Posted on Jul 3, 2014
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I know Im not a veteran yet but Ive been Diagnosed with PTSD due to some evens in my highschool years, im curious is it really a disorder or just compounded memories or what the thought of it is?
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MAJ Deputy Director, Combat Casualty Care Research Program
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There are physiological changes due to PTSD. We're actually developing urine and saliva tests to measure changes in various protein biomarkers that occur with PTSD.
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MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca
MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca
10 y
Wow, that's interesting. Any recommended reading material on the topic?
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MAJ Deputy Director, Combat Casualty Care Research Program
MAJ (Join to see)
10 y
MAJ Petrarca - here's a 2013 review article that talks about some of the biomarkers. Sustained changes in proteomic expression patterns could also explain why subsequent events are often much more damaging/effecting than the initial. This is similar to concussive TBIs:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3774961/
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PV2 Supply
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10 y
Thank you sir for the great input!
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CW2 Joseph Evans
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Your diagnosis may be suspect, not going to say it isn't true though. The real distinction between PTSD and the compounded memories is going to be your reaction to the "triggers".
The more common examples of extreme cases would be the reaction of combat veterans to the sounds of fireworks. They know intellectually that what they are hearing is fireworks, but it still creates a fight or flight gut reaction that is nearly impossible to control.
Examples of Childhood PTSD, Domestic (Violence) PTSD, Combat PTSD are based off of reactions that were "hardwired" to certain triggers that "saved" their life at the time. Where it really becomes a problem, or a disorder, is when the environment changes and those responses are no longer appropriate for the trigger and create a "cognitive dissonance" that can't be resolved in the current situation.
So, did your "memories" wire you with a specific physical, mental or emotional response/reaction set you can't control? or are you just experiencing compound or repressed memories?
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CW2 Joseph Evans
CW2 Joseph Evans
10 y
Truth is, the person you really want to get in on this discussion is CH (CPT) Heather Davis, she's got a lot more personal insight and practical experience with it.
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PV2 Supply
PV2 (Join to see)
10 y
Mine is actually quite odd... Mines triggered by a woman raising her voice... I used to be in a abusive relationship for almost 3 years, i was beaten every time she rose her voice up until the time she went overboard and put me into a hospital with stab wounds... Long story short ive always gotten tense and quick to protect myself when a woman comes at me in a aggressive way Chief, its honestly normal but it does cause alot of issues in my marriage, BCT taught me to deal with it very well, since I had a Female DS I learned quick to stop myself, but Its best triggered by a woman raising a hand too me
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CW2 Joseph Evans
CW2 Joseph Evans
10 y
PV2 (Join to see) For starters, don't call that particular reaction odd. That is the norm for most women who have Domestic Violence or rape based PTSD. Still, glad you were able to get coping tools that work for you.
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CWO4 Deputy, Launcher Branch
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I think it's a real disorder that should be treated.
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PV2 Supply
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10 y
Read my last comment
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