Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Hi, my name is Tiffany, and I have PTSD.
A lot of people aren't sure about PTSD, if it's even real, why can't someone just get over their past, and lots of other things.
Basic
First of all PTSD is very real, caused by an act, not a chemical imbalance however it does share some symptoms withDepression.
Treatment
Going into treatment for PTSD for me was a terrifying experience. Especially because I had yet to tell my parents about what had happened to me. I went to several different mental health professionals before I found one that I could really talk to. It took almost a year for me to open up completely. After that I was put into "intensive" therapy, where I went to therapy twice a week alone, and once with a group. I refused medication, and I still do. I have learned several breathing techniques that help me get through the more powerful anxiety attacks.
Causes
There is no way to really list the "causes" of PTSD, each and every person with PTSD is different, as is their reason for having it. There can be "general" reasons, but that's about it.
Daily Life with PTSD
For me, therapy has helped to an amazing extent. I still deal with it every second. Sometimes my mood swings can be so rapid they scare even me. I have the memories, the nigthmares, and they will never go away. I deal, as most with PTSD or any anxiety disorder do.
Triggers
Typically people with PTSD have "triggers" or "ticks" they vary from person to person, mine are genereally a scent, or a tone of voice. Sometimes it will be someones hand resting on my back, or someone I don't know trying to touch me. These things can all send me into a violent anxiety attack, sometimes all I do is shake. Sometimes they become so powerful that I vomit, and once or twice I have actually started pulling my hair from my scalp.
Questions? Comments?
PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
5 posts in this topic.
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I'm really glad you posted this, OE. I was in a psychology class last year where we studied this, and the majority thought it was just another name for general anxiety.
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They are similar in a lot of ways, so I can understand how people would get that impression
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Thanks for posting this, Tiff. My Mom struggles with this in combination with SA. She wakes up in the middle of the night with nightmares sometimes because of it and has memories come flashing back. At one point while my Dad was deployed, she threw up a lot and couldn't leave the house, but that could have been that and all of her stress from other things. She takes medication and goes to therapy but she still gets dizzy spells and feels like she's going to throw up a lot. She's told me a few of her memories but I never realized how much they really hurt her til she started to get sick.
I hope everything continues to go well in therapy and PM me if you ever need to talk or anything.
-Al -
Thankyou for posting this!
Reading it's helped me understand my own PTSD.
I was diagnosed about three months ago...or so.
It was especially hard for me to get treatment because the trauma happened in a hospital...which makes it really hard to trust any doctor except for two that are like family.
I'm also afraid of security guards and police. So people that would normally make you feel nice and safe make me literally run away or freeze in place like a statue. That's how some of my panic attacks happen. I freeze or run.
I keep going back to it, thining...is it really worth risking that danger again to live my daily life? My trauma would never have happened if I didn't have Tourette's. It was all this wretched misunderstanding about why I can't stop hitting myself... and it ended up causing me so much trouble later. Hippocratic oath? I think these few ER techniciians to the hippocritical oath.
sorry about that there... You are very right about the "it is real" thing. I think the most terrifying part is that it already, really happened. It's not just like a phobia, because at least with a phobia you can tell yourself "it's not in the real world, just in my mind..." but wiht PTSD, it has already happened, and it's there because your body is reacting strongly to protect you. At this point, I honnestly believe those "irrational" thoughts my PTSD gives me. Because my situation is exactly the same as it was when the trauma happened.
I really hope you're doing well, Always. I know the nightmares, terror at something so simple as a word that reminds you of the fear... I literally jump when I hear or read or think certain words, certain concepts, or see certain people/things.
It's good to know there's somebody else out there who is dealing with it well.
Thanks for writing this, Always. I know it takes a lot of courage to tell someone. That's probably the hardest part...telling.
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