Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

[beckybeebop]

Hi, I am new here. Hello All! I need to know from others if you have symptoms of PTSD? I only have it when getting close to an intimate partner. and it comes on a few hours after leaving them. I have a new boyfriend whom I love very much, he is kind and good to me but I feel so bad and awful a few hours after I leave him. I am so confused and upset about this. I broke up with him over this and now I am upset with myself because I love him and want to be with him but it is so painful to be with him...I am seeing a therapist, we did EMDR in the past and we are doing it again but I feel wary that it will ever work because it didn't work yet . I have been an antidepressants too but they didn't do the trick either. What do you suggest? I am an addict in recovery so do not want to take ativan or any of those drugs. any suggestions? Becky

[Survivors sanctuary]

Welcome to AS ..

PTSD is common with survivors and there is a section on the board that helps explain it all .. Off hand I can't remember exactly where but I'm sure somebody else can point you in the right direction ..

I have never done anything linked to EMDR but again I know this has been a topic that has been discussed on the board, you might find it by doing a search ..

As for anti depressants then I would suggest you talk to your Doctor, express your concerns about certain drugs .. It is more common than people think to try more than one kind of anti depressant before finding the one that works for you ..

[sisterinsurvival]

Yahoo, !
We love you and are glad you've found AfterSilence!

Hi Betty,

Are you doing a twelve step support program? I have only been involved with OA for eating, but that was a while ago, and I think the meetings are probably a lot more supportive for AA or NA.
If so, I would recommend tapping into that higher power component and honestly making it work. In my case that is God. That is the primary way that I got a handle on the anxiety. I also got to the point that I would stop during an attack and think my way through it and find the source of my fear, visit with it for a little while, rationalize it, and then it seemed to have less of a grip on me.

I too have PTSD. Just learning about it and finding that it was a normal psychological response to what I had experienced helped me tremendously. I have refused to take meds. In fact, I have an ativan perscription that I have had for about eight months now that my OB/Gyn gave me to help with those times of the month, but I have refused to take it. My anxiety has gotten better considerably though.

How much have you read on PTSD? Have you learned to recognize your most prominent symptoms.
Here is a link that might help. Also, have you read about it from the DSM-IV. If not, you might want to put "PTSD, DSM-IV criteria" in your search bar.

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

As for the anti-depressants, they didn't work for me either. In fact, they made me worse, so I am med. free and plan on staying that way.

Once you start to get a better handle on these issues, it may help with the problems you are having with your boyfriend.

Edited May 17, 2007 by todlyn