The unmentioned trauma

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I remember seeing the series Homeland, and no worries we get to the Responder real quickly, but because by that time I did some website work for Mr. Lewis, ( in case you are fan please check out my fellow blogger and friend FanfunwithDamianLewis here: FanFunBlog DL) and had to do some research on PTSD, because the show is about a soldier who was held hostage for many years, before he returned home. Check it out, its really great!

Now we getting back to The Responder, because the research I did back then revealed such shocking news for me and is sadly still accurate and our favorite cop is among the people who suffer, but never get enough recognition. 

Lots of soldiers and police officers are suffering from PTSD or trauma.

This kind of trauma affects their lives, jobs, and families.

It could end in early retirement or suicide.

Being traumatised and dealing with the outcome and symptoms like panic attacks, sadness or anger, anxiety and frighting thoughts, sudden outbursts or depression makes life unbearable.

Exactly what we see in Chris Carson's life, a man who had already a heavy package to carry, because we learn through the series, that he is obviously extremely concerned becoming " his father" .

Which means that his childhood was not a happy dance and that makes it statistically more likely, that he developes PTSD or any other form of mental crisis when working in a tough job.

His job is terribly tough, in own words there are blood and spit on him almost every night.

the constant night shifts are only adding to the problems.

90 % of police workers admit they have been exposed to trauma.

One in five experiencing either PTSD or another form of trauma and mental health struggle.

And 700.000 people worldwide commit suicide each year.

And now the reason why I mentioned Homeland because Soldiers and Police workers have one big thing in common:

No one talks about it!

Its like a hushed up secret.

A thing you need to be ashamed of, because these things only happen to others.

Police officers like Carson see pure misery each and every night, but if they can't take it anymore they are compromised.

Chris gets lots of comments regarding his health and mental state.

And yes, he's fragile, he has a serious anger issue and is extremely frustrated with his job but can you blame him?

His night shifts are a daily entry into hell and his private life is a big mess.

But is he able to say this out loud?

Do people in his environment really understand how much he's suffering and how close he is to break down completely?

No!

Not even the one person who's job it is to look after him.

His therapist.

This scene makes me more angry than anything else, and I was actually shouting at my TV when I first saw it.

I'm dying in front of you, and you don't even know my name 

This is one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the whole series.

A man who needs to overcome his own barriers every time he sets foot into his therapist's office, is now not even recognised by her.

Please don't misunderstand me here, everyone is entitled to have a bad day at the job.

And we all make mistakes, some of them more important than others and some with wide reaching consequences.

But a therapist has the same responsibilities as a doctor who treats a life threatening illness.

Because I absolutely believe that without Kate or Tilly in his life, Chris would have stopped it all a long time ago.

But this man keeps fighting, and gets indifference from his therapist as a payback.

The job is hell, the marriage is at stake, and more than one bad boy is hunting him , and now not even his therapist is listening to him.

Chris Carson is one of the loneliest people ever.

The world around him moves on, while he is standing there shaking.

This is happening to so many people with breakdowns because of the job, and the constant pressure.

Not all of them get in touch with drug dealers, but police officers like Carson carry so much weight, and don't get the treatment they really deserve.

And if they can't take it anymore and crumble under pressure it is often enough treated like a contagious disease , that needs to be concealed, or in Carson's case it is reason enough to bully him, or the issue is held against him.

Officers like Chris Carson are unprotected to danger and traumatic events, and society takes them for granted and in case of Chris even his colleagues think he's a weak link.

We need to acknowledge mental health issues, and we need to offer people the profound help they really need.

And the world finally must understand that there is no difference between a mental or a physical problem, because for over 700.000 patients per year the illness turned into a load they are no longer able to carry.

 For questions and suggestions or to chat please contact me: sabsigb7@yahoo.com