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Crucial, enlightening, captivating: TED X Talk by Michelle Esrick on her film, “Cracked Up”, about the childhood struggles of Darrell Hammond star of "Saturday Night Live".
Darrell Hammond was misdiagnosed for many years, by fourty (40) doctors pronouncing more than fourty (40) misdiagnoses: Misunderstood, mislabeled, mistreated.
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Darrell shares: Finally, a “doctor told me NOT to call it a “mental illness” it’s a “mental injury”
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Science confirms that traumatic responses are very logical and normal neurobiological processes triggered by very abnormal experiences. Yes, trauma is a normal, logical response. We call the beginning of the process “Fight, flight or freeze”. Then, continuing post-traumatic stress can lead to physical brain injury (PTSD). Ultimately the injury cascades into cognitive, behavioral and or social symptoms we can see including substance abuse, violence, suicide and seemingly unrelated physical symptoms such as heart attacks, cancer, pulmonary disease and a range of immune illnesses. All can be symptoms of trauma, which can then further cascade into the next generation.
Dr. Vincent Felitti on misdiagnoses -- “We are treating smoke [symptoms], and not the fire [trauma].”
"Cracked Up" opens this weekend in New York and Los Angeles.
Click Here for video of the TED X talk, including clips from the film "Cracked Up".
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