PTSD- any point seeing a GP?

[chipsahoy]

I have not been diagnosed with PTSD, but see a counsellor weekly and have done for nearly a Year. He tells me I display all the signs of PTSD, i've previously been told this by another counsellor and a GP years ago.

So I get counselling which helps some, I've had years of anti depressants but no longer feel depressed.

I'm really struggling with PTSD like symptoms right now, flashbacks, dissociation, nightmares. They are particularly bad after recently telling my family what happened to me. It's a positive step but it's pulled me back into the past, it's going on 3 weeks and I just can't get out of it.

Is there any advantage of seeing a GP.. what can they do? I don't want anti depressants and I already have a trauma counsellor. Is there any point in a diagnosis? Would they insist i stop seeing my counsellor (private)?

My DH thinks I shouldn't bother. One of the main reasons for asking is last week I had a UTI, and the doctor couldn't see me that day, so i freaked out on the phone, the symptoms were so badly triggering, more so at the moment and the idea of another day feeling like that was all too much.
The GP got a locum to see me within an hour and told me to discuss the anxiety/ upset with the locum, but as the GP didn't mention to the locum about me "freaking out" I didn't either. I wonder if I was wrong.

I don't think that they'd dictate anything about counsellors. There are different treatments such as EMDR.

You might find these guidelines interesting, they set out what treatment should be available.

Thanks for the links.
I've had a good read. I'm doing quite well with the therapy I have right now, but will certainly consider EMDR if necessary.

I suppose if I don't actually want a GP to help then there's no point. I just wondered if it would be a good idea to get a diagnosis.

I was diagnosed with PTSD and honest to god all they did was refer me to a counselor and prescribed me some tablets to take in the event of an extreme episode, they were basically a tranquiliser.! So I'd say there's pretty much no point unless

I was diagnosed with PTSD and honest to god all they did was refer me to a counselor and prescribed me some tablets to take in the event of an extreme episode, they were basically a tranquiliser.! So I'd say there's pretty much no point unless u aren't in work and claiming benefits then a.diagnosis would be useful.

Oh that doesn't sound positive. How did the counselling go for you?

I'm not well at all today, I feel like I'm not here, like I have tunnel vision, or something. I feel like i'm desperately trying to hold on to now, but it's a tiny spotlight far ahead and I'm stuck in this fuzzy nothingness.

I'm trying to ground myself, but it's not easy.

Can a dr help with that?

Hi - iif you don't want medication and you already have a counsellor, the most you can probably expect from your Gp is a referral to a psychiatrist, as it is only a psychiatrist who can diagnose mental health conditions. The gp/psychiatrist may suggest counselling through IAPT, which will be time limited.

I have a mental health diagnosis and I assure you it makes no difference to how I am treated - i.e. you freaking out on the phone is what would happen to me, they wouldn't stop and think she has zyx so I will say this, see her, or do this - I get treated the same as anyone else and just "react" unfortunately if I do. What I can do, is if needing to be seen and Gp too busy is go to the walk in centre or out of hours.I have found I have had to think differently in order to get the treatment that helps me.

Thank you.

I have recently told my family of my problems and it's hard to say i display signs of it but can't actually say I have it because of no diagnosis. They have downplayed it because of this, but I don't want a diagnosis simply to satisfy my family.
If it also won't help the doctors understand future freak outs, then there seems no point.

I am getting help and I'm satisfied with the help I have.

Maybe it's better I don't bother seeing a GP.

I'm late to this thread but thought I'd post anyway as I may be able to offer some guidance. I'm a Cognitive Hypnotherapist and I regularly work with clients to overcome different types of fear and trauma including PTSD.

Most people I see have already been to their GP about their problem, and have been prescribed tranquillisers and offered counselling/CBT although funding for counselling in our area seems to have been cut quite dramatically and there's usually a wait of 8 or 9 months before you can see someone. There is then no real choice given regarding the style of therapy you're offered, as it's based on what's available rather than what would be most appropriate for that person and their issue.

Cognitive Hypnotherapy is well worth looking into. I know, I would say that, wouldn't I? But let me explain why. PTSD, like any other condition, is a label that allows a diagnosis to be given based on a set of symptoms which seem to be rooted in a traumatic experience or a series of traumatic events that have overwhelmed that persons ability to process the fear. The trouble with treating a 'label' is that there's an inherent assumption that all PTSD sufferers experience their problem in the same way and will therefore require exactly the same type of treatment.
To me, this doesn't really make sense. We are all different and will each have our own unique relationship with our problems, so one PTSD sufferer will 'do' their PTSD in a very different way to the next sufferer. The original event that caused the issue will have a particular meaning for that individual, they will have certain beliefs underlying their problem that are unique to them, and they'll have their own particular triggers and set of symptoms.

A Cognitive Hypnotherapist will work with your problem as you experience it, and tailor your therapy to fit you and your relationship with it. Your treatment plan will be put together based on this, which would include techniques from a range of therapeutic approaches to help you change the context of the problem (removing the fear attached to the memory - which is done in a gentle, safe and effective way, and guiding you to change your beliefs around it), interrupting the process of the problem so that the 'triggers' no longer have the same effect, and changing the structure of it so the symptoms are greatly reduced. Many Cognitive Hypnotherapists use EMDR as a means of altering the structure of the problem as this therapy helps you change the way that your mind stores traumatic memories, but they will have other 'tools' available and will use the approach they feel will suit you best. The treatment is underpinned with personalised hypnotherapy which supports the changes you experience by tuning your unconscious to be more aware of them, as well as the benefits they have for you, and linking these to changes in your beliefs.

I seem to have written a bit of an essay there but do feel free to PM me if you have any questions. I hope this is helpful to you or anyone else who might come across this thread looking for help.