PTSD: No Simple Cure

A few months ago, I saw Kimberly Dozier on CBS Sunday Morning talking about the experience of surviving a devastating car bombing in Iraq. She claims she does not have PTSD because she talked and talked and talked. I hope she is right. But during her interview on Sunday Morning, she claimed that the only people who have problems after trauma are people who are too proud or too afraid to talk about it. Dear Kimberly: Bullshit. Perhaps Kimberly is one of those people who believes that everyone's life and everyone's experience is--or should be-- just like hers.

There are plenty of people who think they are experts on PTSD. In many cases, that "expertise" is largely misconception and pop psychology delivered with a dose of socially appropriate stigma.

One reader on the site Addiction-Free Pain Management (a site that sells a treatment program) wrote, "The good news is, when PTSD is treated the physical side effects heal themselves." To that, I posted the following:

I have to speak up for those of us whose bodies have sustained serious damage due to PTSD, damage for which there is not a known “cure.” It is incorrect to say that if one’s PTSD is treated, the physical “side effects” heal themselves. For some fortunate people, that may be very true. But for others, the damage is so deep that physical problems are likely to remain throughout life. These problems are not “side effects.” Please do not ever diminish the suffering of people whose bodies have been ravaged by severe, prolonged trauma. They may have long ago experienced psychological healing but still have debilitating physical problems due to the powerful hormonal and neurological changes associated with that trauma.

Another site, Parasites of The Mind, is an up-beat, new-agey site devoted to mind-over-matter PTSD "education and healing." The site's philosophy is summed up in this statement:

The past only continues to affect us because … Well, the truth? Because we let it, subconsciously or otherwise. -PTSD Healing Resolution No. 2

If the site helps anyone--and it seems to--then far be it from me to rain on anyone's parade. However, overly simplistic solutions promoted by people who understand only part of the picture help to prolong harmful misconceptions about PTSD. I've visited a fair amount of PTSD-related sites on the Net. So far, I haven't seen any simplistic solutions for PTSD promoted by US soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. PTSD is not a one-size-fits-all disorder.

So, hooray! if your trauma is healed by talking and writing. I'll celebrate with you. But don't judge those who are not so fortunate. Instead, take the time to understand their stories.

Kindness and Love: It's a VERY Big Deal

This post is for everyone--but especially for the devoted daughter of the woman who shares my mother's nursing home room. Your disapproval has been duly noted. Your mother is a lovely person. I bet she was a lovely mother. You have been blessed--more than you know. Thank your mother. Thank her every day you wake up with a normal, healthy brain.

Never abuse a child.
Be careful how you judge.
You may have no idea . . . .

Wounds That Time Won't Heal

Oh, Oprah....

Bless her heart, she means well; but sometimes she speaks about things she doesn't understand. Once I saw her interview a famous actress who went through a terrible depression and battled thoughts of taking her life. Oprah said she can't imagine having such thoughts.

The other day, I saw a video clip of Oprah with Eckert Tolle as they responded to a question on depression. Oprah said, "If you're depressed, it's because depression works for you." Oh, Oprah....

You know, some human beings are prone to adopting lovely, simplistic philosophies (that 'work' for them) and then measuring everybody and everything else through that belief system. I tend to think their lives have been too easy or their experiences too narrow.

No, Oprah, depression does not work for depressed people.

My Personal Hero: Bruce McEwen

Dr. McEwen is a researcher at Rockefeller University who has researched and written extensively about the impact of stress and trauma on the brain. Of special interest to me is his explanation of what happens to the developing brain when subjected to repeated neglect and abuse. He gets it....and he's trying to educate others. Bless you, Dr. McEwen.

Brain researchers have gained substantial ground in this area, but clinicians, sadly, are still very much in the dark. That needs to change.

Promoting brain health: The Dana Foundation
Learn about the brain at The Dana Foundation Cerebrum pages.

A Bit About Me & PTSD

I currently spend most week days with my beads, my dogs, and my computer. If I'm not home, I'm probably visiting with friends, showing my beadwork, going to medical appointments, or just drinking tea at Panera (well..., ok, maybe eating a bagel, too). To some of you, that may sound idyllic (except for the medical appointments). Two years ago, I would have said I'd give "anything" for that life, but I had no idea what lie ahead or what it would cost.

Not so long ago, I had a job with a title and a good salary. It was chaotic, stressful, and full of challenges. My entire life had been full of challenges, and I'd always been able to 'go deep' and rise to the situation. But the days were becoming harder and harder. I began to see signs that I was in trouble: losing my temper, inability to remember things, difficulty following conversations, not being able to focus on tasks, and becoming hopelessly disorganized--all things that were the opposite of my normal personality and performance. The harder things were, the harder I pushed and the longer I worked. Despite all the strength I could muster, things kept getting worse. I began to feel that I was hanging over a precipice by a small thread.

Something had to give. I talked to my husband, my boss, my doctors, my colleagues, asking for support, assistance, or relief of one kind or another. Nearly everyone responded with anger or denial ("take a day off, you'll be fine" and "you have obligations and responsibilities, so just get over it"). One high-level administrator became so angry that she hit me with a full-blown personal attack in a meeting with my boss. So, I tried one more time to regroup and push on; but this time, the thread snapped. I collapsed and was hospitalized with complete mental and physical exhaustion. I no longer had the strength or the will to keep fighting.

Over the course of the following weeks and months, a very surprising picture emerged. For starters, I found out that my thyroid had become under active. That alone can be debilitating. It was another three months before my thyroid problems were addressed, but the debilitating symptoms persisted. In fact, I wasn't any better. So, I pressed on looking for answers. Several months and many expensive tests later, I learned that I have a neurological problem involving the prefrontal cortex of the brain (governs higher cognitive function) and the HPA axis (controls hormone levels that underpin health and vitality). The shocker: it can be caused by life-long stress and/or a history of trauma in the critical developmental years of infancy and childhood.

Since then, I've learned a lot about the brain and the long-term impact of childhood abuse and neglect, as well as the effects of adult stress on brain function. PTSD is not just about memories and feelings--it's about serious alterations in the brain's structure and function. Complex PTSD is even more devastating; problems can multiply exponentially with repeated or prolonged trauma and stress.

For more information, see:
Does Stress Damage the Brain? by J. Douglas Bremner, M.D.
Trauma Spectrum by Robert Scaer, M.D.
Observations on Traumatic Stress, online article by Robert Scaer
Waking the Tiger by Peter Levine
Reading list by Dr. Bryan Post
Any books or articles by Bruce McEwen

POSTSCRIPT:
More than a year after I made this post, I was able to have my adrenal glad tested and learned that it was (and is) not functioning normally. Major improvements came upon beginning supplementation with an adrenal hormone and a mix of bio-identical hormones. It's by no means a cure, but it has made an enormous difference.

All Things Are Not Equal

A recently released study reports that abuse in early life permanently lowers serotonin levels in mice. Implications are that the same is true for humans. So much for the "Happiness Is a Choice" crowd.