PTSD and Suicide “Me? I Changed?” Steve Lacy says this in his song “That’s No Fun.” Sometimes people change without noticing it themselves, but the change itself could be because of something drastic. After experiencing a traumatic event, some people may experience post-traumatic stress disorder. People with this mental health issue have a hard time coping with a terrifying event and can lead to personality changes, isolation, and the risk of developing suicidal tendencies. This was illustrated in Louise Erdrich’s “The Red Convertible.” Signs of PTSD can usually be detected right away, but there are cases where it may take more time for the victims to even notice they are suffering from the disorder. The second Henry came home from being
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Signs of suicide in a PTSD victim are usually much harder to detect, and the scary reality is that it can happen in a blink of an eye. Henry didn’t show symptoms of suicide as evidently as his signs of PTSD. The signs Henry displays are more complex and aren’t very noticeable at first. “He said he’d fixed it just to give It back and I should take it” (Erdrich 7). Since Henry knew that Lyman had intentionally messed up the car, he felt that it was necessary to fix up the red convertible as a final deed to his brother before he would go. It really did seem like he had planned everything out because he suggested to go for a ride on the day he jumped in the river. “‘Got to cool me off!’ he shouts all of a sudden. Then he runs over to the river and jumps in” (Erdrich 11). Before Lyman can even process what had just happened, Henry was already gone but he did this in a somewhat peaceful way because he knew his suffering would finally be over. A similar incident is explained in Alessandra Freitas’s Huffington post article, Dillon showed signs of suicide by having financial issues and an argument with his mother before he unexpectedly ended his life, like Henry. Dillon showed signs of troubles up until the very end when he sends one last text to his ex-girlfriend. “‘I’m on a gravel road – I’m going to do something but I’m going to go with a smile on my face.’” It’s truly sorrowful to …show more content…
PTSD isn’t something that can simply be prevented because it can happen in so many ways and at unexpected times, but getting proper help is something every victim has an opportunity for. A good way to help those affected is to simply raise awareness about PTSD. This can help people self-diagnose themselves to seek extra help for their own benefit, but can also help the families of victims notice signs to get proper help before it’s too late. Raising awareness can help victims figure if they might need medication, therapeutic help, or other methods that help victims cope with their mental health disorder. Another method is to help the victim find their old self. Lyman did a good job of this when he thought of his brother’s old prized possession. “I thought the car might bring the old Henry back” (Erdrich 5). Although in the book this didn’t fully help Henry recover it was definitely a step in the right direction and did somewhat bring some aspects of his old self back even if it was only momentarily. Another important thing to help PTSD victims is to make them feel comfortable so they’ll be open about their condition. In Alessandra Freitas’s Huffington post article, Dillon’s father, Jeff, described the family’s distraught after the situation when they realized that their son’s mental state wasn’t what was getting better. “‘He just got better at hiding it.’” Getting the victim to talk about
Signs of suicide in a PTSD victim are usually much harder to detect, and the scary reality is that it can happen in a blink of an eye. Henry didn’t show symptoms of suicide as evidently as his signs of PTSD. The signs Henry displays are more complex and aren’t very noticeable at first. “He said he’d fixed it just to give It back and I should take it” (Erdrich 7). Since Henry knew that Lyman had intentionally messed up the car, he felt that it was necessary to fix up the red convertible as a final deed to his brother before he would go. It really did seem like he had planned everything out because he suggested to go for a ride on the day he jumped in the river. “‘Got to cool me off!’ he shouts all of a sudden. Then he runs over to the river and jumps in” (Erdrich 11). Before Lyman can even process what had just happened, Henry was already gone but he did this in a somewhat peaceful way because he knew his suffering would finally be over. A similar incident is explained in Alessandra Freitas’s Huffington post article, Dillon showed signs of suicide by having financial issues and an argument with his mother before he unexpectedly ended his life, like Henry. Dillon showed signs of troubles up until the very end when he sends one last text to his ex-girlfriend. “‘I’m on a gravel road – I’m going to do something but I’m going to go with a smile on my face.’” It’s truly sorrowful to …show more content…
PTSD isn’t something that can simply be prevented because it can happen in so many ways and at unexpected times, but getting proper help is something every victim has an opportunity for. A good way to help those affected is to simply raise awareness about PTSD. This can help people self-diagnose themselves to seek extra help for their own benefit, but can also help the families of victims notice signs to get proper help before it’s too late. Raising awareness can help victims figure if they might need medication, therapeutic help, or other methods that help victims cope with their mental health disorder. Another method is to help the victim find their old self. Lyman did a good job of this when he thought of his brother’s old prized possession. “I thought the car might bring the old Henry back” (Erdrich 5). Although in the book this didn’t fully help Henry recover it was definitely a step in the right direction and did somewhat bring some aspects of his old self back even if it was only momentarily. Another important thing to help PTSD victims is to make them feel comfortable so they’ll be open about their condition. In Alessandra Freitas’s Huffington post article, Dillon’s father, Jeff, described the family’s distraught after the situation when they realized that their son’s mental state wasn’t what was getting better. “‘He just got better at hiding it.’” Getting the victim to talk about