Tel: 360-809-3058

Post Traumatic Stress

Symptoms — Physical

Supporting the Emotional Health of All Whistleblowers and their Friends, Supporters and Families.

Phone: 360-809-3058

Fax: None

E-mail:

MedicalWhistleblower@gmail.com

P.O. Box C

Lawrence, KS 66044 Psychological violence can lead to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, the symptoms of which may also be mistaken for mental illness; however, PTSD is a normal reaction to abnormal circumstances, and is not usually an indication of long term or underlying problems in those who suffer from it. A psychiatric injury is not a mental illness. Despite superficial similarity, and com-ments (both direct and implied) from those around the Medical Whistleblower, there are many distinct differ-ences between psychiatric injury and mental illness

including:

a) mental illness is assumed to be inherent (internal)

whereas psychiatric injury is caused by something

or someone else (external) - who is liable;

b) an injury is likely to get better;

c) the person suffering mental illness exhibits a

range of symptoms associated with mental illness

(paranoia, schizophrenia, delusions, etc) but not

with psychiatric injury, whereas the person suffer-

ing psychiatric injury will typically exhibit a range

of symptoms (e.g. hypervigilance, hypersensitiv-

ity, obsessiveness, irritability, fatigue, sleepless-

ness) associated with psychiatric injury but not

with mental illness.

PSYCHIATRIC INJURY NOT MENTAL ILLNESS

M E D I C A L W H I S T L E B L O W E R

M E D I C A L W H I S T L E B L O W E R

“We are what we think”

Buddha

(c. 563-483 B.C.E.)

# 11

Because PTSD creates a

constant state of intense

stress the body’s reaction

to this causes neurobio-

logical changes. Glucocor-

ticoids, epinephrine, and

norepinephrine pulse through the body as part of the

normal reaction to stress. These chemicals are impor-

tant for human survival but excessive amounts cause

the brain to malfunction. Because of hyperarousal,

the body of an individual suffering from PTSD gets

too much of these chemicals, even when no threat is

present. The chronic stress promotes physical ailments

and a breakdown of the immune system. Other diffi-

culties include increased heart rate and blood pres-

sure, changes to the distribution of cortisol (affecting

mood and energy levels), shrinking of the hippocam-

pus (affecting learning and memory), and enlarge-

ment of the amygdala (affecting emotional behav-

iors). Extreme fatigue is a normal reaction under

stress. Most stressed people will "try harder" to over-

come their problems, when what they need most is

"worry-free" rest. Physical Symptoms include: De-

creased immunity to infection (leading to frequent

colds, coughs, flu) aches & pains (with no clear

cause), fibromyalgia, back pain, chest pains and

angina, high blood pressure, headaches and mi-

graines, sweating, palpitations, trembling, hormonal

problems (disturbed menstrual cycle, dysmenorrhoea,

loss of libido, impotence), physical numbness

(especially in toes, fingers, and lips), emotional numb-

ness (including anhedonia, an inability to feel joy and

love), irritable bowel syndrome or IBS, paruresis (shy

bladder syndrome), thyroid problems, petit mal sei-

zures, skin irritations and skin disorders (e.g. athlete's

foot, eczema, psoriasis, shingles, internal and exter-

nal ulcers, urticaria), loss of appetite (although a few

people react by overeating), excessive or abnormal

thirst, sleep disturbances, and waking up more tired

than when you went to bed.

Post Traumatic Stress—

Physical Symptoms

Promote Safety

Since the symptoms of stress breakdown and PTSD are

frequently misunderstood as those of inadequacy or

inefficiency, there is a danger that stressed and/or har-

assed Whistleblowers could find themselves facing disci-

plinary proceedings when what they need is rest and

support. Employers therefore need to be aware of the

potential for compounding the problems of stressed/

bullied Whistleblower and for them to be unjustly disci-

plined. Believe the Medical Whistleblower who reports

retaliation or workplace bullying. Although there will

always be exceptions, most people who report bullying

are genuinely being bullied. Those who are being har-

assed and bullied usually feel ashamed of what is hap-

pening to them, and by the time they seek help are

likely to be already showing signs of stress breakdown,

and are thus likely to present as over-emotional, and

apparently over-reacting and/or paranoid. In these

circumstances it is all too easy for the person's account of

Whistleblower Retaliation to be dismissed as delusional

or overstated, when in fact the symptoms of stress

breakdown should be recognized as actually corrobo-

rating what they are saying. The Medical Whistleblower

who is being retaliated against should be encouraged to

seek support sooner rather than later, and should be

able to do so with the assurance that they will be be-

lieved and effectively supported, rather than be treated

as if they themselves were the problem. Remember Re-

move the Stress.

Foster Healing

All workplaces should set out (and use) an effective anti-

retaliation/anti-bullying policy. Take stress reactions

seriously and provide worry-free rest before the dam-

age becomes more serious or permanent. The golden

rule when a person is suffering

the effects of too much stress is

"remove the stress from the per-

son, or the person from the

stress". Most stressed people

will ignore the body's warning

signs and continue to struggle on,

which can cause long term health

problems. Medical Whistleblowers are generally highly

committed people, are particularly susceptible to this,

especially since seeking help is too often regarded as

an admission of personal failure or spiritual inadequacy.

Stressed people often need a "rescuer" who will remove

the burdens and enable them to rest. It is important

when dealing with stressed people to respect their dig-

nity and not to simply take over control of their lives

(e.g. by making decisions about them, or assessments of

them, behind their backs), as loss of control is of itself

very stressful, and may replicate the experience of be-

ing bullied. Long term solutions require the full involve-

ment of the stressed person, but should wait until he/she

is first rested and reassured. Do not put stressed/bullied

Medical Whistleblower back into the same stressful/

bullying situation and expect them to "prove" them-

selves. Referring stressed people for work-based coun-

seling helps perpetuate the myth that it is the person

who is the problem, rather than the working environment.

It allows the perpetrators to switch the focus of attention

away from their own abusive behavior by inferring, and

asserting usually under the guise of sympathy and sup-

port, that the person they are targeting is mentally ill.

Phone: 360-809-3058

P.O. Box C

Lawrence, KS 66044

M E D I C A L W H I S T L E B L O W E R