5 Myths About PTSD

Plenty of people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) never mention it to a doctor. Some assume their trauma wasn’t severe enough to qualify. Others believe nothing can be done about it. About 5% of adults in the United States experience PTSD in a given year, and misunderstandings about the condition can stand between them and effective treatment.

At Mind Space Wellness, LLC, in Fort Lee, New Jersey, and on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Caroline Bjorkman, DO, treats PTSD in patients aged 12 and older. Below are five common myths about PTSD and the facts behind them.

Myth 1: Only combat veterans get PTSD

Military trauma is a well-known cause of PTSD, particularly in men, but any event that overwhelms your ability to cope can lead to the condition. Common sources include:

Car accidents and other serious injuries
Physical or sexual assault
Childhood abuse or neglect
Medical emergencies and frightening diagnoses
Natural disasters
The sudden loss of someone close

You don’t have to experience the event directly, either. Witnessing trauma or learning it happened to someone you love can trigger PTSD, too. Thinking of it as a soldiers-only condition keeps survivors of other traumas from recognizing their own symptoms.

Myth 2: Symptoms show up right after the trauma

Some people develop symptoms within weeks of a traumatic event. Others don’t notice anything until much later, when a new stressor, a reminder of the event, or a big life change brings the trauma back to the surface, sometimes years down the road.

Delayed symptoms confuse a lot of people, who assume that whatever they’re feeling now can’t be connected to something that happened years ago. It can be, and a thorough evaluation looks at your whole history rather than just recent events.

Myth 3: PTSD makes people violent

Fictional portrayals of PTSD often center on volatility, but that image doesn’t reflect most people living with the condition. The most common symptoms turn inward: nightmares, flashbacks, avoiding reminders of the trauma, staying constantly on guard, and withdrawing from people and activities.

Many people with PTSD hold jobs, raise families, and appear outwardly fine while struggling privately. The stereotype of danger adds stigma that makes them less likely to tell anyone what’s going on.

Myth 4: Having PTSD means you’re weak

Developing PTSD says nothing about your resilience or willpower. Trauma changes how the brain processes threat and memory, and those changes drive the symptoms. Two people can go through the same event, and one develops PTSD while the other doesn’t, based on factors like previous trauma, biology, and the support available afterward.

Needing help to recover from trauma is no different from needing treatment for any other medical condition, and untreated PTSD tends to persist rather than fade on its own.

Myth 5: PTSD is permanent and untreatable

PTSD responds to treatment, and many people recover fully or reach a point where symptoms no longer control their lives. Evidence-based psychotherapy helps you process the trauma and unlearn the responses keeping you stuck, while medication can ease symptoms like anxiety, depression, and sleep disruption that make daily life harder.

Dr. Bjorkman builds treatment around your symptoms, history, and goals, adjusting the plan as you progress. Recovery takes time for most people, but treatment gives it a direction.

PTSD treatment in Fort Lee and Manhattan

An evaluation with Dr. Bjorkman can clarify whether PTSD explains what you’ve been experiencing and what treatment would involve. Reach out to our Fort Lee, New Jersey, or Upper West Side location to book with Dr. Bjorkman and our team, either by phone or online.