The Flight Attendant is a typical pop-culture portrayal of PTSD (or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). Cassie Bowden, played by Kaley Cuoco in the HBO Max series, is deeply disturbed, haunted by daily flashbacks, and self-medicating with alcohol. Without giving away any spoilers, let’s just say that Cassie is not handling her past trauma very well. Instead, she’s drowning in it.
While this is often how the media portrays PTSD, it isn’t the most accurate depiction. Not everyone who suffers from the disorder struggles with rage, substance abuse, or even debilitating flashbacks. Sure, some do, and some more than others. But it’s also true that many people with PTSD also go on to lead happy and fulfilling lives.
Since June is PTSD Awareness Month, we asked two trauma specialists to help us better understand the disorder, its stereotypes, its triggers, and why those triggers can be utterly unattached to the trauma itself.
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