Reality Check! Is the term PTSD over used or improperly used on this site? Is it just me or not? Why?

I am relatively new to YA. I have put in a standing search for the term PTSD to find interesting quesitons. I expected to see about an equal number of questions by each of these 2 groups: Veterans and Others.

I expected Vets and military in general to be high because of frequency of stressors they are exposed to in their daily duties. Then there are the other stressors that the general population is exposed to: Sexual Assault, natuarl disaster, accidents etc.

I thought the average person leads a relatively safe life day to day. Currently of the ten most recent questions containing PTSD, only one is related to the military. The other 9 all have been diagnosed with PTSD, or think they have it.

I just think that people use the term too lightly. Next thing will be that everyone has PTSD due to the trauma of birth. How far does it go?

I'm asking in good faith and not any one person's experience because I do not have to walk in their shoes. Please respond in kind

Sorry! In the last paragraph I meant to say not "minimizing" any one else's experience.

Speaking as one who is 100% Service connected with PTSD, and one who also has spent many years in the VA system, I find your question is a good one.

I have asked yahoo to provide a seperate site for Veterans issues, but they have as of yet to respond(figures). Many thought it was a good idea, this way it would have made it easier for veterans to find questions they can relate to.

As to your reference regarding the misuse of this problem, I have seen it's use by the private practice and others in the mental health field to be loosly used as a diagnosis. I find people who say they have it because of a single incident, yet they do not show the open signs of it. It is way over used today to describe people who would also fall into the category of bi-polar, manic depresent, and other areas of mental health.

PTSD all started years ago when the VA was trying to find out what happened to many veterans. Why did so many act the way they did, why do many have a death wish, why so many were divorced or couldn't hold a job. All these ?'s were found out to be simular to WWII and Korean War vets. So they dropped the term "battle fatique" and started using PTSD because battle fatique occurs while in battle, not years after ones return to civilian life.

There are many factors that lead to PTSD and not all of us vets came home with it. It is a slow process that over the years develops as it did in my case. It took more than a single stressor, it was a stressor over a long period of time, stressors experienced in combat and upon coming home.

As you stated, you don't see many questions regarding this asked here, why, I couldn't say for sure. Maybe because many don't want to ask, won't admit it, or don't understand it.

Here is a great site to learn more about PTSD (it's the VA hosp where I first started treatmet) and where many like myself were the guina pigs in treatment ideas.
http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/index.js...

You don't need to be in the millatary to have experiences that lead to real ptsd.

My abuse at the hands of my mother involved beatings, guns being held to my head, and all sorts of other mental trauma.

Yes, it is an over used term... But there are legitimate uses outside of milatary personel.

Not only on this site it is a term which is overused everywhere, in many cases by people who want to use a disorder rather than accept responsibility for themselves and to get attention and sympathy.

Well, what's REALLY overused & often misdiagnosed is Bipolar or Borderline Personality Disorder.

Yes, many people have experienced lots of trauma & agonizing pain in their own way.

I think you have a different definition of PTSD than psychologists and psychiatrists do. You think its just in the military because of all the stories, but that is far from the truth. Any type of real trauma can cause PTSD.

P.S. Lots of terms are overused in psychology, dentistry, medical, and veterinary.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder states exactly it is. A traumatic event in someones life that causes extreme stress even after the event.

I have to agree with ANN W on this one. I have PTSD bc I was sexual abused as a child, the I was raped this las year. The rape made me think of the sexual abused as a child.

This what I go though everyday:

Suddenly become angry or irritable
Have a hard time sleeping
Have trouble concentrating
Fear for your safety and always feel on guard
Be very startled when someone surprises you

I numb out alot, my way of coming back is cutting, I know it's not good but right i'm trying to work on it.