Malinda Gayle McCready, our beautiful and talented country singer and mother of two precious sons, was born on November 30, 1975 in Fort Myers, Florida and passed on February 17, 2013 at her home in Heber Springs, Arkansas. Mindy McCready was laid to rest in her hometown of Fort Myers, Florida, at the Crossroads Baptist Church with NewsChannel5 and The Associated Press’s announcement of her Memorial Service held by her family and friends in Nashville, Tennessee. She was 37.
And we still keep asking, “Why?”
To Mindy’s psychiatrists, doctors, Dr. Drew, esteemed media and all involved:
Let’s call what it is…
The most ignored, misdiagnosed severe case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD,) at its highest and most dangerous level, leading to Mindy McCready’s death.
Billy McKnight’s abuse and attack could be the trigger-pull to Mindy McCready’s PTSD.
In this commentary, I hope to set the record straight and help others to know about how Post Traumatic Stress Disorder’s affects a person’s life and can cause the tendency toward suicide.
In researching Mindy’s short life, and so many red flags of PTSD appeared - a traumatic and or long term violent existence, trying to self-medicate with drugs or alcohol to extreme excess to forget the pain, erratic behavior, lack of self esteem, severe depression and in the saddest of all, and suicide.
Upon hearing word of Mindy’s death, my mind flashed back to a horrific episode In the “Celebrity Close Calls” Episode 9, aired August 20, 2011, on the BIO Channel and the A&E Television Networks. I was shocked and disgusted that day and since, seeing the deadly reenactment of the entire attack by William Patrick “Billy” McKnight on May 8, 2005. It was almost too much to watch - seeing beautiful, beloved and talented Country music artist suffering such a vicious, bloody attack and attempted murder (or as the courts decided to call it, assault) by McKnight. In Mindy’s story were very gruesome details and scenes with Mindy playing herself and spoken in her own words. In this video, you would see “vicious” as a ridiculous understatement…and it stays with me still. The attack is also explained in detail to People Magazine in their June 06, 2005 Vol. 63 - No. 22 issue.
Interesting enough, the Bio Channel’s video of that episode is “Not available at this time.” This video has all but disappeared or been removed from other sites. Amazon.com is the only place I could find Season One’s “Celebrity Close Calls,” which includes Episode 9, with Mindy’s attack, Bret Michaels’ story of experiencing a brain hemorrhage while recovering from an emergency appendectomy, and Ty Murray miraculously surviving being trampled by a bull. Both events could be seen as potential post-traumatic stressors. However, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is diagnosed more in women than in men, as stated by the NIH (the National Institute of Health) MedlinePlus publication.
Seeing Mindy’s “Celebrity Close Calls” video, “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” Pinsky’s attempt to protect his “learned” professional diagnosis of Mindy’s death defense In a call-in appearance on "The View," and attributing her death from depression, alcohol and drugs, along the almost sarcastic and seemingly unemotional interview responses of Billy McKnight, made me want to scream in anger at the television. “What is wrong with you people? Is there that much lack of understanding and recognizing the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?” Had someone recognized the symptoms and spiral toward Mindy’s death, she would be alive today. Almost a month after her death, it still haunts me.
The exact description by the Mayo Clinic regarding Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD):
“Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event. Many people who go through traumatic events have difficulty adjusting and coping for a while. But with time and taking care of yourself, such traumatic reactions usually get better. In some cases, though, the symptoms can get worse or last for months or even years. Sometimes they may completely shake up your life. In a case such as this, you may have post-traumatic stress disorder.” I will add, without treatment the most tragic of all outcomes from PTSD could be suicide.
Mayo Clinic also says: “Getting treatment as soon as possible after post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms develop may prevent long-term post-traumatic stress disorder.”And “Be it a long term battle with continued stress or one intensely traumatic event, PTSD can disrupt your whole life: your job, your relationships and even your enjoyment of everyday activities.” In our beloved Mindy McCready’s case, it led to her death.
A recent article from “PTSD: A Growing Epidemic,” the NIH (the National Institute of Health) MedlinePlus publication says, “PTSD symptoms seem to be worse if they were triggered deliberately by another person, as in a mugging or rape.”
Part Two: Now that we've taken ourselves outside from the symptom trees to see the whole PTSD forest, what were Mindy McCready's PTSD symptoms? What they should have noticed...
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