Um, Venus, I did say we are "still" ignorant. I live it everyday, so I am very aware of "what we still need to recognize". However, even though our understanding of the human brain is still considered in it's infancy, we are making efforts to address the challenges we are identifying and beginning to understand.

I don't take "any" medication right now myself. I am working on my challenges through therapy and slowly working on each different "flare up" of the PTSD. However, when it first presented, I was not in a position to be able to understand what I was dealing with. I was too diblitated by it in the first stage of it. It was much like having a very bad and painful wound that is addressed by painkillers until there is enough healing to be able to take the next step of "rehabilitation".

I do understand your concern about our widespread drug treatment plans though. When I went into a psychward it was clear to me that we "over drug" when I talked to other patients that were on 3,4,5 different medications and still were confused if any of these drugs were helping them.

I don't think water sources are being spiked with pills/drugs, but I am concerned about how we process and preserve the food we eat.

As far as the drug treatment being tried on the veterans that present with severe PTSD, the effort is to try to slow down the dibilitating symptoms so that the suicide rate is reduced. The problem with PTSD Venus is that when the brain "can't " deal with the flashbacks and cortizol that floods the brain, more damage occurs to the brain. The build up of "cortizol" in the brain can further damage the hypocampus and amygdala so if we can find ways to help reduce the cortizol buildup, we can hopefully slow down the damage that takes place in the brain with PTSD. If we don't find ways to reduce the flood of chemicals, we end up dealing with psychosis and even schitzophrenia.

When someone experiences a "flashback" they can't talk, they are not in the now, they are re-experiencing everything including the extreme fear and urgency of the situation. It is so real Venus, it is not just a simple memory. And on top of that whatever "conscious" of the now that is there is also "terrified" of why this is suddenly happening. It is a horrible experience and then after it happens the brain is in a daze and stuck between the now and the tramatic experience and that can last for a few days. And, unfortunately, this can come on suddenly without any warning.
It is very "scarey" and "confusing".

There are varying degrees of PTSD as well. It all depends on what kind of history the person has that presents with PTSD. It is discribed as "an anxiety disorder" and yes, it does flood the brain and body with cortizol that produces "anxiety", but it isn't easy to just "think it away". And as I mentioned, if there is no medication to help with this, it can "damage" brain cells, we do know this.

I do however feel that we can learn how to slowly deal with many psychological challenges with therapy and developing coping methods and may not need some kind of pill. From what I have seen, many pills can bring on a lot of troubling side effects and may do more harm than good.

Open Eyes