(((transient))),

I am so sorry that you "trusted" someone and that person let you down or seemed to take the route of saying that you are sort of creating your own mental illness. However, when you talk to others about how you struggle, they are not going to understand that real challenge unless they too experience it.

The only thing I can take from what this person said is about how a mental illness being a persons "choice" or they can "chose to have it somehow", is that often a person can "unknowingly" feed into a mental illness. What I mean by that is when a person begins to experience a mental illness where they can't seem to gain control or are confused by some inability, they are "frightened". So, if someone has a sudden onset of anxiety or panic, that person can become frightened and add to the already troubling anxiety which makes it even worse. But that doesn't mean that person is "choosing" that to take place. What it means is that they do not understand it, and they are beginning to "feed into it" and they simply do not know it.

The other thing that person, and many like him, is ignorant about is that people with PTSD actually have changes that have taken place in their brains. The hypocampus has experienced "cell damage" and has shrunken in size and that part of the brain is an important part of the brain that filters information coming and going in the brain.
And if the person you are talking about really had researched before he spoke, he would also know that with this "damage" there is a genuine challenge with "emotions" and the person struggling is not "choosing that to take place".

When you come across people like this, while I know it triggers you, you have to find your way to work on "not" internalizing it. And I know that is hard when struggling with PTSD. And that is why I am making it a point to post to you, yes, unfortunately people are very "ignorant" about PTSD, and they are going to have these "just" remarks that is not going to be fair to you. And unfortunately, until there is "more awareness" efforts made in the general public, you will encounter these "ignorant" people.

It is important that you make sure you have a good therapist, and find others who "do" understand it and can offer you "support" instead of "ignorance".

I can see that you are a new member here, there are some wonderful and supportive people here at PC. While there will still be those that can be "ignorant", there are those that are very understanding and incredibly supportive too.

PTSD is definitely a challenge, but, you can work through it, learn more about it, and gain on learning how to manage it much better with patience and time.

(((Hugs and Welcome)))
Open Eyes