HELP! diagnosed with ptsd.

Question

hi, i am 21 years old and i have had a lot of bad things happen in my life, yesterday i broke down in tears at work after having flashbacks, if i am not doing something i get them very bad, now the youth worker at work has suggested seeing a psychologist, i went to the doctor and he referred me and told me it was likely i had ptsd, i am scared to talk to anyone about what my past holds. i cant even tell my partner, ive never told my family. the doctor also put me on anti depressants. i dont sleep, i am constantly on edge and i am paranoid about home security. i know i need to face this but its so hard. can anyone who has also dealt with this please tell me how i can get this out and get better i just want it to stop. and if they faced the same problem of not wanting to talk.

Answer 1

Hey..

I have depression, and it was VERY hard for me to talk about it, to my friends, family, or doctor

In the end though, it was the best thing I did, he referred me to a psychiatrist and I did a short course of anti-depressants

The hard, embarrassing (even though it shouldn't be >_> stupid society) step of going to see a psychiatrist was worth it, do it do it :)

Good luck!

Answer 2

i have never been diagnosed with ptsd but i have been in a very bad way thru having major depression also thru having a lot of bad things happen to me in life.  For me it was the love of my partner and having his understanding an the knowledge that he was there for me and knowing that no matter how bad what i was saying to him he always said that he would much rather have me say what is on my mind and get it off my chest so i could process it and adjust to it an see it for what it was an the major thing is that u need to realise that things happen in life but that doesnt mean that its your fault we are all human and we make mistakes but its when we learn from them that makes us good ppl.  I also blocked things out or pushed them aside for far too many years and ultimately it just keeps building up an becoming an even bigger problem to adjust to and to try to process and place in perspective.

The one piece of advice that i can offer is that no matter how bad things get u need to find the positive no matter how small it is it is still a positive.  By focusing on the negatives in life an all the bad things that have happened you will only allow yourself to be brought down further.

In all honesty i would tell your partner yes it can be a scary thing to be told but if ur partner truly loves u they will be there with you and by ur side and its the best support u can have.

I saw a counsellor for a while and i did go onto medication for 6 months but i got to the point where i just wasnt bothered with medication and i wanted to do it for myself and really see just how strong a person i am and can be and as much as i still have my down days or my moments where life can get hard and things get to me at the end of the day i still can see that i am a good person i have a great partner and the best kids in the world an life cant get much better than it is.

I hope this helps

Good Luck

Answer 3

The conscious mind represses memories, but the subconscious is enormously powerful, and persistent, and will usually manifest in some way, or other, drawing attention to the problem it considers needs addressing.

A modified version of a previous post follows:

See Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, at http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris on pages 33 - 34, and examine the http://1-800-therapist.com/ website, and use the locators in sections 33 - 34, and section 1, and phone book, and/or various associations for psychiatrists and psychologists, to find the nearest one using EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy).

If unable to afford it, or to locate one nearby, contact the county/local mental health agency: any therapy on offer may prove helpful, particularly if combined with an appropriate medication, possibly propranolol. (The following is a variant of EMDR therapy, which has been used successfully for those people suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, insomnia, and anxiety: it is easily learned, quick to use, yet can be very effective.

It is easy to be dismissive of it, because it may seem a little strange, but is well worth trying, for at least a few weeks, to see how it effective it is in your case). First, sit comfortably, and take a deep breath. Then, without moving your head, move your eyes from the left, to the right, and back again, taking around a second to do so (say: "a thousand and one": this takes approximately a second).

Repeat this procedure (without the words, although you can count, subvocally if you like) 20 times. Then close your eyes and relax. Become aware of any tension or discomfort you feel. Then open your eyes, and take another deep breath, and repeat step one, closing your eyes, and relaxing afterwards, in the same manner. Then, repeat the procedure one last time.

Some people may find that this is all they need do: others find that they need 2 sessions in quick succession, but professional treatment is the best option, if you can access it. With practice, you may find that you can employ this technique with your eyes closed, thereby enabling a much wider window of opportunity to use in public, without attracting unwanted attention.

Professional EMDR is always much preferable, and Opester, (who gives it a glowing recommendation) a therapist with more than 20 years experience, and a former contributor, here, stated that it was one of only 2 disorders which can be completely cured.

If you can't talk about it, at first, write it down sometime in a journal, when you are feeling up to it (this experience can be highly cathartic, but stressful as well, and should not be attempted unsupervised if you are prone to substance abuse, or have suicidal thoughts) and hand A COPY* to your therapist, saying you have trouble talking about it.

* If you decide to change therapists, or undergo further therapy at a later stage, you won't have to go through it all again.