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OK boys, I have, and my PTSD counselor is curious.....no names, just how many.. I was 8 years LEO and 27 total military. I know there are many of you that have 20-plus LEO and you have to have some PTSD!
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Last edited by 11Z50; 10-01-2009, 12:24 AM. -
Not a cop or military, but I was diagnosed with it after being involved in a violent crime. I think the diagnosis was BS though. -
I'm curious how many are going to admit that in an open forum. IMHO, things like that need to be kept to themselves.The satisfaction of a job well done is to be the one who has done it
Originally posted by RazoEComment
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If I may ask; would it be as a result primarily from your military, rather than your le time. Is you doc able to attribute it to one service more than the other.
I know we as leos see some really horrible things, most leos don't ever shoot someone during their le career. Obviously military people in Iraq and Afghanistan do and have.
I say that realizing that PTSD is not necessarily just a result of shooting someone in a war, because as I mentioned, leos see some pretty horrible things; especially when it comes to children.Comment
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I'd have to say my 8 years as a street cop definitely contributed. You can't help but see and experience some terrible things that will stay with you forever. As a soldier, one may serve many years without combat. When combat does occur, it is fast and intense. As an LEO it is more of a day-to-day experience that leaves one somewhat numb after awhile. I'd say that after 2-3 years of working a beat a cop has seen enough things to reach that level.
PTSD doesn't mean you are crazy; it just means you have seen and done some things that will be "junk in the trunk". Nothing to be ashamed of.Last edited by 11Z50; 10-04-2009, 7:46 PM.Comment
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I have been in one (1) gun fight in my life. And fingers crossed it will be my only. I had the unusual opportunity to be in close touch with a number of active LEO at the time, and they all said, it was a matter of 'when' not 'if' PTSD will occur. I have never had bad dreams, or second thoughts about what happened. I feel I did the best I could in the situation I was placed in. But it's in the back of my mind.. every day./Chris
I have a perfect Burning Man attendance record: zero.
You do know there are more guns in the country than there are in the city.
Everyone and their mums is packin' round here!
Like who?
Farmers.
Who else?
Farmers' mums.Comment
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PTSD is an anxiety disorder. It's not something that can be picked up from "day-to-day" stressful interactions. It requires at least one significant, life-threatening trauma. Certain symptoms mark a person with PTSD, including hypervigilance/hyperarousal and flashbacks. If a person doesn't have these two reactions at the least, then that person most likely doesn't have PTSD but some other anxiety disorder.
More info about PTSD is here: National Center for PTSD.x
"Let those find fault whose wit's so very small,
They've need to show that they can think at all;
Errors, like straws, upon the surface flow;
He who would search for pearls, must dive below." -- John DrydenComment
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Understood. What if though, in the course of 2-3 years on the bricks, a cop sees/experiences 4-5 life threatening experiences? A soldier will spend a year or so in combat, and will experience 10-12 life threatening experiences at least. I'm no psychologist, but cops and soldiers see not just one, but many life-threatening and profoundly terrible experiences.Last edited by 11Z50; 10-04-2009, 9:22 PM.Comment
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From what I have read, not everybody who undergoes extreme, life-threatening stress will get PTSD. It's not a given.
Anyway I would hope that any LEO, combat military veteran or civilian with PTSD would seek counseling and learn behavior modification techniques that will enable them to extinguish their PTSD manifestations. Self-medication with alcohol is the wrong treatment.x
"Let those find fault whose wit's so very small,
They've need to show that they can think at all;
Errors, like straws, upon the surface flow;
He who would search for pearls, must dive below." -- John DrydenComment
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I hope nothing I wrote gave you the impression that I thought that, because I certainly do not.PTSD doesn't mean you are crazy; it just means you have seen and done some things that will be "junk in the trunk". Nothing to be ashamed of.
I certainly have memories of stuff, but thankfully, at least as far as I know, no PSTD. I generally only recall them when discussions like this occur, but do not dwell on them.Comment
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yzernie already gave the shot across the bow regarding cops discussing psych problems on this board. Other LEOs are certainly free to chime in and discuss.
Believe it or not, but I do know about PTSD and treatment.
I'm not a LEO and most likely will not become one. And yes, I know about PTSD because I've lived with complex PTSD almost all of my life. I know the symptoms, I know how my body and mind react when stressed, I know how my brain reacts to different SSRIs. I can even spot other PTSDers. On another forum I even moderate a subforum for PTSD survivors/thrivers.
And you know what I've found that is truly consistent among most PTSD folk?
If they have not been able to process their pain and move away from it emotionally, if they cannot use logic and reason to understand themselves, if they have not learned how to recognize their triggers and stop themselves, most PTSD folk have a hard time articulating that pain and their thoughts. They're so wrapped up in reliving the crap that ruined their lives that living in the here-and-now is almost impossiblex
"Let those find fault whose wit's so very small,
They've need to show that they can think at all;
Errors, like straws, upon the surface flow;
He who would search for pearls, must dive below." -- John DrydenComment
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I've watched a few of my coworkers go through what you have described about. One such man used to carry his bible with him on patrol. We were the first to arrive at the crime scene left by the infamous Kevin Cooper homicides. Within a few weeks he was acting out. Many of us tried to get him the help he needed but he refused. Within a few months he had discarded his bible and was doing things he would have never done. Within a year he was committing felonies, was placed on medical leave and was eventually fired.
How is it that 2 of the three of us who responded to that scene coped with the situation and one did not. I'm certainly no psych but my guess is, like masameet said, he refused to let it go and get on with his life. One of the happiest days of my life (if I'm still alive by then!!) will be to watch that bastage Cooper suffer as he takes his last breath.Last edited by yzErnie; 10-05-2009, 12:11 AM.The satisfaction of a job well done is to be the one who has done it
Originally posted by RazoEComment
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See, this is what I think you misunderstand about PTSD.
PTSD is mostly reactive -- it is not a matter of being inured. The mind and body react negatively because certain chemicals in the brain necessary for optimal brain functioning are in deficit.
And from my experience PTSD people tend to feel too much shame and guilt. They blame themselves for their trauma. They tend to run away and hide. They hurt themselves physically.
I do not doubt that you have been misdiagnosed.x
"Let those find fault whose wit's so very small,
They've need to show that they can think at all;
Errors, like straws, upon the surface flow;
He who would search for pearls, must dive below." -- John DrydenComment
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yzernie, I lived about 4 miles from the Ryan house in Chino Hills when that happened. We used to keep our slider open during the night to get some air in our bedroom in the summer. We stopped doing that after that incident and I started keeping my off duty in my nightstand instead of the closet shelf.
I certainly hope he soon gets what's coming to him.Comment
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