I've talked about Izzy. I've talked about Denny. I've even thrown in a comment or three about Alex.
But the confusion, and sometimes the aggravation, over the ghostly love affair and the "maybe, but maybe not!" brain disorder surrounding the exhausting Izdennex storyline on Grey's Anatomy has nothing on the public awareness and education actor Kevin McKidd's character, Major Owen Hunt, has the potential to bring.
Although I don't think anyone's clearly stated it onscreen just yet, Hunt - Seattle Grace's newest Mc-something ("Badass"? "Manly"? "Kill-a-pig"? I've read so many) - certainly seems to be bringing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to the charts. Where some GA storylines have left a bit to be desired (Rebecca/Ava and her borderline personality disorder) and some have flat out flopped (anyone remember that chainsaw-wielding emergency room patient a few seasons back, the one who got a quick prescription before he promptly removed his own leg?), Major Hunt's character could very well be poised to successfully blend entertainment and mental health awareness.
To get a good grip on just how important it is for us to understand PTSD (as if the current state of so many of our soldiers and war veterans isn't enough), I've solicited the help of PTSD survivor and seriously passionate advocate, Michele Rosenthal.
Read on!
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Alicia Sparks: All right Michele, you don’t watch Grey’s Anatomy (gasp!) but surely you know what kind of buzz it generates each Thursday night. When it comes to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) awareness and education, what do you hope Shonda Rhimes and the rest of the GA writers do – or don’t do – with Major Owen Hunt’s character?
Michele Rosenthal: Don’t hate me because I’m not a GA junkie! I used to be, but then life got in the way: I was deep in my own PTSD experience when the series began and the hospital drama just wasn’t something I could continue to watch. I applaud Rhimes and the crew, though, for incorporating this growing mental health issue into the show.
Did you know that of the 1.64 million service members deployed by October 2007 approximately 300,000 veterans now suffer from PTSD? And that’s just the diagnosed cases. Add that number to the civilian estimate that suggests up to 20% of people will experience some form of PTSD in their lifetime and the number jumps to over 30 million, so this is an extremely timely topic for GA to explore. My greatest hope is that they show the variety of symptoms that manifest as PTSD, including re-experiencing traumatic events through flashbacks and nightmares; avoidance of memories through diminished emotions and efforts to avoid any reminiscent or triggering details; emotional numbing; hyperarousal: irritability, anger, insomnia, exaggerated startle response; and finally, the deep sense of isolation that PTSD experiencers suffer as a result of their symptoms and traumatic experience.
What I hope GA does not do is show exaggerated symptoms without exploring the thoughts, feelings and struggling psychological motivations behind the erratic actions. GA has a unique opportunity here to educate viewers about PTSD. I hope they approach that aspect of the storyline with great honor and care.
AS: Oh, Michele, like I could blame you for avoiding the abuse! Moving on, in a recent Times Online article, Kevin McKidd stated it was “brave to put a character who’s suffering from post-traumatic trauma and is talking about a war that is still ongoing in a prime-time show.” Why do you believe McKidd thinks it’s “brave” to include such characters and themes?
MR: First, I think because PTSD is a hot topic right now. As McKidd says, this character’s history is in relation to the ongoing war – a war that is singlehandedly bringing PTSD to incredibly high levels in the military. A show must tread carefully in how it presents this topic when there are real people and their families for whom this subject is going to hit very close to home.
Second, recently the Pentagon decided to award Purple Heart medals only to soldiers who do not have PTSD. There’s been a huge outcry in the media on both sides, so stepping into the PTSD camp and supporting the reality and honor of PTSD is a courageous act. (Actually, it would be interesting for the show to pick up on this ‘invisible wounds’ debate.)
Finally, I think PTSD – any mental health issue – invites stigma. The challenge is to portray a character with such subtlety and nuance that viewers see the humanity and say, I get that. That’s how I would feel. In order to do this topic justice, GA must introduce a character whose emotions and behavior are such that an audience immediately feels compassion. PTSD is a complex psychological (and often physiological) entity; you’d have to have courage to think you could write and inhabit a character who remains plausible in reality even while his experience is exactly driven by a complete disconnect from that reality!
