5 Common Myths about PTSD
PTSD doesn’t have to define you — recovery is possible.
If you’ve ever been exposed to trauma, you may recognize signs of post-traumatic stress—flashbacks, mood swings, or chronic sleep disturbances. These symptoms are more common than you might think, especially in high-risk professions.
Despite the substantial progress in mental health awareness and support, there are still plenty of misconceptions about what Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is, what constitutes a “problem,” and what treatment looks like. To top it off, there’s still a lot of stigma related to people who may be suffering from PTSD (or any mental illness for that matter), which creates barriers toward recognizing if you have a problem, and accessing treatment.
Dangers of “normalizing” symptoms:
When I returned from Afghanistan in 2008, I was unknowingly suffering from PTSD.
Within a year, I was released from the army and moved across the country, became a police officer, and got married. Talk about big life changes occurring all at once!
As I was adjusting to my new life, I knew that I was suffering from my combat experiences, but I thought it was just a “normal” reaction and it would all work itself out. However, as the months turned into years, my problems persisted, bleeding into my relationship with my late-wife, Jessica. I was showing up for work, but my home life wasn’t great.
My withdrawing led to arguments over how much time I spent playing video games. My frustration and irritation prevented me from communicating my thoughts and feelings. My triggers, particularly traffic and crowds, made me grumpy whenever we left the house. I felt like nobody understood me, so I bottled up my feelings. I thought it was normal and would improve on its own.
I normalized my symptoms, with an attitude of “of course I feel this way, you would too if you went through the same things!”
Patience only goes so far.
I am forever grateful for Jess’s patience in giving me time and space and not giving up on me. But I know her patience was running out, and if I hadn’t gotten help, I don’t know if she would have stayed.
Looking back, I realize many things affected my ability to get help and improve. As I gained experience as a police officer, eventually working in a peer-support capacity, I saw other officers struggling with many of the same obstacles.
The purpose of this article is to highlight five common myths about PTSD that many first responders battle, which all create different barriers to care. These barriers include not recognizing when you have a problem, not speaking about your experiences, and not seeking help when required.
5 Common PTSD Myths:
1. “Given enough exposure to traumatic events, getting PTSD is inevitable.”
Blindly believing PTSD is inevitable can lead to a self-fulfilling “prophecy” that could cause you to ignore symptoms or not seek help early, which could prolong recovery if you were to experience a mental injury.
Although you may experience post-traumatic stress symptoms after exposure to a traumatic event, developing PTSD is not a guarantee. PTSD rates vary widely among first responders, but a meta-analysis found PTSD prevalence in first responders ranges from 10-37% (Berger et al., 2012).
Regardless of the prevalence, numerous factors influence susceptibility, and you do have some influence as well. Applying positive coping mechanisms, building and leveraging a support network, and early access to treatment are all effective methods for reducing the likelihood of developing PTSD.
2. “Struggling with PTSD is a sign of weakness.”
One of the biggest challenges with mental illness is that it is invisible to the outside person. When I was struggling, I felt quite alone. I would overhear officers talking about other people who were struggling, and I didn’t want to be perceived as weak or “faking,” which made the overall situation worse. I found myself full of self-judgment and criticism.
The thing is, PTSD doesn’t occur from weakness or inability to cope. It’s a complex condition, that has been linked to structural brain changes, including an overactive amygdala and reduced prefrontal cortex activity (Rauch et al., 2006).
You could apply all the correct positive coping mechanisms and still end up with PTSD even if you did everything right. Suffering from any mental illness, particularly PTSD, is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign that you have been through something significant, and are feeling the effects.
Recognize that your struggles are a normal response to abnormal situations, and it’s okay if you are not okay.
3. “Only extreme trauma leads to PTSD. My experiences weren’t that bad.”
They say, “comparison is the thief of joy.” But when it comes to trauma, it’s also a thief of self-acceptance. I’ve seen firsthand how officers compare their experiences to others, only to question whether their struggles are “bad enough” to deserve help.
When it comes to trauma and PTSD, the DSM-5 defines a traumatic event as exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence, whether directly experiencing it, witnessing it, learning it occurred to close family or friends, or experiencing repeated or extreme exposure to aversive details of traumatic events (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). It’s a very broad definition for a reason, trauma affects everyone differently and needs to be broadly defined to account for all of the potential causes of PTSD.
Susceptibility to PTSD involves many factors beyond “how bad” your traumatic event was. The severity of PTSD symptoms is influenced by personal history, genetics, and coping mechanisms, rather than event intensity alone (Yehunda & Bierer, 2009).
Everyone’s experiences after exposure to traumatic events are unique, and how you respond to them is unique to you. Comparing yourself to others is a losing battle. Regardless of what caused your PTSD, you are no less worthy of support and recovery.
4. “I can’t do anything about how I feel, I just have to live with it.”
If you are struggling with PTSD symptoms, it can sometimes feel like this is just what your life is like now. Whether the symptoms have come on gradually or you’ve been enduring them for a while, it can be difficult to see the path out of the struggle. Fortunately, PTSD is generally very treatable. Evidence-based treatments like cognitive-processing therapy (CPT) and prolonged exposure (PE) therapy reduce PTSD symptoms in 60-80% of patients (Watkins et al., 2018), and new treatment modalities are always being discovered.
PTSD is highly treatable. Therapy options can significantly reduce symptoms and improve your quality of life. Medication may also help, especially in managing anxiety or sleep disturbances. The key is to take that first step—because healing is absolutely possible.
5. “My struggles are normal. There’s no way this is PTSD.”
When your profession involves repeated exposure to traumatic events, you will regularly experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress combined with the normal stressors of shift work. When you ride the cycle of trauma to trauma and dealing with your stressors, it’s easy to become blind to the symptoms. You end up explaining away your symptoms because you are used to them. You can’t see the problem it’s become until it’s too late.
It's important to frequently take a step back and ask yourself if your coping mechanisms are really effective or not. If you are experiencing numerous symptoms of post-traumatic stress, they last for more than one month, and they cause significant distress or impairment in your life, you may have PTSD. Professional help is often required to get you back on track. In general, the sooner you receive treatment, the faster you recover.
PTSD is highly treatable.
I’ve lost friends and family to mental illness, and I believe it’s everyone’s responsibility to reduce stigma and create a culture where members are encouraged and empowered to speak up and receive help when required.
If you think PTSD may be affecting you, don’t wait. Reach out to a trauma-informed therapist, especially one specializing in your industry.
Seeking help isn’t weakness—it’s the bravest step you can take toward healing.
