Self Diagnosis

[Chado2423]

I wonder if one of you can probably tell me if I might be right about this...
And Angela(moderator) if you read this, you read more of my posts than anyone else, so you may know...

I wonder if what I am going through is related to Post Tramatic Stress Disorder... or perhaps some sort of early mid-life crises. I very much feel psychologically "out of whack" right now... having obsessive thoughts about going to go see my ex, even though logically I know she doesn't want anything to do with me.

I was recommended to see a counselor by my boss, and I have an appointment tomm. March 5th.

Its been two years since the break-up and I would have thought I would have mentally moved on by now.

Even though this is not related to a death, my symptoms are very similar to what I studied about Post Tramatic Stress in college.

(Btw, I've never experienced Post Tramatic Stress before...)

"People with PTSD may startle easily, become emotionally numb (especially in relation to people with whom they used to be close), lose interest in things they used to enjoy, have trouble feeling affectionate, be irritable, become more aggressive, or even become violent. They avoid situations that remind them of the original incident, and anniversaries of the incident are often very difficult. PTSD symptoms seem to be worse if the event that triggered them was deliberately initiated by another person, as in a mugging or a kidnapping. Most people with PTSD repeatedly relive the trauma in their thoughts during the day and in nightmares when they sleep. These are called flashbacks. Flashbacks may consist of images, sounds, smells, or feelings, and are often triggered by ordinary occurrences, such as a door slamming or a car backfiring on the street. A person having a flashback may lose touch with reality and believe that the traumatic incident is happening all over again.PTSD is often accompanied by depression, substance abuse, or one or more of the other anxiety disorders.

Not every traumatized person develops full-blown or even minor PTSD. Symptoms usually begin within 3 months of the incident but occasionally emerge years afterward. They must last more than a month to be considered PTSD. The course of the illness varies. Some people recover within 6 months, while others have symptoms that last much longer. In some people, the condition becomes chronic."


I know that I haven't been raped or anything like that... but the stress level seems to be very similar, I have the night-terrors, and extreme anxiety. I have developed ticks. It doesn't make a difference if i'm around other people or alone, I have them either way.

I don't know if anyone on here is a counselor or psychologist, but almost anyone can see how obsessive my thoughts have been if they read through my posts.

Whatever I've got, I just want it to go away, so I can move on with my life, and stop obsessing over my ex. I've upset my mother more deeply than I intended to, because of my extreme inability to let go and cope with this situation. I just hope that one day I will be better, and have a new life.

(Sorry I didn't mean to post this twice.)

[Angela]

Chado, I am not a psychiatrist and I don't know anything about PTSD. But I am very, very glad you're going to see a counselor today. I think you are going through something big right now and that a professional person with experience in these matters is just the ticket for you.

I think you should relax about trying to self-diagnose, at least for the moment, and focus on being open to receiving help. Your thoughts about your own thoughts are likely to be a little distorted, so give yourself a break and just let yourself be, at least while you give yourself a chance to be helped. Be open with your counselor.

Please let us know how it goes, okay?

[Joely]

I'm very glad you're going to see a counsellor too. I hope it goes well.

Best of luck...

[Acting Like Godot]

I'm quite sure you do not have PTSD.

PTSD happens to war veterans, rape victims, 911 survivors, miners who got trapped under a big rock for 7 days underground. That sort of thing.

But maybe you need some medication to calm your nerves.

[Honeywith4bees]

Actually, I thought that a lot of the things he was describing in his previous thread did sound like PTSD. And while the definition of what is bothering him is less important than the fact that he is going to take steps towards healing the thing that is bothering him, I don't believe that PTSD is only reserved for people who have experienced an extreme trauma such as you describe. After all, who are we to decide what is trauma for one is not experienced as trauma for another?

[Chado2423]

so the counseling session didn't go so well.

[bellemeadows]

Your symptoms, the things you have shared, all point (IMHO) to trauma which occurred in your family of origin. . . . something to do with a very deep betrayal or abandonment which was enacted by, most probably, your mother. I would guess that you experienced a number of traumatic incidents; i.e., it just wasn't one event -- there were multiple events.

