Harry has PTSD

[finwitch]

No: HPFGUIDX 124994


CMC wrote:
> 
> While Harry displays some of the diagnostic criteria of PTSD as 
> described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American 
> Psychiatric Association, he most emphatically fails to display one 
> crucial symptom: that is, an intense desire to avoid 
> thoughts/recollections of the traumatic event. Harry, by contrast, 
> wants to shout Voldemort's return from the rooftops.

Finwitch:

Ah - but that holds true only if we consider Cedric's death as the 
only trauma behind it. If, however, we consider the loss of his 
PARENTS, well... Harry's taking pains to avoid the Dursleys - 
(running from Dudley, mostly) - or wanting to be away from Aunt 
Marge... and of course, his loneliness and lack of support makes it 
worse. Recovery begins when the first Letter arrives.

And then he got Quirrellmort to deal with... and he's alone again. 
(But mind you, Harry's doing this because he couldn't bear losing 
Hogwarts!)

Then there was the basilisk - and he's alone again. (and losing Ginny 
AND Hogwarts would be even more of a stress than the fight).

Of course in PoA, he's reached the limit. Aunt Marge blows up. (And 
Harry still wanted to be away from her to avoid the stress...). And 
this year, it's time for Harry to start dealing with Great Trauma 
One. Dementors bring the memory he's mainly forgotten back to him.
He's terrified of these feelings - (which is why his boggart is a 
Dementor). And it's not just Dementors, either - the unsigned 
permission slip also reminds him of what he doesn't have: Parents. In 
the end, Harry has, in part at least, solved his problem - shown by 
his Patronus Charm holding and chasing the Dementors off.

In the end of GoF, Death of Cedric becomes Trauma Two for Harry. 
We're not seeing Harry for a month - and then we're off to OOP(what 
happened during that month? shock? Avoiding stress? I'd say that not 
knowing is worse than knowing all the bad things...). Arrival of the 
Dementors forces Harry to start dealing with the Cedric Trauma - and 
he's older, and he's gone trough this before - but he still needs to 
let his anger out. So he yells at the first safe people he meets: Ron 
and Hermione. (Not a co-incidence that the thought of them also drove 
away the Dementors...)

BUT: he's off for his NEXT Trauma: His method of relief for PTSD 
causes legal problems... Enter Umbridge; Enter Discredit; ... Loads 
of things piling up. He knows what he must do now, though - let the 
anger out before someone blows up. (Maybe he was starting to figure 
that hurting himself is a good way to deal with his frustration? He's 
just doing it so that he's not losing the support of his friends) and 
in the end, it's losing Sirius. Now, Harry's not staying in shock-
stage. No. He's desperate. He wants to follow Sirius to death but 
can't, so he's on with anger-mode again and off hurting someone else. 
And then he's throwing stuff in Dumbledore's office until the anger 
wears off.

Finwitch