An 18-year-old has recently opened up about his struggles with PTSD after watching a violent video in year eight.
Frazer McKenna, an English student, is backing a campaign to ban phones in schools after a traumatic incident he experienced at just 12 years old.
It was lunchtime on a typical day when he was forcibly shown a video of a man taking his own life.
“As I turned around, a phone got shoved in my face, and it’s a man blowing his head off,” Frazer told Sky News.
via Unsplash
“There are no words to express how much of an impact that video truly had on me and how different my life would be if I hadn’t seen it.”
After seeing the video, Frazer’s behaviour started to change at home.
“I was doing things I wouldn’t usually do, clashing with the family, behaving differently,” he explained.
His Dad added: “He wanted to go hurt himself with a knife.”
The ancient was a huge turning point for Frazer and his dad, as they both realised how harmful his behaviour had gotten and decided to get him the help he needed. Last year, after four years of struggling, Frazer got an official diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, which was directly linked to the year eight incident.
“I didn’t want to speak up, because my friends would’ve just been like, ‘Man up’, you know?” he explained.
Certain things trigger his PTSD, like the sound of a Nokia mobile phone and the “sound of blood running”, which were both featured in the violent video.
“[There have been] points where I have nearly taken my own life, harmed myself, and I think it has just gotten to a point where I couldn’t process things like a normal person would.”
Frazer is now using his traumatic experience to join a campaign banning the use of smartphones in secondary schools.
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Featured image via Good Morning Britain
