PTSD vs SnowFlakism

PTSD vs SnowFlakism

Fergal Keane, a war journalist for the BBC has recently quit his job due to PTSD. After witnessing first-hand theatres such as the Rwanda genocide, the Iraq invasion and places with similar casualties, Keane has had enough. His mental health has been affected in a way that in which he is no longer able to do his job after decades of conflict coverage (Topping 2020).

PTSD is a common issue around soldiers coming back from wars, in this sense albeit a serious condition, it is not new. However, the discussion should be extended to other areas besides warfare. Indeed the “war” has many shapes and forms and can affect human beings as they face endless situations that can lead to trauma.

According to a study published in 2016, by the NCBI, adults that suffered physical or emotional abuse growing up are very likely to have experienced PTSD.  Victims of domestic violence are also very prone to suffer from this condition. The commonality seems to be the consequence of being exposed to violence.

This issue also varies in relation to gender. According to Greenberg Ph.D. (2018), 12% of women are likely to endure chronic PTSD whilst only 6% of men may experience the same. Greenberg suggests that what causes this disparity is  the fact that women are less inclined to report their sufferings especially around cases of sexual assault. It is the shame factor, and how hard it is to tell someone and having to relive the experience all over again.

The straightforwardness in which society accepts PTSD from war survivors is not the same as other causes. Willard Foxton, a card-carrying Tory, and freelance television producer is also a PTSD sufferer. In an article written in 2018, he mentions Piers Morgan's speech in which he says that if you are not a soldier you do not suffer PTSD. He later had to recant it. However, the stigma remains and non-combatant sufferers can easily be talked down as snowflakes who can’t handle what life throws at them.

It is fairly obvious where this type of culture will and has led to. It isolates people and interrupts an otherwise stable development that turns into depression and anxiety. More needs to be done. The ever fast society that doesn’t seem to stop for anyone has to tone down its quick judgements and listen to the sufferers. They are not victims of a snowflake culture. They are survivors of other life’s battles.

Sources

Bradley B., Etkin A., Gyurak A., Jovanovic T, Powers A. 2016. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). Association Between Childhood Abuse Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and implicit Emotion Regulation Deficits: Evidence From a Low-Income Inner-City Population. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4705548/

Foxton, W. 2018.  New Statesman.Trigger warnings vs pathetic snowflakes: how PTSD sufferers became political pawns.  Available from:https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/health/2018/10/trigger-warnings-vs-pathetic-snowflakes-how-ptsd-sufferers-became-political

Greenberg. M Ph.D. 2018. Psychology Today. Why Women Have Higher Rates of PTSD Than Men. Available from:

 https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/health/2018/10/trigger-warnings-vs-pathetic-snowflakes-how-ptsd-sufferers-became-political

Topping A. 2020 The Guardian: BBC’s Fergal Keane to step down after revealing he has PTSD. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/jan/24/bbc-fergal-keane-to-step-down-after-revealing-he-has-ptsd