Unhappy anniversary.
So it goes for young Will Byers in the latest installment of the hit Netflix series, "Stranger Things 2." As days tick down to the date Will, played by Noah Schnapp, went missing a year earlier, he experiences unsettling episodes.
Blame the "anniversary effect," according to Will's shrink, played by Paul Reiser. "We see this with soldiers," the doc says. "The anniversary of the event brings back traumatic memories, sort of opens up the neurological floodgates, so to speak."
Really? Yes, actually. While the doctor seems a little shady, his diagnosis is legitimate.
The National Center for PTSD notes that "on the anniversary of traumatic events, some people may find that they experience an increase in distressing memories of the event. These memories may be triggered by reminders, but memories may also seem to come from out of the blue while at work, home, or doing recreational activities."
And the effects can range from mild to extreme. Associated symptoms of the anniversary effect include experiencing grief and sadness, difficulty in connecting with friends and family and feeling nervous and on edge, the Center notes.
In one study of Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield veterans, as noted by Refinery29, researchers found that 38 percent of subjects reported that their worst month coincided with the month in which their trauma occurred.
There is a bit of a silver lining. "Most people will feel better within a week or two after the anniversary," the Center notes. Is that the case for Will? No spoilers!
