Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Mental health

Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you have medical concerns, please seek medical attention.

Original poster

PTSD ~ Please Tell Me About It

35 replies

Quootiepie · 19/12/2006 02:42

Hiya

Some of you might know, I've finally been correctly diagnosed with PTSD, but im not sure really what the course of action is with it. I know I have to go to some therapy/counseling thing I can't remember the name of, but as for anything else, im not sure how they treat it. Is it cureable?

Anything about PTSD would be great, thankyou so much xXx

OP posts:
Original poster
Quootiepie · 19/12/2006 02:43

Sorry, I should have said it's for about 4 or 5 different things, that's why im having the therapy thing I can't remember the name of xXx

OP posts:
Original poster
Quootiepie · 19/12/2006 12:19

hate being a pest, but, bump

OP posts:
MyTwoChocolateCoinsWorth · 19/12/2006 12:23

post traumatic stress? basically, its when something really shitty happens and it affects you to the point where you cant cope. cant get over it, get depressed, relive it, etc etc.

i suffered for years after my son nearly died during delivery. i was a wreck.

Mumpbump · 19/12/2006 12:25

I am assuming you have been diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Don't know if this is particularly helpful, but here is one site that deals with it...

see here

Is this right? Is there a particular event that has triggered this? (Have been away from MN for a while, so haven't seen anything since the incident with your dh.)

Original poster
Quootiepie · 19/12/2006 12:27

oh, i know that much. Sorry, I should have made myself clear... I don't know anything about the treatment of it etc.

OP posts:
Mumpbump · 19/12/2006 12:28

PS - if it was triggered by the incident with your dh, I am sure you can get over it... Someone close to me was violent towards me when I was a teenager. It took a while and some counselling, but I am now not really bothered by the thought of it any more.

Mumpbump · 19/12/2006 12:29

I imagine the treatment would be counselling, wouldn't it?

Original poster
Quootiepie · 19/12/2006 12:29

thankyou mumpbump xxxxx

OP posts:
Original poster
Quootiepie · 19/12/2006 12:30

i dont know... i dont know if you can take medication like depression, or about those other therapies....

OP posts:
Original poster
Quootiepie · 19/12/2006 12:31

lord, no, it wasnt triggered by that! Thats very much least on list of worries x

OP posts:
Original poster
Quootiepie · 19/12/2006 12:32

mytwochocolate.... sorry to hear about your experience {{hugs}} xxx

OP posts:
lulumama · 19/12/2006 12:33

quootie...

talking about and writing about the traumatic event can also be helpful. as can speaking to people who have also suffered with it.....

a characteristic of it is reliving the trauma again and again and again..and you need help to resolve what happened, so it doesn't plague you.....

and medication of some description...the mental health team can help you with that.

will the community psychiatric nurses be coming to see you at home?

Mumpbump · 19/12/2006 12:33

Well, I know when I went for counselling, they did recommend AD's, but I'm really anti them because I've seen someone get really screwed up on them. What I would think is that they might suggest counselling combined with AD. I think that's fairly standard treatment for all kinds of depression/anxiety related conditions. You could always call this place and ask them to send you some information...

Maudsley

They treated my Mum years and years ago and treated me about 15 years ago... I think they are one of the leading places to get counselling for these sorts of things...

Original poster
Quootiepie · 19/12/2006 12:35

Lulu - ive heard nothing. I wasn't even given a number to call in a crisis, and the letter hasnt reached the GP yet from the hospital. Just doing my own searching really at the moment, see how far I can go on the road to helping myself...

OP posts:
Original poster
Quootiepie · 19/12/2006 12:37

Well, that threw me was the fella from the hospital saying the ADs and diazepam were not going to work, because its not depression. SO im not sure ADs can be used for PTSD? Im very confused about it all...

OP posts:
Original poster
Quootiepie · 19/12/2006 12:37

*what, not that

OP posts:
porkpie · 19/12/2006 12:38

I think you will probably be having CBT - Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, I don't have a link for this, but if you Google it, you'll find loads of info. I'm certain you'll get over this with the right combination of therapy and support.

