Free From Prison But Haunted by Post Incarceration Syndrome (PICS)

Date:  08-10-2024 PICS is not recognized as a psychiatric disorder to the detriment of people experiencing it

From Truthout: I was wiping the counter in my new apartment when my emotions hit me along with the scent of Lysol. I couldn’t quite be the person I wanted to be: My kitchen was not spotless nor had I magically dropped 100 pounds in the few months since I was released. I looked around seeing all the stuff that was now mine from donations. It had not sunk in that it was really mine to keep. I was in disbelief that this is really my life now. I was there but I felt separated from my surroundings. I felt at any moment it all could be taken from me. The psychological effects of surviving a decade in prison are heavy in my current day-to-day life. “Reentry is hard,” people say. I must have heard that phrase so many times while I was incarcerated. Nobody can tell you exactly why it’s hard, just that it is. That really is the truth. Reentry is hard. That statement, so cliché and so simple, is the truth in 13 letters. Nobody can explain to you why it will be hard nor prepare you, because nobody can tell you exactly what you’re going face — everyone’s journey is unique. Each incarcerated individual leaving prisons comes with their own baggage, good and bad. They come out carrying the paperwork, trauma endured and modest possessions of the life they have lived thus far. Continue reading