Laurie and Debbie say:

Hip-hop artist Pharaohe Monch has a new album called PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

PTSD gets a lot of play in the U.S. news, because of American soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, but the news generally implies that it’s a condition that only or generally affects soldiers.That’s only true to the extent that you can be a soldier in a war or in the street or in your bedroom.

PTSD gets started when people experience violence in their daily lives: in their homes, in their neighborhoods, or in their livelihoods.  You can have PTSD from being an incest survivor, or a fireman, or living in a dangerous neighborhood. You can get PTSD from what you do and from what’s done to you … frequently both.

Melissa Harris-Perry interviewed Monch about the album. One  especially visceral track is “Broken Again.”

In this song, Monch nails the experience of PTSD by putting you there, both with the music/lyrics and with the video images.

PTSD is everywhere and everyone needs to be aware of it. Pharaohe Monch isn’t making anything easy here; he’s telling the truth instead.