pachyderm:

i do agree to an extent that young mind cannot handle the stresses of certain things. HOWEVER - having been raised in a truely violent alcoholic environment as a youth i can often remember with much more detail the bad things than the good things.

the example i was trying to paint is this: more often than not people CHOOSE to remember certain things. it often comes with much therapy and discussion that the actual details are CHOSEN to be remembered. regarding bad events related to traumatic stress - its much easier to remember those things than what color underwear i had on three days ago.

sunrise:

i do also believe in the effects stress can play on the body and how chemicals can make change. i DO believe that personal change can be made though to correct SOME things - not all of them. healthy living is definately a part of forming healthy thoughts. self recognition of personal accomplishment has been PROVEN time and time again to be a remedy against depression and future mental breaks.

doing what you love as a profession has been proven to add YEARS to your life as well as regular exercise and eating correctly. remember what goes in to your mind and body will produce something equal in return. its not rocket science.

my battle with PTSD is not a daily one... but i have noticed how much more easily i can be aggravated with certain situations. i don't get violent, but i do get upset. i have battled with with regular exercise and eating correctly. those things make huge differences in my attitude. i run half marathons and 5-10k races when i can. the stress of competition has more than filled the holes that PTSD left. its a very constructive outlet for myself.

i'm not saying that my solutions are the end-all be-all of PTSD. just thougth i would share.