PTSD

[Anonymous]

OK, so I am in therapy finally to work on getting past a very unpleasant incident when I was 12. My therapist says that PTSD is very common, so I am wondering how common. PTSD is not something that everyone openly discusses over lunch with their girlfirends. I don't feel like bringing it up even with some of my closest friends because I honestly feel like I am being a little childish by not being about to get past something that happened almost 20 years ago.

Anyone else in the same boat?

[Anonymous]

ptsd after 12 years!!! yes i think you should grow up

[Anonymous]

Please ignore the PP.

I also hada very unpleasant experience with an uncle when I was 15. I am 26 now, and still have awful days. I was seeing a therapist at the DC Rape Crisis Center for a while. It helped a little. I do agree its not something that is easily brought up in conversations with friends, but it is a situation that should be dealt with or it could affect your relationship with your significant other.

Hang in there

[Anonymous]

PTSD is very common years after a traumatic incident -- particularly if you haven't fully dealt with the trauma. I don't have personal experience with PTSD, but I familiar with it from a professional perspective having done advocacy related to homeless veterans (who commonly suffer from PTSD -- the guys from the Vietnam era who were never treated, lived on the streets for decades, etc. are commonly treated for PTSD today)(hopefully the men and women presently serving abroad will be diagnosed and treated more quickly -- although I'm not holding my breath). Get the help you need so that you can move on with your life in a happy way. Good luck to you.

[Anonymous]

Please ignore the 2nd poster. S/he should be so blessed as to never having anything so bad that would cause PTSD.

I have something similar, and I know it's very, very hard. FOr me, it seems like the anxiety never ends and it's totally exhausting. I'm not sure how common it is, but I empahtize with your suffering. I hope your therapist helps.

Good luck, OP.

[Anonymous]

I had something horrible happen to me and my family when i was 13. i still think ptsd 20 later is unrealistic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had something horrible happen to me and my family when i was 13. i still think ptsd 20 later is unrealistic

There is great individual variation in response to trauma, based on a number of biopsychosocial factors. One person can experience an event and not have PTSD; another who experiences the same event may have PTSD symptoms. OP, I'm not in the same boat but I worked as a therapist with abused women and men and children for a number of years. Your experience is extremely common; don't let anyone minimize or trivialize it. At the same time, it is your experience and your reaction to it will be determined by many different factors. If you need to, you can read any number of studies on PTSD with veterans, sexual abuse and assault survivors, etc. That may normalize things for you a little bit, and help you understand that you are far from alone. I'm glad you have a therapist you feel comfortable with and I wish you all the best.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:I had something horrible happen to me and my family when i was 13. i still think ptsd 20 later is unrealistic

The original poster asked a single question, "Anyone else in the same boat?". If you were not prepared to answer that question, I am not sure why you are replying. Nobody really gives a shit what you think is or is not realistic.

[Anonymous]

Amen!!

[M2FH]

I'm in the same boat. I had something pretty traumatic happen to me as a teenager and I'm still working through it. My mother is still working through an event that happened to her over 40 years ago. My husband is currently working through some PTSD as a result of his time overseas. I'm a little unsure where the line is drawn between PTSD and, for some, a lifelong process of dealing with things that have happened.

For those a**holes saying that you should "grow up" here are a few quotes for you:

"Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can occur after you have been through a traumatic event. A traumatic event is something horrible and scary that you see or that happens to you. During this type of event, you think that your life or others' lives are in danger. You may feel afraid or feel that you have no control over what is happening.

Anyone who has gone through a life-threatening event can develop PTSD. These events can include:

* Combat or military exposure
* Child sexual or physical abuse
* Terrorist attacks
* Sexual or physical assault
* Serious accidents, such as a car wreck.
* Natural disasters, such as a fire, tornado, hurricane, flood, or earthquake.

After the event, you may feel scared, confused, and angry. If these feelings don't go away or they get worse, you may have PTSD. These symptoms may disrupt your life, making it hard to continue with your daily activities."

"PTSD symptoms usually start soon after the traumatic event, but they may not happen until months or years later. They also may come and go over many years. If the symptoms last longer than 4 weeks, cause you great distress, or interfere with your work or home life, you probably have PTSD."

Source: http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/index.jsp

I think that it is so great, and important, that you're now in therapy to work through this. I didn't understand the extent of my pain until I made it to a therapist. My husband practically forced me to the therapist after he saw that what I'd gone through (years before I'd even met him) was impacting my daily life and our relationship. Mind you, this was a good ten years after the incident. Some people can make it through rapes, natural disasters, combat, car accidents, etc. just fine and are able to process and "deal with" what happened, but for others of us, esp. those who suffer from PTSD, it takes time, and sometimes therapy. (In my humble opinion, if you think that you have PTSD you should get yourself to a therapist ASAP!)

Okay, I'm getting off my soapbox. Sorry this is so long. Good luck, OP. Please don't feel childish about having a hard time getting past whatever it is that happened to you. If that makes you childish, then so am I, my mother, my husband, my husband's best friend, one of my close friends, etc.

[Anonymous]

PP, well said. DH has PTSD and still thirty years later still suffers. So,any of you who dont believe in it do some research...

Good Luck to everyone!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had something horrible happen to me and my family when i was 13. i still think ptsd 20 later is unrealistic

OMG- what is wrong with you? Don't you have anything better to do with your time? Why make someone who is clearly suffering feel worse? I just can't stand people like you.

Anyway, OP, I was diagnosed with PTSD in college. It was a diagnosed several years after my dad committed suicide. I think it is very possible that many people who have never had the resources to deal with their PTSD will suffer with this for much of their lives. Good luck to you. You are not alone.

[Anonymous]

u all should grow up this is what i think .. if don't agree then don't respond to it.

[Anonymous]

This is the OP. I grew up thinking that I would outgrow the debilitating fears. While they have eased some, there are a few that are as fresh as they were 20 yrs ago. The therapy is very difficult and I am not sure how people make it through it.

For those who don't understand what PTSD is, I agree wholeheartedly with the previous poster that said that you are lucky. I'm not sure if I am more put off by your insensitivity or perhaps jealous of a your safe childhood. During the incident, I was certain I was going to die and that the rest of my family was probably already dead. Why else would there be some stranger in my bed attacking me? No one died, but those kinds of feelings are not easy to shake. A 12 year old should not have to understand the frailty of human life and that no place is actually safe.

[Anonymous]

I had a patient once (I'm a nurse) who told me she was doing well emotionally for years after the incident. However, as soon as she had a child, PTSD hit her and it hit hard. All of a sudden, she thought oh my god, what if this happens to my child. I think the time factor with PTSD varies. The most important thing is not to deny what's going on, and get help. It's not easy but so essential. What you went through is horrible and it will take some work.