Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from witnessing trauma.

Today is 9/11 and I am remembering the never ending news reels of the horrors of that day. Interesting to note that a diagnosis of PTSD cannot be made if you were a person who sat and watched those news reels and then developed symptoms of hypervigilance, intrusive thoughts and nightmares. If you had a relation who was in one of the towers or on one of the airplanes and you watched the horrors on your TV set, because in those days that is pretty much the only screens we watched, then you could qualify for a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I am writing about this today in light of the very public murder yesterday that has circulated on social media and people’s phones. You may not qualify for a diagnosis of PTSD from watching the video in the eyes of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Vol 5, but it may certainly leave you feeling numb, dissociated, overwhelmed and hopeless. We do have the power to decide how we consume and engage with media of all kinds. It is expected to feel emotional in context of a tragedy, and for this I would encourage talking with friends, family, taking a walk with your dog, or seeing a therapist.