psychological trauma

[MaryN]

There is no way you can predict who will suffer from PTSD; it is one of those things that strikes people seemingly at random. You cannot "train" people not to suffer from it, and repeated exposure to unpleasant situations will not necessarily help. It is one of those things that just happens to some, but not to others. It can also take years before the reaction surfaces, and it can often seem completely unrelated to anything. It is rare to experience an immediate reaction. Trust me. My OH suffers from PTSD. He is the last person you would expect to suffer from it, and it was years before it manifested after the incidences. It is not pleasant dealing with it - either for the person suffering or the family/friends. Luckily for him the worst of the reactions now appear to be over, but triggers remain, often for life in some people.

It will be something to reckon with post SHTF.

[Mortblanc]

We are not discussing PTSD. That is a separate malady to be dealt with or not based on the continuing conditions of overall recovery of all sectors of life.

What is at issue here is the "fight or flight" type response to an immediate problem.

I do take opposition to some of the "only time will tell" theory. After training many hundreds of people over the years you get so you can pretty much tell who is going to cave under stress while still in the training phase. That is one of the reasons for training. Not only is it a conditioning effort, it is also a weeding out process.

[Midnitemo]

Mort we won't have the luxury of taking 13,16 or even 26 weeks of ramping up the mental and physical pressures throw in a decent measure of sleep depravation and see what you get at the end of it...civvies just won't put up with it....we just have to hope you get more fighters than runners and no gibbering wrecks/quitters when the time comes.

---

95 falklands veteran's have taken there lives to date....when its happening in the moment you have to much going on to sit and think about it....its after when you're safe and back in the real world you get to dwell on it and it can blight your life sometimes a hell of a time before it manifests itself , I have a good friend who battles his demons daily and I've spent years expecting the phone call telling me he's ended it....he self medicates(drink&drugs) and fights to let of steam and I believe hasn't slept a full night since the affair.

[Mortblanc]

How did we get from immediate Pscho-shock to PTSD ???

PTSD is a completely separate issue.

[Scythe13]

I was talking a lot about the psychological/mental 'fallout' that people would experience in an event. Referring to both prepper and John/Jane Doe. I spoke about depression and other things to expect.

Not 100% sure where all those threads are, and to be fair I'm too lazy to check for them, but it's good to see that people are considering the effects of it.

There will be the short term effects, e.g. adrenalin based shock and sudden emotional trauma, as Sunna first said, but also the longer ranging post-event blues/depression/PTSD and the alike.

This is a real issue to consider if you've not got military training. It does some down to exposure to 'traumatic' events. For those inclined to get a stress inoculation, or to work towards it, think about becoming an emergency medic, like a first responder, reserve fireman/woman, maybe mountain rescue or something like that, if you're capable. Even St John's Ambulance would be better than nothing. Firstly the training will be awesome and really useful, the network of useful people you meet will be helpful, but also the immersion to stressful situations will help you get used to being stressed.

You could just go with zero sleep for 3 days, be hunted down by people with dogs, and chased through the highlands of Scotland...but that sounds just too much fun haha. Joking aside, think about the above, as Sunna is spot on, stress can get you killed by clouding your vision/thinking. PTSD can get everyone around you killed. Start thinking how to get used to stress and working under those conditions.

For even more fun, those with a bow or a gun, try going a couple of days without sleep or food, go for a 2 mile run (to simulate stress and increased heart rate) and then hit a 50p group at 100 yard, while puffing and panting.

[MaryN]

S13, welcome back.

[Tarrel]

Folks may find this podcast interesting:

http://paulkirtley.co.uk/2014/survival-p...-robinson/