could you expand on the way you mentioned Grayson and mental illness
well in the context of what i assume to be this post i was speaking more generally in terms of struggling with mental health than having any specific mental illness per se; i can’t be sure whether that’s something jennifer was actively taking into account when writing grayson’s character, but me personally i find that ptsd can be read into his character veryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy easily. now, personally i don’t think interpreting a character as having x or y mental illness requires them to match every single criteria, since there’s more to it than just checking off items in a list, but well… i mean look
Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence in one (or more) of the following ways:
Directly experiencing the traumatic event(s).
Witnessing, in person, the event(s) as it occurred to others.
Learning that the traumatic event(s) occurred to a close family member or close friend. In cases of actual or threatened death of a family member or friend, the event(s) must have been violent or accidental.
Experiencing repeated or extreme exposure to aversive details of the traumatic event(s) (e.g., first responders collecting human remains; police officers repeatedly exposed to details of child abuse). Note: Criterion A4 does not apply to exposure through electronic media, television, movies, or pictures, unless this exposure is work related.
2. Presence of one (or more) of the following intrusion symptoms associated with the traumatic event(s), beginning after the traumatic event(s) occurred:
Recurrent, involuntary, and intrusive distressing memories of the traumatic event(s).
Recurrent distressing dreams in which the content and/or affect of the dream are related to the traumatic event(s).
Dissociative reactions (e.g., flashbacks) in which the individual feels or acts as if the traumatic event(s) were recurring. (Such reactions may occur on a continuum, with the most extreme expression being a complete loss of awareness of present surroundings.)
Intense or prolonged psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event(s).
Marked physiological reactions to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event(s).
3. Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the traumatic event(s), beginning after the traumatic event(s) occurred, as evidenced by one or both of the following:
Avoidance of or efforts to avoid distressing memories, thoughts, or feelings about or closely associated with the traumatic event(s).
Avoidance of or efforts to avoid external reminders (people, places, conversations, activities, objects, situations) that arouse distressing memories, thoughts, or feelings about or closely associated with the traumatic event(s).
4. Negative alterations in cognitions and mood associated with the traumatic event(s), beginning or worsening after the traumatic event(s) occurred, as evidenced by two (or more) of the following:
Inability to remember an important aspect of the traumatic event(s) (typically due to dissociative amnesia, and not to other factors such as head injury, alcohol, or drugs).
Persistent and exaggerated negative beliefs or expectations about oneself, others, or the world (e.g., “I am bad,” “No one can be trusted,” “The world is completely dangerous,” “My whole nervous system is permanently ruined”).
Persistent, distorted cognitions about the cause or consequences of the traumatic event(s) that lead the individual to blame himself/herself or others.
Persistent negative emotional state (e.g., fear, horror, anger, guilt, or shame).
Markedly diminished interest or participation in significant activities.
Feelings of detachment or estrangement from others.
Persistent inability to experience positive emotions (e.g., inability to experience happiness, satisfaction, or loving feelings).
5. Marked alterations in arousal and reactivity associated with the traumatic event(s), beginning or worsening after the traumatic event(s) occurred, as evidenced by two (or more) of the following:
Irritable behavior and angry outbursts (with little or no provocation), typically expressed as verbal or physical aggression toward people or objects.
Reckless or self-destructive behavior.
Exaggerated startle response.
Problems with concentration.
Sleep disturbance (e.g., difficulty falling or staying asleep or restless sleep).
6. Duration of the disturbance (Criteria B, C, D and E) is more than 1 month.
7. The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
8. The disturbance is not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance (e.g., medication, alcohol) or another medical condition.
↑ grayson davenport hawthorne.
on top of all this, when faced with another traumatic experience (plane explosion) that resembles the first one in any way shape or form, he starts experiencing psychotic symptoms. iirc, while he first hallucinates emily during the plane explosion, he keeps experiencing them later until they stop seemingly while he’s at harvard. experiencing hallucinations is actually quite common without necessarily being linked to a specific diagnosis, and they can be provoked by any number of stressors. it makes sense that for grayson, they’d stop on their own with no treatment after some time away from an environment where he felt constantly reminded of his trauma. ik this is framed as him running away bc he’s an avoidant king and well yes but sometimes you do need a break and some distance and it did help, at least with that.
and this is just the emily-related stuff! but it’s all connected really. grayson grew up with an absent mom and no dad, he was adultified and held up to insane standards since childhood, put in constant competition with his brothers, made to be constantly trying to earn his grandfather’s approval, no friends, etc etc. he’s extremely self critical and self loathing and perfectionistic and he has a mother wound and he had no healthy role models and his life was set out for him since he was small so he never developed any career interests of his own he just did what he thought his grandfather expected of his heir. and all this impact the way he forms attachments, sees himself and the world, and engages with his feelings. therefore they affect the way his mind responds to traumatic events and put him at a higher risk of developing maladaptive responses or disorders like ptsd. he uses swimming as a form of self harm and he and jameson destroy the treehouse as a form of self harm also. none of these boys know how to properly process traumatic events or manage any stressor really because all the adults in their life failed them during every single developmental stage.
so. idk if that's expanded enough for you but it's what i'm thinking. at the moment. :)
blakekathryn
vaporwave
gamechangershow
titsay
