PTSD Survivors Respond to Woman Who Claims Trump’s 2016 Win Over Hillary Gave Her PTSD

The founder of a progressive pro-immigrant organization was roundly mocked on social media over the weekend after claiming she continued to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder because of Hillary Clinton’s defeat in the 2016 presidential election.

Sayu Bhojwani, a democracy activist who served as New York City’s first commissioner of immigrant affairs, tweeted out a message of support for Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Sunday that included her diagnosis of the psychological factors dampening the public’s enthusiasm for the 2020 hopeful.

3/5 She's smart, compassionate, a fighter. Her racial justice lens is stronger than any candidate we have to choose from. Her cabinet will be thoughtful, qualified & experienced. The energy & determination she would approach her first 100 days will make our heads spin.

— Dr. Sayu Bhojwani (@SayuBhojwani) February 23, 2020

“A lot of us saw our hopes for a strong, competent woman president dashed in 2016 and we still have PTSD. I think that’s holding us back from supporting @ewarren publicly,” she said.

“I’ve been in so many rooms where women are saying they love @ewarren but they’re cautious & guarded. Of course. We had our hearts broken in 2016 & are scared of another heartbreak.”

MORE: VIDEO: ‘Crazy Leftist’ Melts Down on Day Trump Is Acquitted: ‘Slash Republican Throats!’

The president and founder of New American Leaders, an organization that trains immigrants to run for office, continued advocating for Warren in a series of additional tweets.

Warren’s “racial justice lens is stronger than any candidate we have to choose from,” Bhojwani declared.

“Her cabinet will be thoughtful, qualified & experienced. The energy & determination she would approach her first 100 days will make our heads spin,” she tweeted, before urging those who back Warren behind close doors to go public with their support.

Bhojwani’s attempt to get voters excited about Warren ginned up a social media crowd — but not for the reason she likely expected.

Numerous users criticized Bhojwani, who appears on her organization’s website in a photo with militant progressive congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, for elevating her disappointment with the 2016 election to the level of PTSD, a debilitating condition often associated with survivors of war and sexual and physical abuse.

Some PTSD sufferers replied to Bhojwani:

I have PTSD from years of severe physical abuse at the hands of my ex-husband who I was forced to stay with b/c I couldn't afford healthcare, childcare, and would become homeless with my 3 children if I left. And, yes, all of that happened when I finally did.

But go off, I guess https://t.co/AxDTXDzdrp

— eh (@BethLynch2020) February 24, 2020

“How is it possible that there are so many Warren supporters on this site who have no regard for survivors of abuse/trauma?” tweeted writer Cari Hernandez. “You DO NOT have PTSD from seeing a woman lose an election. THAT’S NOT WHAT PTSD IS.”

One Twitter user’s response to Bhojwani’s remarks went viral on Sunday, garnering nearly 20,000 likes.

this is actually insulting to people who deal with real PTSD and is worse than Bernie Bros just tweeting "drop out" at Warren posts

— 红色娘子军🌹 (@detachment_red) February 24, 2020

“Imagine being so far removed from reality that you have the gall to compare your disappointment at your preferred candidate’s loss to *checks notes* the crippling trauma that abuse victims and people living in war-torn countries endure every day,” tweeted another commenter.

https://twitter.com/sheabutterfemme/status/1231736582316711941

Bhojwani, for her part, appeared to concede that she could have chosen her words “more carefully, ” as one commenter suggested on Twitter.

Fair critique.

— Dr. Sayu Bhojwani (@SayuBhojwani) February 23, 2020

Trump derangement syndrome

Ill-chosen as Bhojwani’s words may have been, there is some evidence that the deleterious effects of so-called “Trump derangement syndrome” are real.

In 2018, therapists indicated a rise in what they unofficially diagnosed as “Trump Anxiety Disorder.”

MORE: Woman Caught on Camera Defacing Trump Campaign Sign – Gets Stuck Trying to Escape

Clinical psychologist Jennifer Panning – who is credited with originally coining the term – described the symptoms of “Trump Anxiety disorder” in a 2017 essay as worrying about the state of the country, feeling helpless and out of control, and spending too much time on social media.

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