Apparently, PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and STD (sexually transmitted diseases or sometimes VD*) look alike to a dyslexic. Unless that particular dyslexic have PTSD.
That's a joke. Although some friends of mine look at me in horror when I told them I have PTSD.
"Are you okay? When did this happen?"
PTSD patients are considered mild I would say as long as nothing triggers us. Although there are many degrees of PTSD.
Can PTSD be cured? I doubt that. I would say nobody understands how it is to live with PTSD even a psychiatrist. You have to have it then you would understand how it feels to have sleepless night, recurring nightmare, being a bit paranoid, the stigma, anxiety, tachycardia (heart beating faster)... and those are taxing. Leading us to tiredness, and repeat. The whole vicious cycle. Unless you are surrounded by a good support group, it's not really treatable. I'm not sure about ecstasy though. Never tried one although it sounds promising in studies.
Living with typical Asians wouldn't help with PTSD. If an American soldier with financial support from the government could have gone berserk, what more to say about stigmatized Asians PTSD 'survivor'. Once I asked my psychotherapist about group therapy, she seems to not agree. Maybe she knows which therapy is better. She opted for CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy). I could tell, CBT is not suitable for somebody who thinks a lot. I would say I think a lot. I even thought it's ridiculous not to think when somebody told me to meditate and keep my mind empty.
So I doubt my PTSD could be cured with SSRI's (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, an anti-depressant) and CBT alone. One need at a support system. We need empathy not sympathy. I have sympathies as it patronizing. Sympathy is a euphemism to patronizing. That is why I think a support group and group therapy would help. At least we know we are not alone.
By saying that SSRIs and CBTs are not effective, one might think I have poor insight on my ailment. Non compliance too maybe. How would you expect me to be honest with my psychotherapist and psychiatrist when they are both my lecturer? I would prefer to have somebody else to help me through PTSD as I do have some dark secrets that I wouldn't want to divulge to my lecturer. I prefer somebody who aren't judgmental. There's always a hesitancy to open to them. But the dean still think that the best solution.
Don't get me wrong. I like my psychiatrist/lecturer and psychotherapist/lecturer. I just can open much to them.
Sometimes, I wish the psychiatrist and psychotherapist had PTSD so that they could understand us better.
Stigma in this region is quite high. One fine day, before I succumb into PTSD, a psychiatrist asked us would one prefer to be warded (institutionalized) or as out-patient? Most of my colleague opted to be treated as an out-patient. I beg to differ, i would prefer to be in the ward with other mental patient than to be stigmatized in outside world. Dr Gunn (not related to Tim Gunn of Runway Project) gave me a pen as a reward. I don't know why he reward me with a pen. Maybe because of my opinion on stigmatization.
Maybe that one of the reason why I watch police procedural TV series. There's always somebody with PTSD. At least I know that I'm not alone.
And finally, a quote from Aristotle "No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness". I think, all psychiatric hospitals or wards put a billboard in front of their establishment with these words. Imagine a large billboard in like this
"Welcome to XXX Psychiatric Hospital, home of possible great minds."
A a quote from Aristotle follows.
P/S
Please pardon my abbreviation. And actually, I hate abbreviations. They can be something different.
CBD to me is Central Business District not Common Bile Duct of Continuous Catheter Drainage
SOB is Son of Bitch not Shortness of Breath
Luckily I'm not Singaporean. There's even a Wikipedia page dedicated for Singaporean abbreviations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Singapore_abbreviations
PTSD
http://www.ptsdalliance.org/
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml
*VD - venereal diseases in hospital. vacant dirty in hospitality
isn't CBT Cock Ball Torture too? hahaha
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