Wk of 12.4.17

I have to agree with this article in the fact that women and PTSD is not commonly related in society. The #metoo campaign was a great way to give women the ability to speak out without having the fear of feeling like an outcast. It is true that PTSD is generally used to exemplify a war veteran and men. However, with this #metoo campaign and the relative current Hollywood news with Weinstein, it will hopefully help women open up about their experiences. A lot of the movie stars and even a gold medal Olympic champion came forth about their episodes and shared with the media. This will all help reinforce other womens’ confidence to know that they don’t have to live in fear, in fear of the stigma, fear of lack of support and living in blame. The conglomeration of the campaign and well known movie stars coming forth to create a notion for these women is revolutionary.

I would quite agree with the fact that we all overlook the fact that sexual assault is the number one cause of PTSD myself inclusive. The media has made it in such a way that when we hear PTSD our first thought is the military men forgetting that there are women whose careers have been jeopardized just because they could not get out of the fact that they were sexually assaulted. The society makes it look like being sexually assaulted is nothing compared to being in the military, it is a sad situation but I'm happy that we now have avenues for women to speak up and not be ashamed to tell their stories, the #MeToo campaign I'm sure has restored confidence to some women and has also served as support to other people. If this movement continues I'm sure sexually assaulted women's confidence would be restored, their mouth would be open and they would be unashamed to talk about the evil perpetrating in our society.

#Me too reminds us Women are the Hidden Face of PTSD:
I completely agree with the statement that women are the hidden face of PTSD and much has to be done in order to de-stigmatize sexual harassment as something that should be “shrugged off” because they were “just being funny”. This constant harassment can escalate quickly and the patient ultimately feels guilty because she did not speak up in the first place in order to stop it from happening. Would that have changed the outcome? The #Metoo campaign has served to make sure those statements don’t become unnoticed. However, these women who undergo traumatic sexual events or encounters have never been told that their constant nightmares and distress could be related to PTSD.

Society and the media have belittled these events by not speaking up about them making the patient’s feel like these symptoms are not related to PTSD but rather their inability to “deal with it”. Why is that though? Is it maybe the description of something so repulsive and disgusting image of a woman being sexually assaulted as a cause PTSD too real for those who see it? Is it the article commenting on the importance of addressing PTSD in a victim of sexual assault too disturbing for society? Is it that the truth is too painful and they rather show PTSD as an incidence of trauma while fighting for our country and that is seen as acceptable, while traumas occurring in women who are sexually harassed or assaulted are not socially acceptable? Mostly because by keeping it under wraps, we are just equally to blame.



#Metoo hashtag isn’t just a hashtag, it’s de-stigmatizing – and that’s huge:

The victim not only has to deal with the trauma of the experience, but with the trauma of reliving the experience by speaking out at the mercy of those who believe her. She is not only abused at the moment of the incident, but is repeatedly assaulted when told "it's her fault for dressing provocatively or acting a certain way", when a comment brushes by as "I was just joking around" or the utter disappointment and feelings of abandonment when a person you feel like you can trust does not believe you. The #metoo campaign has not only created a social statement which puts sexual harassment as an issue that has to be addressed but it gave the opportunity for all these victims to feel safe in telling the stories and to hear the words "you are not alone" and "we believe you" that they have waited so long to hear.

#Me too campaign has empowered women and has given a sense of unity and altruism for one another. It has served the purpose of not only unmasking a social problem that has to be addressed but it has maybe served as the closest thing to psychotherapy that these women with resulting PTSD have ever encountered. This movement may allow women not only to re-live their experiences by telling their story out loud and finally start the healing process, but urge them to seek psychotherapy and address the underlying PTSD. After all if letting it all out helps the patient feel better, don't you think she might try to continue embracing that empowerment and not feel ashamed or timid anymore in order to seek for help?

