Living with mild PTSD

Living with mild PTSD can be just as hard as living with other severities...

What does PTSD stand for?

• PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

What are the symptoms of "mild" PTSD?

• Reliving the event, avoidance of a certain person or object, numbing the memory

Quote 1:

• "He wished he could've explained some of this. How he had been braver than he ever thought..

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• ...possible, but how he had not been so brave as he wanted to be. The distinction was important" (157)

Just because soldiers don't talk about their experience does not mean they are not struggling...

What is the different between mild and severe PTSD?

People w/ mild PTSD do not experience...

• Hallucinations
• Violent Behavior
• Ringing in the ears

People with mild PTSD do have...

• Panic attacks
• concentration issues
• intrusive memories
• slightly aggresive behavior

People tend to dismiss this form of PTSD more than that of someone who has severe PSTD

This makes going on with daily life very difficult

Quote 2:

• "Try to tell them about it, they'll just stare at you with those big round candy eyes. They won't undertand zip it is like trying to tell someone what chocolate taste like" (113)

People with mild PTSD often feel that their disorder is an occupational hazard because of the lack of recognition

How many people suffer from PTSD in the U.S.?

5% of the population are currently suffering and 8% have suffered at one point

People who suffer from mild PTSD often want to resume normal life and are able but find it to be harder than they thought it would be

Quote 3:

• "I felt paralyzed. All around me the options seemed to be narrowing, as if I were hurtling down a huge black funnel, the whole world squeezing in tight. There was not happy way out" (43)

O'Brien puts it perfectly... it feels like everything is closing in and there is nothing you can do about it

What do mild and severe or moderate PTSD have in common?

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• The diagnostic criteria is the same
• They are both marked by aneixty
• War can cause mild and severe PTSD

Quote 4:

• "In certain situations, you could do incredible things... but in other situations, which were not nearly as bad, you had trouble keeping your eyes open" (147)

Part of daily life that should not be hard are sometimes impossible to get though

All because of one traumatic experience...

Living with mild, moderate, or severe PTSD is an awful burden and no one should have to live it alone