# Do you know someone with PTSD **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 11, 2002, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-someone-with-ptsd/108497 "2002-05-11T15:31:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![berdollos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@berdollos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/berdollos)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-someone-with-ptsd/108497/1 "2002-05-11T15:31:28Z")
I have a friend, a PTSD expert, who got PTSD from working with veterans on top of his PTSD from his own childhood. He started binge drinking, got two divorces, was a sensation seeker, and got into rehab. He was a “wounded healer.” My dad had some PTSD from WWII. He was, according to my mom, more serious, less fun-loving and more irritable than he had been before. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2002, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-someone-with-ptsd/108497/2 "2002-05-11T15:45:30Z")
I work at an in-patient mental health unit, so I see people with PTSD all the time. The sad thing is, I work with TEENS. ---
**Author:** ![Calliope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Calliope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calliope)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2002, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-someone-with-ptsd/108497/3 "2002-05-12T05:28:25Z")
My mom was in a really bad car accident a few years ago and has been dealing with PTSD ever since. ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Kahuna\_Burger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Big\_Kahuna\_Burger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Kahuna_Burger)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2002, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-someone-with-ptsd/108497/4 "2002-05-12T05:36:41Z")
I had a bad car wreck in January and consequently had PTSD. I couldn’t sleep at night for a long time without the help of drugs, I became withdrawn and unhappy, I had nearly constant flashbacks and was overall in a miserable state. The worst is over but I still can’t make the left turn that led to my accident and I’m still a little more withdrawn. Oh, and I’m a teen. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2002, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-someone-with-ptsd/108497/5 "2002-05-12T19:28:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Big Kahuna Burger \* > \*\*I had a bad car wreck in January and consequently had PTSD. I couldn’t sleep at night for a long time without the help of drugs, I became withdrawn and unhappy, I had nearly constant flashbacks and was overall in a miserable state. The worst is over but I still can’t make the left turn that led to my accident and I’m still a little more withdrawn. Oh, and I’m a teen. \*\* Oh, **Kahuna** …_sigh_… I know exactly what you’re going through. Back in’86 I was in a car accident in which I was almost killed – actually, according to the police report, it was a wonder I wasn’t. Severe concussion, badly smashed ankle. I sometimes still have flashbacks every time I open my car door…:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2002, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-someone-with-ptsd/108497/6 "2002-05-13T01:15:05Z")
I suffered from PTSD for two and a half years. It was as a result of watching a friend of mine get hit and killed while we were crossing the street. I ended up seeing an excellent Psychologist, who is also a practicer of EMDR ([http://www.emdr.com/](http://www.emdr.com/)). I know there are some debunkers, but it worked for me! It’s a horrible experience, I would wish it on no one. On the bright side, I’ve written some good horror based on my dreams and experiences from that time. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2002, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-someone-with-ptsd/108497/7 "2002-05-13T01:28:44Z")
My girlfriend has it as a result of sexual abuse as a kid. You’d have to know her pretty well to notice anything, but a lot of what looks like tightly wrapped is just tightly wound. She’s crisply organized and no-nonsense / no-bullshit efficient as a way of exerting control. She knows all this. She says she was in her 20s before she found out that not everyone had a handful of nightmares every night: > [@](#): > > “God I had such an awful night last night” > “What happened?” > “I had a _nightmare_”. > “And…?”