Thank you Todd, We are talking about mentally tough people that needs a little assistance in there times of despair. They just need knowledge and access to assistance for a short duration. They risked it all, for us to have what we have. Give a little to these Men and women.

Thank you as well, Todd. I have a good friend dealing with PTSD, he is a first responder, dedicated to his community and my hero, but sadly its been a daily struggle for him and his entire family. The more we can all do to highlight the issue and move it forward in conversation, understanding and effective treatment the better.

The new Kid on Da block gonna learn something real quick…10 years of SFA from the Cons….they never gave a Rats ass….start wiping….

The broader description of PTSD would be that it is an anxiety disorder that may develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which severe physical harm occurred or was threatened. Examples of such events include violent personal assaults, natural or unnatural disasters, accidents, military combat and even threat of being in military combat.

Given that anyone who has gone through a life-threatening event can develop PTSD. Others who should be included are survivors of accidents, rape, physical or sexual abuse, and other crimes; immigrants fleeing violence in their countries; survivors of earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes; and those who witness traumatic events. Even family members of victims can develop the disorder.

People suffering from some level of PTSD are more common than most suspect.

From the US PTSD site come these statistics:
• An estimated 7.8 percent of Americans will experience PTSD at some point in their lives
• women are affected at 10.4%
• men at 5%
• about 3.6 percent of U.S. adults aged 18 to 54 (5.2 million people) have PTSD during the course of a given year.

The Canadian PTSD Association web site is at ptsdassociation.com/about-ptsd

Just to correct a couple of things:
1. many with PTSD require assistance for many years after their trauma, not just for a “for a short duration” as He Spoke states, and it can actually become a permanent condition.
2. PTSD is no longer categorized as an anxiety disorder but is now considered a trauma disorder in the DSM-V, the current version of the diagnostic manual.
3. It is not true that “anyone who has gone through a life-threatening event can develop PTSD” as one of the most perplexing issues in the study of PTSD is why two people can go through the same trauma at the same time and one develop the disorder and the other one doesn’t.

It’s sure too bad the Conservatives weren’t interested in data and research while they were in power, but I sincerely hope Todd can get his private member’s bill through.

“It is not true that “anyone who has gone through a life-threatening event can develop PTSD” as one of the most perplexing issues in the study of PTSD is why two people can go through the same trauma at the same time and one develop the disorder and the other one doesn’t.”

I am not sure if one can say it is not true. There are indications that people may be predisposed to developing PTSD, however there have not been any research findings that I am aware of which have come to conclusive support of that hypothesis.

As far as now considering it a trauma disorder, the psychologists are a little bit late with that. After all, the name of the disorder is Post TRAUMATIC stress disorder should give some hint.

Psychologically (not medically) Trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event.

“Examples of such events include violent personal assaults, natural or unnatural disasters, accidents, military combat and even threat of being in military combat.”

Unarmed civilians being exposed to night time and day time bombing raids
can become victims of PTSD too. Strafing with missiles may have the same effect. Drone strikes. Land mines… Starvation…

I wonder if anyone along the route of those fleeing the Middle East civil war/terrorism zones have concerned themselves with PTSD and some of the “abnormal” reactions they may be getting during the interrogations they have to go through along the way.

Those doing the screening need to have a whole set of training if they are to do their jobs properly, including some awareness of PTSD and its symptoms they may be witnessing but attributing them to something else.

Canadians are providing some help.

cbc.ca/news/health/syrian-refugees-with-ptsd-offered-help-through-canadian-pilot-program-1.3350844

Hard to believe that a bellicose (my opinion) Conservative government had not already instituted a national framework to deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. One would think that the staff of the PM Office (numbering about 900 as reported in the media)could have devoted themselves to create such a framework in order to deal with the predictable consequences of sending soldiers into battle. Alas, no.

Of course now that they Are no longer in power the whine about this.. Hypocrites at the worst.

““It is not true that “anyone who has gone through a life-threatening event can develop PTSD” as one of the most perplexing issues in the study of PTSD is why two people can go through the same trauma at the same time and one develop the disorder and the other one doesn’t.”

I am not sure if one can say it is not true. There are indications that people may be predisposed to developing PTSD, however there have not been any research findings that I am aware of which have come to conclusive support of that hypothesis.”

Ten years ago the leading hypothesis was that dysfunctional emotional regulation was a major contributing factor in the development of PTSD. Research has not stood still and it is generally accepted that the inability to regulate strong negative emotion is a risk factor such that all else being equal, will predict the development of PTSD following a trauma.

Sorry, was not trying to rub you the wrong way. And, yes, up until the latest iteration of the DSM, PTSD was an anxiety disorder, but is now in the new category of trauma disorders.

The reason I wrote what I did is that researchers know that the brain scan of a person suffering from PTSD is different than one who does not.
We know the symptoms both psychological and even physical.

What we do not know for sure is what causes the difference and we also do not know for sure why some people are affected by similar trauma to the extent of getting PTSD and others are not. Is it genetic or environment or both?

I believe the identity of the genes involved in PTSD susceptibility remains a mystery, although one likely candidate is a gene called FKBP5.

The protein produced by this gene helps regulate the brain’s response to stress. A study of adults who experienced childhood abuse found that those with certain genetic variations in this stress-related gene were significantly more likely to have PTSD symptoms than adults who were abused but lacked those variations.

It is difficult to prove a negative. In other words, it is difficult to prove that there are situations which prevent someone from ever getting PTSD, no matter what psychological trauma they may experience. Is there a predisposition whether genetic or environmental? We do not know. The research remains unproven.

Thus we cannot say that it is not true that anyone can develop PTSD.

I did not notice you were rubbing me the wrong way. I am just following my son’s habits in biochemical research and the rigor required to prove a hypothesis. He works with the human genome and the effects of hormonal changes which can lead to diseases such as Dementia/Alzheimer’s, etc. He has two post docs at the Montreal Neurological Institute (McGill) behind him. Based on that level of work, I do not see where any conclusions have been reached yet with respect to causal rather than symptomatic relationships with PTSD.

If you or anyone else is aware of some more defining research in this area I would certainly be interested in reading it.