Posttraumatic Stress Disorder - Part 1
Disclosure: I am not a psychologist nor a counsellor nor an expert in PTSD or depression in any way. This blog post is my personal opinion based on things that I have learned while dealing with my own struggles. Anyone struggling with PTSD and/or depression is encouraged to reach out to a medical professional. My hope with this post is solely to help eliminate the fear of talking about how you are feeling because you are not alone.
One of the hardest topics for people to talk about is posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It's something every medical parent has, and pretty much everyone has dealt with at some point in their life, yet it's something no one talks about. Unfortunately, we live in a world where PTSD and depression is looked upon so negatively. I've never really understood why, but I think that's why people keep it quiet. Personally, I find the best way to deal with PTSD and/or depression is to talk about it. Because the reality is, none of us are alone in those feelings. It is a reality that we all face and no one should be made to feel alone while they are working through it.
As a medical mom, we face a bit of a different level of PTSD that not many people can relate to, which makes it a bit more intimidating to talk about. Again, it is our reality and I feel it should be normalized to talk about. I think anyone would agree that you don't become a medical parent without some level of PTSD and depression. Many people get stuck in the fog of survival mode, caring for their child and just grinding through every day, one day at a time. This fog is largely caused by depression and/or PTSD and some may not even realize it, because no one talks about it. But why does it need to be a secret? I think it's understandable that we feel this way. PTSD and depression are real.
Let's start the conversation off by describing what we are talking about. When a trauma occurs, there are two natural responses: the grieving process and posttraumatic stress.
There are 5 stages of grief that everyone goes through as they work their way through coping with their trauma:
1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance
Everyone works through the grieving process at their own pace, often bouncing back and forth between stages 1-4. It's never a linear process and, again, that is why I personally feel it's so important to keep the conversation open about it. It helps you get back on track to move towards stage 5. The PTSD stage can happen either simultaneously or separately depending on the person.
The American Psychiatry Association defines PTSD as "a disorder that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, series of events or set of circumstances. An individual may experience this as emotionally or physically harmful or life-threatening and may affect mental, physical, social, and/or spiritual well-being."
Can you relate to these responses? Let's keep the conversation open.
