Non-combat PTSD and combat PTSD?

PTSD is not a military only related mental health issue. Any trauma, regardless of time, place, or situation can cause it.

Combat, Rape, death, violence, abuse, accidents, injury, shock, surprise, bullying... We all here the rumor of the guy that contracted it when the Drill Sergeant yelled at him and we laugh... except based on the life he lived and coping skills he has (or doesn't), this incident may very well have caused PTSD... So, I prefer to look at it as "There is PTSD." The origin doesn't matter, there is a mind/soul that still needs to be healed.

Yes there is a non combat PTSD the condition isn't synonymous with Military service. for example my ex wife went from the Air Force to the Army and was raped during a training exercise she has PTSD and has never seen combat. my wife lost a child to drowning in a lake on the 4th of July and she has PTSD. it is caused by severe Trauma of any sort. hence Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The problem is when you reach out to the VA. There is such a thing as PTSD outside of combat. Of course we all know that but when you approach the VA about it, they do all they can to prevent putting those initials on-paper. I have been labeled as having an adjustment disorder following a PTSD episode. The other problem is that when I was in, any hint of mental problem and you were gone. Your career was over. So, when you look at claiming disability, of course you did not seek treatment for the precipitating event. Also how do you document experiences like being on duty at the hospital and dealing with deaths over the years. Yes, they will take their toll on you. Walking into a room and seeing somebody with their brains scattered on the wall behind the chair they sat in is just a little traumatizing. That's just an example. How do you begin to document that stuff? So yeah, non-combat PTSD does exist, but how do you convince the VA that you were exposed to events if they were a normal part of your duties or you were afraid to seek help at the time.

As a therapist with over 3500 hrs in the chair , the easy answer is yes. I've dealt with firemen, police, rapes, attempted murders, natural disasters, car wrecks, house fires, explosions, and all kinds of out her failures and losses which set up flashbacks. Anything that overwhelms a persons resiliency can haunt them as PTSD.

Previous comments in this thread state the facts very well. The issue comes when combat-related PTS cases come upon individuals being treated for other-than-combat-related PTS cases. Sometimes the combat-related individuals can't see beyond their own pain to gain understanding and compassion of others with PTS. When one is in pain - and PTS can be thought of as a form of pain internalized (or at least it is in my case) - the one in pain does NOT think clearly.

PTS has been a part of the human experience for eons - every type of literature that discusses loss, anguish, combat, love, hate, anger and fear describe one form of PTS or another. The difference in today's mental health systems is that we seem to have a better grasp on what to do and what not to do for those suffering. Though I will be honest and say there are sometimes I'm not so sure about some of what I'm hearing second-hand on treatment and analysis for PTS. However, we are far ahead in our handling of PTS than when compared to our great-grandfathers and their great-grandfathers....

Maybe some day we will be able to manage PTS before it becomes such an issue .......

Yes but those non combat can be from trauma.

as far as I know PSTD can occur with anyone.

I am a Vietnam Era Vet who has blown off or ignored this for years. During the last two yrs I have had significant health issues, and have been visited by some painful reliving of an ugly incident I had my last yr in service. So I would ask the same question, can PTSD come from a non combat incident?

PV2 Raul Rivera - There is a high incidence of combat related / secondary / caregiver PTSD suffered by doctors and nurses caring for personnel from mass casualty combat wounds morbidity, and death - for which the VA has specific programs available particularly for female nursing personnel. Warmest Regards, Sandy

I have PTSD I wasent in the military myself but I suffered things I would never forget as a child from real young til I was about ten years old I am struggling with it myself right now I blocks it out for years but my sisters brought it up and now I can't get out of this rut of bad dreams and waking up in sweat