The reason the relationship with your girlfriend is such a trigger, and you have not been able to let go, again, in my opinion, is that she stands proxy for your parent, the one you lost (either in reality or figuratively). You are trying to heal that original relationship through her. Parents are not interchangeable with other people. To a child all of their security comes from the parents, so parents are essential. So in your mind, this person is not interchangeable with any other person, she is essential. That is why it feels impossible for you to walk away and be whole.

EMDR may help with the trauma.

I'm here to say that I've been through something very like what you are going through. Very, very similar. There is life on the other side; a wonderful new life for you. But there is no magic fix.

It is important you make an effort NOT to retraumatize yourself; which you may be doing with your thinking about what has occurred.

I've written a number of posts about PTSD on this forum. And how I've worked through it. There is life on the other side. For me, however, it was not easy -- it has taken good friends, a good therapist, EMDR, ACIM, etc. etc. It is all in other posts I've written.

I'm not a professional, but if you just want a friend through this, contact me. I'll do my best to be a friend to you through this, if you think it would be helpful.

All the best, Belle

[Maguru]

I too am diagnosed with PTSD. I blindly suffered many years before realizing this. I began to recover with seeing that everything I was suffering from was actually a symptom. Big symptoms that feel very real (and sometimes are) but they were still symptoms. Anxiety, despair, grief, fear, paranoia, depression etc. are not illnesses of themselves. They were the symptoms of inner turmoil.
In accepting them this way, it has taken the power away from them. I still have some but nothing like as intense as they were. It certainly helped me. best wishes to you.

Originally Posted by Chado2423

I wonder if one of you can probably tell me if I might be right about this...
And Angela(moderator) if you read this, you read more of my posts than anyone else, so you may know...

I wonder if what I am going through is related to Post Tramatic Stress Disorder... or perhaps some sort of early mid-life crises. I very much feel psychologically "out of whack" right now... having obsessive thoughts about going to go see my ex, even though logically I know she doesn't want anything to do with me.

I was recommended to see a counselor by my boss, and I have an appointment tomm. March 5th.

Its been two years since the break-up and I would have thought I would have mentally moved on by now.

Even though this is not related to a death, my symptoms are very similar to what I studied about Post Tramatic Stress in college.

(Btw, I've never experienced Post Tramatic Stress before...)

"People with PTSD may startle easily, become emotionally numb (especially in relation to people with whom they used to be close), lose interest in things they used to enjoy, have trouble feeling affectionate, be irritable, become more aggressive, or even become violent. They avoid situations that remind them of the original incident, and anniversaries of the incident are often very difficult. PTSD symptoms seem to be worse if the event that triggered them was deliberately initiated by another person, as in a mugging or a kidnapping. Most people with PTSD repeatedly relive the trauma in their thoughts during the day and in nightmares when they sleep. These are called flashbacks. Flashbacks may consist of images, sounds, smells, or feelings, and are often triggered by ordinary occurrences, such as a door slamming or a car backfiring on the street. A person having a flashback may lose touch with reality and believe that the traumatic incident is happening all over again.PTSD is often accompanied by depression, substance abuse, or one or more of the other anxiety disorders.

Not every traumatized person develops full-blown or even minor PTSD. Symptoms usually begin within 3 months of the incident but occasionally emerge years afterward. They must last more than a month to be considered PTSD. The course of the illness varies. Some people recover within 6 months, while others have symptoms that last much longer. In some people, the condition becomes chronic."


I know that I haven't been raped or anything like that... but the stress level seems to be very similar, I have the night-terrors, and extreme anxiety. I have developed ticks. It doesn't make a difference if i'm around other people or alone, I have them either way.

I don't know if anyone on here is a counselor or psychologist, but almost anyone can see how obsessive my thoughts have been if they read through my posts.

Whatever I've got, I just want it to go away, so I can move on with my life, and stop obsessing over my ex. I've upset my mother more deeply than I intended to, because of my extreme inability to let go and cope with this situation. I just hope that one day I will be better, and have a new life.

(Sorry I didn't mean to post this twice.)