DISCLAIMER:
This piece of work is a written presentation of my own theories and ideas. If you have negative comments in mind, I'd prefer that you keep them to yourself. I apologise if my work offends or causes upset, and if so, I'd like to know how I can improve my work. Please remember that I am only one person, with a rather wild imagination, so some of the things you read may make absolutely no sense, much alike most of my stories.

That being said, please do not claim these ideas as your own. They are mine and I must be credited. Enjoy :).

This is part of a series in which I will post separate parts each consisting of a different branch of mental health that I believe is related to Ash.

This part will discuss the theory that Ash has PTSD.

PTSD, an abbreviation for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, is a mental health condition caused by a traumatic experience.

Firstly, it would be no surprise if Ash was indeed diagnosed with PTSD. I don't mean to generalize any ideas about mental health and I'm not saying that someone can be diagnosed with a serious mental condition solely based off of their experiences, but like I mentioned in My Theory About Ash's Mental Health: Depression, Ash has been through a lot of experiences that should've been traumatic for a normal person, and his depression and trauma (in theory, if he had them) could be linked. He has near-death experiences almost regularly and is treated horribly by a lot of the people and Pokemon in his life. He has also had to deal with intense stress and pressure, especially when it comes to saving the world. These experiences, unless he has repressed his feelings like I mentioned in the previously mentioned discussion, should have left him in shock and terrified to continue his journey.

Secondly, we can still see that Ash continues to be reckless and do dangerous things despite all he has been through. So we could say that this is caused by his initial PTSD which is only getting worse. It is possible that because he has had so many traumatic experiences, his trauma was reversed and instead of being afraid, he became absolutely fearless of death or any dangerous situation. To put it simply, he died so much that he doesn't mind whether he dies or not; his trauma made him immune to itself (I know physical and mental health is different but you know how they say people who eat dirt as children have the best immune systems?). The constant repetition and repression of his trauma could be causing him to have the opposite symptoms of what one would usually have in his circumstances. I have given reasons for him to be reckless in other discussions but this is possible as well.

And lastly, he shows symptoms from time to time. He is willing to put his life on the line in order not to prevent other people's deaths. This could possibly be a symptom expressed in a selfless way; because he has known the pain of dying so many times, he refuses to let anyone else experience it. He himself should have a fear of death, but it's almost like he projects that fear onto others and makes it a priority to protect them instead of himself. We have also seen flashbacks to his early childhood which are unpleasant for the most part (keep in mind it is canon that the only family he has known all his life is his mother and he was bullied), and flashbacks are another symptom of PTSD. (example: XYZ028, Seeing the Forest for the Trees!, flashback where young Ash is all alone in a forest in the middle of a storm, something about that experience might have been traumatic for him if he remembers it when he is in the same situation as an older child)

I don't mean to upset anyone with this content and I apologize if I did; please let me know how I can make my work better and improve my knowledge on mental health if I sounded ignorant.

I'd love to hear what you think about this or anything you'd like to add on!

what'd'ya guys think?

out of all of them which theory of mine did you like/agree with most so far?

remember to take care of yourselves, eat your damn food, drink your damn water, we can't have that ✨gorgeous✨ body and face malnourished or dehydrated can we? and stay safe in these trying times.

 (＾▽＾)