Original poster
Quootiepie · 19/12/2006 12:41

Googled it abit, but its quite a minefield. I had CBT before, whether it was a bad psychologist I dont know, but I found it the biggest load of twaddle He was abit of a clock watcher though. Ill google some more x

OP posts:
MyTwoChocolateCoinsWorth · 19/12/2006 12:42

as you know, it isnt like, for example, depression caused by a chemical imbalance with a standard drug treatment, it is a reaction to something that happened, some event or series of events. when something traumatic happens, how you deal with it is a very individual thing.

the professionals will recommend a course of action that they think will work best, based on their experience but there are no set rules about what HAS to happen, each person needs to find what works for them. some people need to talk it through, some to go over and over and over and drive everyone mad with the reliving of it (ahem, that was me!) until they come to terms with it and it looses its power. others may need drugs to help them in the short term. but ultimatly, you have to work through the event and process it, deal with it, come to terms with it, whatever makes sense to you - taking control is very important - do you see what i mean?

lulumama · 19/12/2006 12:44

can you contact A&E and ask how to get in touch with the crisis team, the docs should be able to tell you too

Original poster
Quootiepie · 19/12/2006 12:47

yes, I see what you mean. Ill probably need abit of everything ~ I can't ever imagine being "cured" though I do have a feeling ill have to take some sort of medication, like diazepam, or equivalent long term... Ive seen this eye movement thing meantioned abit, and also some sort of electric shock treatment? Not sure thats for PTSD though... Looks like it's going to be a long slog...

OP posts:
Original poster
Quootiepie · 19/12/2006 12:48

I will do lulu ~ I was madly looking for a number online the other night, they must have just forgotten to give me one x

OP posts:
dhw · 19/12/2006 14:39

I have just had some sessions of EMDR (eye movement desensitisation) which is used for post traumatic stress disorder and trauma patients. It's very dynamic, very fast (in my experience) and very good (in my experience).

I had two stillbirths in a row over the last 12 months and suffered a lot of trauma surrounding the events - i didn't have ptsd but definately experienced trauma. The therapy allows you to talk about what has happened and the therapist picks events which seem to be troubling you the most and then waves her hands infront of your eyes for a few moments. Then you tell her what you are thinking, and on it goes.

Sounds bizarre, but the idea is that trauma gets stored in the base of your brain and this therapy which immitates REM moves the trauma up to the upper part of brain where memories are processed and stored.

What felt horrendous a few months ago, now feels like memories which i can deal with.

THere is a website - don't know the address - google it.
Good luck, hope this if of some help.

dhw
x

Original poster
Quootiepie · 19/12/2006 14:43

thankyou so much DHW - thats probably the sort of thing that might help. I am so sorry for your losses {{hugs}} but thankyou for sharing with me xxx

OP posts:
CheeryGarciaFollowsTheStar · 19/12/2006 17:16

I'll tell you what I know but I'm no expert. I've been reading a lot about PTSD recently after something rather peculiar happened, and I have both had and trained in some body-based therapy which has been extraordinarily effective where talking therapies have not. My own interest is in the long-term effects on women who have experienced, and escaped from, DV.

So, when faced with a trauma (a shock to the system of some sort, often physical - an act of violence, car accident etc) the body goes into a hypervigilant state, ready for fight or flight. What seems to happen with PTSD is that the brain and body get stuck in this state of fearful hypervigilance - the freeze state - adrenalin levels stay high, there's an over-active startle response (feeling jumpy or edgy). Symptoms include flashbacks, getting stuck in particular (and often irrational) behavioural loops in response to particular kinds of stimulus, depression etc.

EMDR seems to be effective because it breaks the pattern of being stuck in the memory loop. Purely 'talking' therapies (many types of counselling) are often not effective because they involve talking about the 'problem' over and over again (and thus re-running the loop and re-activating the fear).

I recommended a book on the other thread and I think you'll find more info if you google 'peter levine'.