I think the #metoo movement has done what very few would've thought possible. It has definitely removed some of the stigma associated with sexual assault in every walks of life. No one would've thought the downfall of Harvey Weinstein would lead to the opening of floodgates so to speak. It is refreshing to see so many women come forward. It is also refreshing to see these people held accountable. Just recently John Oliver confronted Dustin Hoffman on a live panel. That would never have happened a few months ago. Tides are turning and that's a good thing. Too often things are dismissed as oh boys are gonna be boys or "locker room talk." Cough-Trump-cough. It's about time males play an active role in confronting other males rather than being playful or egging them on. It's not easy for these women to come forward. Anyhow, I definitely think PTSD is "marketed" as a soldier thing but it goes hand in hand with sexual assault. It's trauma. Period.

I 100% agree with the fact that soldiers returning from combat have become the "poster children" when you think of PTSD. It's sad to say that even before I read the article and had just seen the title, I thought it would have been something involving veterans.Why is it that sexual harassment, as prevalent as it is today, is still something that we are afraid to talk about? Don't victims of sexual assault/harassment qualify as being "tramatized" by their experience? It is fortunate however, that persons affected by sexual harassment/assault have an outlet to share their experiences with others who may have endured similar situations. At the height of the " hashtag "me too" in America hashtag there was the " Life in Leggings" hashtag in Barbados. It was very shocking to see the number of persons were sharing their experiences. Who would have thought that there was so much sexual harassment prevalent on such a small island? Soon it was not just Barbadians who were sharing their experiences but it was women and girls from all over the caribbean who had joined in. These social media outlets allowed for women to stand together and let each know that she is not alone and let the world see how big of an issue sexual harassment has become, also how much of a hushed topic it was. It also serves as a means to confront men and to let them know that sexual assault/harassment against women is a real issue and that it is not just something we say to get attention.

The “PTSD Too” article conveyed my exact sentiment about the "face of PTSD". People automatically think of a soldier coming back from combat but the reality is that, as the article said, women experience PTSD at rates almost double to men. the #MeToo movement was a step in the right direction in acknowledging just how rampant sexual harassment and assault is in North America. Painfully, many of the women who have experienced sexual assault were too scared to join in the movement, for fear of being judged or viewed as a victim. I have spoken to close friends, who shared the same feeling. There is a sweet, shy friend of ours who in the last year, started seeing a therapist for depression and for symptoms that closely resemble PTSD. I am not her physician (obviously) so I don't know if she was ever diagnosed, nor is it really my story to tell. What struck me about it was that one day, she posted a touching story on social media with the #MeToo and explained that she hoped it would help her heal and move on. I commended her bravery and thought others would as well, but instead she was "slut-shamed" for participating, and was met with some very microaggressive statements like "oh, didn't know you even went to parties, you should've stayed home that day" and awful comments like "the quiet ones are always the freakiest". Somehow the incident was relayed to her parents who were very religious and not understanding at all. She endured more stigmatization after posting #MeToo than before. It is painful to see something that was meant to be a tool of empowerment be twisted and used as a source of ridicule.

#MeToo is a step in the right direction because it showed just how rampant sexual assault is. It takes an enormous amount of courage, and should be met with an equal amount of respect, admiration and understanding. Not everyone who has been sexually assaulted will develop PTSD but many people might. This should not be a taboo topic. It should be embraced. People should be taught to spot the signs in those around them, It just might make a difference.

PTSD is a severe mental illness afflicting so many individuals especially woman throughout the world. However, we are so accustomed to associating it with a mental disorder of soldiers who came back from the war. This article makes it known that war related PTSD is absolutely not a major cause of PTSD in today's society. Woman and men who have suffered from sexual abuse are those who suffer from PTSD the most today. I was shocked to read that PTSD was never a major mental diagnosis for woman because of their assumed emotional weakness. Their objective experiences were rarely discussed soley based off their presumed emotional instability. As a woman it is hard to wrap my head around the fact of how many woman had to suffer and hide their mental trauma because of these stereotypes. Hopefully all of these celebrity sexual abuse allegations being publicized in the media will assist woman and men who suffered from sexual abuse to have their voices heard even more now. This #metoo campaign I is a step in the right direction for assisting woman who require the resources to have their voices heard. The awareness should be made known for more than just the reason that men are paying attention now. Moving forward with this initiative woman really need to change society's understanding of PTSD and its significance as an important diagnosis for sexual abuse victims.