I personally suffer from C-PTSD (C=Complex) stemming from childhood trauma. C-PTSD (generalized as PTSD caused over months/years vs. a single or cluster of traumatic events, e.g. warfare) is still relatively new compared to the traditional understanding of PTSD.
So there is some legitimate expansion of the definition of PTSD.
But one thing I've noticed since I received the diagnosis is just how many people around me use the term "PTSD" casually.
- "That project gave me PTSD"
- "I have PTSD from my last boss"
- "I have PTSD from the last four years of political upheaval"
Now, I should be clear, I do think it's possible to be impacted by truly traumatic circumstances that don't rise to the level of what we traditionally think about when we hear the term.
But I also see the term used far too casually, far too often.
I personally suffer from C-PTSD (C=Complex) stemming from childhood trauma. C-PTSD (generalized as PTSD caused over months/years vs. a single or cluster of traumatic events, e.g. warfare) is still relatively new compared to the traditional understanding of PTSD.
So there is some legitimate expansion of the definition of PTSD.
But one thing I've noticed since I received the diagnosis is just how many people around me use the term "PTSD" casually.
- "That project gave me PTSD"
- "I have PTSD from my last boss"
- "I have PTSD from the last four years of political upheaval"
Now, I should be clear, I do think it's possible to be impacted by truly traumatic circumstances that don't rise to the level of what we traditionally think about when we hear the term.
But I also see the term used far too casually, far too often.