Historically speaking PTSD in solders was treated as weakness and cowardice, and people were executed for it as a result. source

I feel like the narrative that only combat related trauma can cause "real" PTSD is one that I experienced as well, and it's kept me from considering the effects that the constant violence in my upbringing caused until fairly recently in my life.

But it's strange because searching for evidence of the narrative turns up lots of sites that are countering the narrative. But not much that shows how we got to the narrative in the first place.

Given that shell shock article I can imagine how accepting PTSD in combat situations but not other typed of trauma could be a stepping stone for some people to accepting that they might, themselves, need or benefit from therapy. But that's just a guess.