PTSD:When ignorance is not bliss

When ignorance is not bliss
By Caterina Spinaris Tudor , Ph.D.
Published: 10/27/2008
Editor’s note: This story is being shared with us by Desert Waters Correctional Outreach. The non-profit organization and its newsletter, Correctional Oasis, are dedicated to the well being of correctional staff and their families.

Imagine this conversation.

Two correctional officers are chatting. One blurts out, “You wouldn’t believe what a wimp Pete turned out to be! He’s being treated for diabetes! I have no use for him anymore now that he’s on insulin!”

“I have no respect for him anymore either!” exclaims the other officer. “What a weakling! Why doesn’t he just get a grip? Dave is also a big loser. He was just diagnosed with skin cancer and high blood pressure. Can’t trust him with my back anymore!”

This exchange sounds totally ridiculous, doesn’t it? Now, replace the words “diabetes,” “skin cancer,” and “high blood pressure” with words such as “depression,” “panic attacks,” and “Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.”

Do the put-downs of correctional employees struggling with psychological conditions sound more justifiable than of those struggling with physical illnesses?

Sadly, if you believe so, you’re not alone. More times than I can count I have been told by corrections staff that to them admission of psychological turmoil equals weakness.

Repeatedly I have also heard staff share how ashamed they feel for not being able to “get over it,” not being “strong enough to pull themselves up by their bootstraps” when it comes to battling with the darkness of depression or the torment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Many have added that they would lose their coworkers’ respect and perhaps even jeopardize their chances for promotion if it became known that they were experiencing psychological difficulties. Consequently several corrections staff who need help decline recommendations to start psychotherapy or to be evaluated by their physicians for psychotropic medications.

Instead, some choose to self-medicate with alcohol or even illegal drugs, preferring to risk their health, career and family rather than to seek appropriate treatment. In some tragic cases the reluctance to seek pharmaceutical or psychological help has cost lives. Other staff keep existing in a “blue”zone, with diminished quality of life and chronic under- functioning.
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http://www.corrections.com/news/article/19842