When it comes to PTSD, the difference between ignorance and knowledge can be compared to the difference between life and death. We’ve been conditioned to believe that people with advanced degrees and doctorates in their fields are looking out for our best interests. We have complete faith that those responsible for our health, whether mental or physical, will do their best to cure us. Unfortunately, this is not the case for individuals who put their lives in danger.
H. Nattanya Andersen’s The Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Fallacy exposes the predicament of persons who have been in life-threatening situations and have been labeled with PTSD and a variety of other mental disorders as a result. She delves into how the psychiatric and pharmaceutical sectors collaborate for the benefit of the large corporations that employ them, rather than for the benefit of their patients. She turns a negative experience of nearly dying in a plane crash into a motivation to live. Her journey to recovery taught her that she could only get better by relying on herself.
I admired the author’s brutally honest portrayal of the industries involved. She’s also not afraid to tackle topics like religion, metaphysics, and spirituality. Every topic in the book has been meticulously researched. Every issue is covered in great depth, whether it be moral principles, the purpose of the soul, or philosophers’ perspectives. Through these explorations, the author succeeds in persuading the reader that PTSD is an existential crisis rather than a psychiatric disorder.
Even though this book succeeds in persuading the reader of the author’s plight, there were other aspects of it that I disliked. The epub version that I read, had empty spaces where the illustrations were supposed to have been. I am sure that this is just a technical glitch and that it can be rectified by using a different program. Lengthy explanations of psychiatric processes, which were sadly essential, were another irritation.
Even though several sections of the book did not appeal to me, I must confess that the value of the message exceeds all other concerns. This book is well-researched, and the errors I found did not detract from its overall value. I have no choice but to give it a rating of 3 out of 4 stars after discovering more than ten errors. The book was well edited and I recommend it to persons who have been diagnosed with mental disorders, particularly PTSD, as well as those who are in charge of their well-being. People who are interested in the many facets of mental disorders will also enjoy this read.