What Really Causes Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?

Here's what's happening on the HealthyPlace site this week:

• What Really Causes Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
• PTSD is Caused by Real Trauma
• From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs
• Video: After I Disclosed My Bipolar Disorder
• Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans
• Mental Health Quote

What Really Causes Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?

There is still confusion about what causes PTSD, and this confusion can make it difficult for people truly experiencing PTSD to be taken seriously. And while it’s good that awareness of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is increasing, it’s important that awareness grows beyond just knowledge of the term.

PTSD is Caused by Real Trauma

In a recent tweet, a Twitter user referred to having PTSD from eating a chicken salad sandwich, biting into a bone, and being unable to rid himself of the thought. It seems that this person doesn’t understand what causes PTSD. Sometimes people know that PTSD is associated with an actual traumatic event but can’t understand why some people develop PTSD while others don’t; then, they wonder if PTSD is real.

Information in the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-5 tells us that PTSD can develop through

• exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or violence
• witnessing in person the traumatic event happening to others
• learning that the event occurred to a family member or close friend (the event must have been violent or accidental)
• experiencing in person repeated exposure to aversive details of the event

So biting into a chicken bone doesn’t cause PTSD. Anyone experiencing the above criteria may experience PTSD. Some people develop PTSD after a trauma because PTSD is a real trauma disorder with specific causes.

Related Articles Dealing with PTSD

• New PTSD Research Predicts Who Will End Up with PTSD
• PTSD Caused by Many Types of Trauma
• PTSD Symptoms and Signs of PTSD

Your Thoughts

Today's Question: If you live with PTSD, have you found people who doubt PTSD is a real mental health problem? We invite you to participate by sharing your thoughts, experiences, and knowledge on the HealthyPlace Facebook page and on the HealthyPlace Google+ page.

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From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs

On all our blogs, your comments and observations are welcomed.

• Bipolar Insecurities: Am I Obnoxious?
• How to Boost Body Confidence This Summer
• The Difference Between Arguments and Verbal Abuse
• Things You Can Do to Help Children Cope With Mental Health Stigma
• Three Reasons Some People with Mental Illness Commit Suicide
• Fostering Independence in Your Child with Mental Illness
• What You Think Is Laziness Could Actually Be Depression
• Finding Your Passion Helps Your Eating Disorder Recovery
• Expressing the Experience of Bipolar – Not All Will Like It
• The Unpredictability of Living with Schizophrenia
• I Used Mindfulness to Quiet My Anxiety, and This Happened
• Claims of Faking Dissociative Identity Disorder Aren’t Always True
• One Important Thing You Don’t Know About Eating Disorders
• Building Physical Confidence During Tough Times
• Ending Mental Illness Stigma on College Campuses
• Talking to Children About Mental Illness Stigma Is Important
• Treatment for Binge Eating Disorder Takes Time
• Bipolar Medication Side Effect: Loss of Sexual Pleasure or Arousal
• Learn Habits to Reduce ADHD Symptom-Related Problems
• Weight Gain Caused By Medication for Schizophrenia

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments at the bottom of any blog post. And visit the mental health blogs homepage for the latest posts.

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From HealthyPlace YouTube Channel

After I Disclosed My Bipolar Disorder

There are risks and benefits to disclosing that you have bipolar disorder. The person you see today that speaks confidently about her bipolar 2 diagnosis did not exist years ago. It is important for those viewing and following my journey to know that I have been in a dark place. There was a time where living a great life was only a dream in my head.

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Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans

Here are the top 3 mental health articles HealthyPlace Facebook fans are recommending you read:

1. Therapy Works If You Put In the Effort
2. Mental Health Stigma at School: Is Your Child Being Bullied?
3. Dealing with a Diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder

If you're not already, I hope you'll join us/like us on Facebook too. There are a lot of wonderful, supportive people there.

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Mental Health Quote

"You cannot recover from anxiety by just staying calm. You cannot recover from depression by just being positive. You cannot recover from anorexia nervosa by just eating more. If mental illnesses were that simple we wouldn’t be struggling in the first place."

Read more stigma quotes.

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That's it for now. If you know of anyone who can benefit from this newsletter or the HealthyPlace.com site, I hope you'll pass this onto them. You can also share the newsletter on any social network (like facebook, stumbleupon, or google+) you belong to by clicking the links below. For updates throughout the week, circle HealthyPlace on Google+, follow HealthyPlace on Twitter or become a fan of HealthyPlace on Facebook. Also, check out HealthyPlace on Pinterest and share your mental health pins on our Share Your Mental Health Experiences board.

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