Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that may occur in people who have experienced a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, a serious accident, a terrorist act, or sexual violence. People who are likely to incur PTSD are the ones working in the four high-risk, PTSD-causing professions. Soldiers and veterans, police officers, firefighters, and aircrew members. This trilogy is one of an aircrew employee who incurred PTSD in the line of duty.
The Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Fallacy: A Mental Health Industry Bonanza of Profit and Human Destruction by H. Nattanya Andersen is an outstanding book about her recovery from PTSD. Her life changed when one day at work, a Boeing 727 engine exploded five feet away from her mid-air. This near-death experience led to her PTSD and the ensuing struggle to live on. She trusted the airline she worked for to help her in her recovery journey, but all they did was drive her to the brink. The drug prescribed to her perverted her into thinking it was normal to feel suicidal. The treatment given to her was masterminded for her destruction. She realized that all the psychiatrists there were working in the company’s interest, not hers. Only two acted with honor, integrity, ethics, and morals. One of those was her Irish psychiatrist, a frequent first-class flyer. It was, however, her own probing, what she uncovered, and what she did with that information that made her whole again.
The author believes that PTSD is not at all a mental disorder, even though the so-called “experts” with purported knowledge in the field say it is. Instead, a PTSD-causing event creates an existential crisis. It makes a person question life’s very foundations, its meaning, its purpose, its values. Thus, the resolution can be found solely by the one living through it. I enjoyed reading about Andersen’s will to fight on. When she discovered that Ativan was the main culprit of her ill health, she self-medicated away from it thanks to port-wine, books, cigarettes, and bed rest. Rather than making it better, the pharmaceutical drugs lead to a slow, joyless, and lingering path towards the grave. But pharmaceutical companies love these disorders. They invent more mental-health categories so that they can sell more toxic drugs and make more money by the minute. All while the patient suffers.
I couldn’t help but get captivated by the author’s varied approaches to healing PTSD. She goes against the “doctor knows best” fable that causes one to ignore the innermost self, where the solution lies. It blinds one to the need for isolation necessary to the PTSD healing process that those who hold sway over one’s life steadfastly refuse to grant. She also explains key terms and ideas that help the reader be more knowledgeable about PTSD. She does not fail to cite references that are aimed at provoking the reader’s perspective on mental health issues and services. Her healing process and survival story act as a beacon of hope for people battling PTSD.
The book is enlightening and refreshing. I loved how the author gives her insights and rationales which leave the reader appeased and adds credibility to her findings. The author’s writing skills are commendable, as well as her candid words. There’s absolutely nothing to dislike about this book. Everything considered I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I encountered a few typographical errors which made me lower my rating.
I highly recommend the book to people who have been diagnosed with PTSD or people in close relation to a PTSD journeyer. Psychology enthusiasts and the curious public will also relish this book. The book contains profane words and may not be suitable for a younger audience.