MACHAAN

When there is no P in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

I’ve often thought that a large number of people in India – a vast percentage of the population – live in a state of persistent trauma, where the stresses of trying to survive are daily and relentless.

“In the developing world, it’s sometimes difficult to distinguish mental health problems from the stresses of poverty and conflict….

Does an Indian farmer commit suicide because of a mental illness, or because farming broke down and left him with no income?”

People like these farmers would not complain about the ‘inappropriateness’ of their mental state compared to others around them, because it is normal for everyone, it is ongoing, and they would rather focus more on their immediate physical needs, not their mental comfort, which is a luxury.

Understood like this, it also explains a lot about the apathy that Indians seem to have about their surroundings, communities, and their lack of interest in the future – something that is often and mistakenly discussed as a ‘spiritual’ aspect of their culture.

via: When PTSD Misses The P – | By Andrew Sullivan.