wtf PTSD

This film is based on the true story of REX, a 250 lbs German Sheppard who served with the United States Marine Corps in Iraq and Afghanistan as an IED (improvised explosive device) search dog, and his handler, a female marine corporal (Megan Leavey). It follows the bond that grows between the two over the 100 missions they complete together.

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The story begins with Cpl Leavey who is awaiting disciplinary action; she has been assigned to the Marine Dog Unit for punishment duty, where she encounters Rex who was thought to be untrainable due to his aggressive behaviour. It goes on to show the difficulty Megan has in coming to terms with the aftermath of IED explosions. She is diagnosed with PTSD and must return to the US for rest and treatment, ultimately losing her friend and partner, REX. The story culminates with Megan enlisting the help of her state senator to take on the Marine Corps to allow her to adopt Rex, who has himself been diagnosed with PTSD and thought to be unsuited to a return to civilian life.

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Both characters in the story helped each other to overcome the frightening effects of PTSD and go on to live reasonable normal lives together untill Rex’s death in 2012.

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This story has meaning for all sides of the PTSD debate: it shows the difficulties that service personnel who have witnessed combat face when they return to a civilian environment and, it shows the indifference and (unintentional) ignorance of family, friends, and employers who, through a lack of information and education, can fail to understand what PTSD sufferers are going through. "Oh, pull yourself together!"

 

The film shows the mental stress and sleepless nights that PTSD sufferers go through. In particlular, it gives a good account of the speed at which the sufferer can change from calm and controlled to stressed and panicked with dark thoughts of events that refuse to leave the mind and flashbacks that rekindle the terrors.  It also depicts how sufferers can keep family and loved ones at arms reach and show aggressive confrontation towards them if triggered by a seemingly insignificant action, sound or phrase.

 

Overall, I would say that this film portrayed PTSD realistically; what I mean, when she was injured and was sent to Germany for treatment she lost her dog and this seemed to trigger the symptoms of PTSD. I have experience with working as a dog handler and I could really relate to this. I thought that the triggering of the symptoms and how she dealt with this was the main storyline. The film also showed the impact on family and friends and they didn't water this down. This is a very important message to communicate about PTSD.

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see official trailer

Who do you think this resource would be most useful for?     

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• People with PTSD

• Friends and Families

• Clinicians

• Veterans

• Survivors of childhood trauma

• Survivors of sexual assault

• Other (please state):

Does this resource need a trigger warning?  

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Yes   /.  No

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You may want to give more details here:   

How helpful was this resource overall, on the 5 star rating scale?    

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1. Very unhelpful

2. Unhelpful,

3. Neither helpful nor unhelpful

4. Helpful

5. Very Helpful

How would you describe yourself?

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Expert-by-Experience. (ex-military)

Clinical Expert

Expert-through-Supporting

No direct experience of PTSD