’m liberal as fuck.)

    I have a couple of acres of swamp in Nowhere. Didn’t buy it for a SHTF kinda place, but it is now. I’m close to being the prepper that we all made fun of in the 80s.

    And yes, I remember the narrative. PTSD wasn’t a thing until recently. And civilians certainly weren’t recognized as sufferers. I get you.