Re: Post-traumatic stress

[RuthWeiner@AOL.COM]

I replied to the part of the post about "practicing psychiatry" privately.


However, for the rest:  the list of causative factors of post-traumatic stress is so long and so wide-ranging that there should by now be a PTSD pandemic.  So, no, I think there must be some distinguishing factors among (a) being in a frightening situation (b) being traumatized by fear  (c) suffering post-traumatic stress.


I have had a single episode myself of post-traumatic stress (which I will not detail here because of its personal nature).  The episode was completely unexpected, took place a years after the initiating event, and was very disturbing (no I didn't seek medical help).  The initiating event was very traumatic and had lasting, permanent effects itself, completely aside from my PSTD episode.  So I can well believe that this exists and that it can result from really traumatizing fright.  


However, while:


"Days/weeks of indecision by the utility, state and federal government, medical "authorities," and radiation safety "experts."

Days/weeks of receiving incorrect information and "facts" from the utility, state and federal government, medical "authorities," and radiation safety "experts."

The indecision by the NRC as to what the governor of PA should do.

The governor of PA calling for a partial evacuation.

The occurrence of an accident that had never before been envisioned.

Day after day of news coverage by local and national news organizations (at least some of which was intended to cause a concern).

Being faced with a hazard (radiation exposure) that you can not see, hear, smell and that some are telling you WILL cause cancer and birth defects.

Not being able to tell your exposure.

Not being knowledgeable of the real risks from radiation.

A kook (a technical term?) riding around on a bike, wrapped in tin foil, and taking radiation measurements with an old CDV meter. Last calibrated in 19??."


might cause temporary stress, I cannot believe that most of these are traumatizing or would result in post-traumatic stress.  If, for example, you find "Day after day of news coverage by local and national news organizations (at least some of which was intended to cause a concern)" all that stressful, I suggest you quit reading the paper and get a life.

 

I would also suggest that if we did not practice a healthy skepticism about a number of medical pronouncements that deal in such highly subjective areas, we'd all think ourselves much sicker than we are.  So I am not really into "allaying fears" about small amounts of ionizing radiation, but into telling people quite bluntly that such fears have little or no foundation, and why they have little or no foundation.  And if people want to go around scared of their own shadows, that's largely their problem.


Now, this morning, I read that the President commissioned a report targeting seven countries for possible nuclear weapons attacks by the U. S., and I find that VERY disturbing, and indeed frightening, but I am going to try to influence my members of Congress about it as well as reflect my concern in the next Presidential election.  I'm not going to ask my doctor for treatment for stress. 

 


Ruth Weiner, Ph. D.

ruthweiner@aol.com