10 Stereotypes About PTSD That We Learned From Greys Anatomy

The media is well-known for misrepresenting mental illness, especially more stigmatized illnesses like bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and PTSD. Grey's Anatomy, a generally progressive show, has plenty of slip ups when it comes to PTSD. This article contains spoiler alerts up until season twelve, and shuts down some bullshit. tw: mental illness, ptsd, some violence, abusive behavior

1. PTSD is a violent disease.

Via ptsd.va.gov

Owen Hunt is the picture perfect American Hero-- a dedicated and selfless soldier, as well as straight, white, educated, and a pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps type. We find out that he has PTSD pretty early on. This is revealed to us through many violent episodes, even though, according to the Department for Veteran Affairs, PTSD rarely causes violence (although outbursts and emotional episodes can happen). Owen punches and chokes people, breaks things, and scares many of his staff members, all usually on a day where his PTSD is particularly difficult to deal with. This is a dramatization. PTSD does not mean you will become violent, and it is not an excuse for violence.

2. PTSD is something that only happens to veterans

Via ptsdunited.org

While other doctors clearly have PTSD symptoms throughout the show, Owen is Mr. PTSD. He "gets" what everyone is going through, and is shown as a bank of knowledge for all things PTSD related. His PTSD is also valued more in the show, considering that other characters talk about what caused their PTSD specifically, while only a select few find out about even some of Owen's trauma. His flashbacks are also more vivid and cause him to be violent, suggesting that his PTSD is more "real" than that of others. PTSD does not just come from war, nor does it just come from plane crashes and shootings. According to an organization called PTSD United, 8% of people have PTSD at any given time. PTSD is a response to any severe trauma, and all kinds of people have PTSD.

3. PTSD is reserved for whiteness, maleness, and straightness

Via ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

As Mr. PTSD, Owen also asserts that true PTSD is earned by his whiteness, maleness, and straightness, even though research shows that women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with PTSD, people of color are more likely to be exposed to traumatic events, and LGBT+ youths are more likely to have PTSD than straight youths. Other characters, like Meredith and Christina, disavow their relationship with mental health because of the threat of paternalism, which runs rampant in conversations about disability, gender, and race. Although Owen also does not deal well with his illness, he is able to identify with it, which is something others are unable to do.

4. PTSD is something to be covered up

One of the only open conversation that happens about PTSD is between Arizona and Christina, in which they ask each other if they still have nightmares about the plane crash. The conversation is actually heartwarming, and I think the GA writers did a good job, but it was less than twenty seconds long.

In another episode in season seven, the doctors relive the trauma of the hospital shooting when other shooting victims come in as patients. Weber, in a pep talk to support the doctors, says "We're going to have feelings today and there's no shame in that... but we are going to do our work first and have our feelings later". It's definitely one of the more confusing lines, but with a clear message: we will not give accommodations to you, so get it together. This episode acts as a signal that the gang is over their trauma, six months after, by their ability to handle this trauma case, ending the PTSD narrative for most characters.

For many people, PTSD persists for years or their whole life, so there's no reason to cover it up or pretend it's short lived.

5. PTSD means you have to "get over it"

Via Davis, Lennard J. “Introduction: Disability, Normality, and Power".

Christina and Owen both pressure each other to get better. Even when Christina is unable to talk after the plane crash, Owen says to her "you'll be back in the OR working your magic in no time". Meredith threatens her with sending her up to the "kuckoo's nest" (their adoring name for the psych ward) unless she verbally communicates and "snaps out of it". When she starts to recover from her initial state of shock, she wants to suppress her emotions and to be "normal". This is where the "tyranny of the norm" comes in, explained by Lennard Davis, which means that hegemonic expectations of the body are enforced through systematic structures, especially in medicine. Here, mental health is not only painted as something temporary, but as an inconvenience for others and a hindrance on progress, especially in the professional medical field.

6. PTSD isn't a disability

Since the characters have already made it clear that PTSD is something you can overcome (see: Joseph Shapiro's "Tiny Tims, Supercrips, and the End of Pity"), that means that it wasn't real in the first place. Not only is it easy for others to deny your experience because of these stereotypes that we see on TV, but it's easy to deny it ourselves. Internalized ableism is systematic and we all deal with it, especially with stigmatized disabilities like PTSD. And with the illusion of medical authority from the characters, we can see how mental illness is devalued in medicine.

7. Women of color are sponges for white emotions

In respect to race and gender, Christina's role was to be Owen's sponge: she often immediately accepted being mistreated, or made excuses because of his condition and didn't want to blame him. And of course, this was not the case when the roles were reversed once Christina was diagnosed with PTSD.

More than that, Christina was a sponge-like friend for Meredith as well, and because she was portrayed as hard and professional, she never needed this reciprocated. However, after the shooting in the hospital and the plane crash, Christina was clearly weakened by her PTSD, while Meredith was not (like, at all). This shows a double standard in which women of color are not allowed emotions and regular-people drama, but are also still less stable than white women.

8. PTSD is an excuse for abuse

Not only did Christina mop up all of Owen's emotional baggage, but he was openly verbally, emotionally, and physically abusive to her, all of which she excused for his PTSD. In the very first episode that featured Owen Hunt, he was shown as someone who didn't play by the rules, didn't ask for permission, and didn't take orders from anyone else; in TV, these mean someone's a bad ass, but in the real world, these are red flags for abuse. Owen also gets the benefit of the doubt in many situations, most likely because of his white maleness and status as an American hero. Because Owen's personality is so intertwined with his PTSD diagnosis, it is difficult to parse these a part, but let me say it loud for the people in the back: PTSD can cause a lot of things, but it does not account for abusive behavior.

9. If you have PTSD, you can't be in a functional relationship

Owen and Christina's relationship was clearly toxic, and had a bittersweet ending that the audience knew was for the best. But after their breakup, Christina disappears, and we assume that her life will revolve around work from this point on. Owen is in other relationships and eventually remarries, but his PTSD denial quickly causes a rift and eventually assists in ending the marriage. PTSD also contributes to another divorce between Callie and Arizona, and all other couples who cope with PTSD either has one or both partners die. Yeah, that's how bad GA writers think PTSD is. This is not the case. Again, millions of people live with PTSD, and PTSD does not mean you are unable to be loved in a healthy and functional way (swoon).

10. PTSD ruins your life (spoiler: it doesn't)

Owen Hunt is a train wreck throughout the rest of the show, especially within his relationship with Christina. In an episode where Christina decides whether or not to break up with Owen for the final time, one scenario ends with Owen as a chronic alcohol abuser who is eventually fired, showcasing how Christina was the only thing holding him together (this relates back to the sponge theory).

Christina, on the other hand, decides to leave Grey-Sloan in season ten. Often, leaving the scene of traumatic events is good for one's mental health, and this was probably a good decision on her part. However, it is clear in the show that Christina's PTSD symptoms impeded on her professional abilities, leading many to speculate that she couldn't handle being there anymore. This too shows a type of life-ending for Christina, one that was ended from the trauma she endured. PTSD can be just as manageable as other mental illnesses; you don't need to start a new life in order to be okay.

PTSD is a very real, very common disorder. The way the media exploits PTSD and other mental illnesses is not okay. Although Grey's Anatomy can be progressive and kick ass in other respects, we need to remain critical of the ideas and images that we are consuming.