</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
happysappy said:
Anyone can get PTSD, no matter how mentally healthy they are or not. or what kind of past they have or not have.

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">That is how I view it too. I have PTSD and it is indeed very real. But I am mentally healthy too. Orange_Blossom, I liked what you shared about Psychiatric Injury.

DesertNurse, I tend to have a similar view as you about the biochemical and physiological nature of PTSD, depression, anxiety, etc. Stressful and traumatic events can provoke long-lasting changes in our biochemistry. These responses are natural and in many instances adaptive and that is why they are with mankind today--they have been evolutionarily selected for over thousands of years. Understanding this helped me to come to terms with my own depression (although not everyone would take the same meaning and comfort as I did). For example, in stressful situations, the production of certain molecules is stimulated that result in depression. Some of these molecules are very long lived and can persist in the body for weeks and months (e.g. dynorphins). This is a natural and "healthy" response to stress, even though it is not a fun experience for the person. I guess my understanding of pharmacology, evolution, and biochemistry is partly what leads me to view myself as mentally healthy rather than mentally ill. If a doctor told me I was mentally ill, I would certainly challenge him or explain some of the biochemistry. I did have a long discussion once with my therapist about the adaptive value of depression and he was very interested, as he had not viewed it that way before. He was able to relate it to some of his own experiences with clients and together we came to a richer understanding.