Can Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ("PTSD") develop in non-combat situations? Can fighting against actions of fraud, waste and abuse?

Each person is different. I think the operative word in PTSD is stress. If your friend was stressed, then he or she could have PTSD.

I think if a soldier or a leader eggs you on long enough to PISS YOU OFF or even in a civilian environment this is enough to set you off and could cause the PTSD to come out. You don't have to shoot a weapon to have PTSD these days I know I've been deployed 4 times and in my counseling classes and being in the hospital for 1 year you learn this.

SAM007

PTSD results from a traumatic experience. What counts as traumatic will vary considerably between people. So I could see that in your example. Most folks who fight the system get run over by it.

PTSD can be caused by a number of reasons, such as watching a loved one fight and loose a battle to cancer, which happened to me over a 4 month period. I flew home from Aden, Yemen after the USS Cole had been bombed. I found out my Mom had terminal cancer the same day as the bombing, which, incidentally, was the same day the ship I was on had arrived in the Persian Gulf. We were immediately turned around and sent to protect the Cole from further attacks. Thankfully, my command recognized that I was dealing with a major problem and allowed me to seek professional counseling to get past it. For me, that was the deployment from hell, and the loss was way too personal. So yes, you can definitely get PTSD in a non-combat situation. The military didn’t invent or create PTSD. It can effect people from all different walks of life.

Yes PTSD can occur from non-combat situations. The first time I had PTSD I was a Rescue Diver for the Sacramento County Drowning Accident Rescue Team (DART). I was searching for a body (and I had recovered many bodies in different states of decomposition), I was in the water alone being tended by other team members with a back up diver on the surface. I found a boat which I thought was the one I was looking for. I tied off the search rope to the boat and searched for the body but did not find it. I started to surface and ended up getting trapped under and object. My first thought was it was a barge we were working next to. I was trapped for a while, I managed to find my way back down to the boat I was tied up to and located the rope again and surfaced. It turned out the boat we were looking for was tangled with the ropes from the boat I found and was floating above it. I was trapped in the overturned boat. I only made one dive after that day and could not handle it anymore. I had all the symptoms of PTSD and treated for a couple years. With the right treatment I overcame the PTSD but still have not dived since.

Years later I joined the CAANG to finish out my 20 years. I deployed for OIF, but was injured not combat related, and sent home. I tried to get treatment from the VA and the military for months but kept getting told I was off orders so I couldn't treat military and the VA doctor (after 3 months) told me I could not treat until my claim was approved (which was a lie). After about 4 months I was sent back to my original unit. All this time I had been fighting by myself against the VA and Military for treatment. When I got back to my original unit I continued to fight for treatment. Over a period of months I was threatened over 15 times with Article 15's for pushing for treatment. I was threatened for going to the Wounded Warrior Hot line. I was physically threatened by my first Sergeant when by regulations I advised him I was going to the press. The company commander threatened to have me arrested if I did not attend AT, even though my doctors all wrote profiles. I did not attend. My VA psychologist told me to take a vacation out of state. Not withstanding my injuries I ended up being diagnosed with Severe Depression and PTSD. I am still being treated after 12 years.

Google complex PTSD. Complex PTSD involves multiple incidents of triggers instead of a single incident. It is a newer diagnosis that is not included in the usual mental health diagnosis. But it is accepted by the VA. The continued threats combined with my previous injuries contributed to the depression and complex PTSD.

if you're asking this question, you've obviously never worked in logistics or admin. LOL

"PTSD is a normal response to an abnormal situation". It is not a soldiers diease' it can occur with anyone who has been faced with a traumatic event, be that combat, rape, assault.

I think that in the military we are better equipped to cope with it. For us it now a recognized condition. For many civilians they have to deal with it alone.

PTSD is NOT just for combat troops. For some really dedicated troops the stress of dealing with idiot officers and NCOs can do just as much damage as combat. In fact it is a type of combat and must be taken seriously.

Absolutely, I served in the Army, Didn't have PTSD, Eight years later got it from my Wife, So glad I Divorced her.

Here is a general site that provides an extract of what DSM-5 indicates are the causes, symptoms and treatments for PTSD. https://www.theravive.com/therapedia/posttraumatic-stress-disorder-(ptsd)-dsm--5-309.81-(f43.10). You can also look at https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hijacked-your-brain/201306/ptsd-becomes-more-complex-in-the-dsm-5-part-ii. The best source is to check out the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th Edition). This is the general reference used by psychiatrists and psychologists when diagnosing disorders such as PTSD. Is it the best source? probably not but it is all we have to go by for now until research provides us with more guidance. As you will see, there is no specific connection to combat. According to DSM-5, ". . . an event which creates psychological trauma in response to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violation."