I've been having a difficult enough time leaning how to deal with a boyfriend who has C-PTSD, coming to terms with prolonged shut outs, identifying triggers, being aware of when his "dark cloud" starts to hover.
Just over 18 months ago, my brother had a mental breakdown and was hospitalised. His first diagnosis was Bipolar. He was put on Epilim and for 9 months took it and it didn't help, so of course he stopped taking it and went back to self medicating with alcohol. By November last year his wife had kicked him out, she just couldn't cope any more, he was sexually promiscuous, seemed incapable of telling the truth, was very much Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. He moved in with me and my 3 children and I got him in to see a new psychiatrist as I was convinced he wasn't bipolar at all, his symptoms were so similar to my BF (minus the sexual promiscuity) that I was convinced he had PTSD from our childhood. So the new Psychologist gave him a new diagnosis, major depressive disorder w/ psychotic episodes and dissociative disorder, new meds were prescribed and for a short while, he seemed to be responding to them.
He moved back home to his wife and kids and while there were some dramas still, I thought maybe the new psych had got it sorted. In the past 2 weeks, he went down hill again, started having memory flashes of some things that happened to him as a child, things I never knew about. His wife kicked him out again and he has ended back up here with me. I got him in to see his psychiatrist again, this time I was armed with more information. He has been diagnosed now with C-PTSD and borderline personality disorder (which is apparently linked to the PTSD). His psychiatrist recommended a stay in a private institution, so my brother, just willing to try anything at this point, booked himself in. The psychiatrist within the hospital tried to give him Lithium last night and this really hasn't sat well with me, I'm not sure medication such as lithium is what he needs. He also didn't feel comfortable with the lithium and refused to take it and discharged himself today.
Anyway, I'm feeling a little bit surrounded by PTSD at the moment. I want my brother to get the right help, I'm just not sure where that right help is. I think he needs a really good trauma therapist, but how do you know who a really good trauma therapist is?
Just over 18 months ago, my brother had a mental breakdown and was hospitalised. His first diagnosis was Bipolar. He was put on Epilim and for 9 months took it and it didn't help, so of course he stopped taking it and went back to self medicating with alcohol. By November last year his wife had kicked him out, she just couldn't cope any more, he was sexually promiscuous, seemed incapable of telling the truth, was very much Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. He moved in with me and my 3 children and I got him in to see a new psychiatrist as I was convinced he wasn't bipolar at all, his symptoms were so similar to my BF (minus the sexual promiscuity) that I was convinced he had PTSD from our childhood. So the new Psychologist gave him a new diagnosis, major depressive disorder w/ psychotic episodes and dissociative disorder, new meds were prescribed and for a short while, he seemed to be responding to them.
He moved back home to his wife and kids and while there were some dramas still, I thought maybe the new psych had got it sorted. In the past 2 weeks, he went down hill again, started having memory flashes of some things that happened to him as a child, things I never knew about. His wife kicked him out again and he has ended back up here with me. I got him in to see his psychiatrist again, this time I was armed with more information. He has been diagnosed now with C-PTSD and borderline personality disorder (which is apparently linked to the PTSD). His psychiatrist recommended a stay in a private institution, so my brother, just willing to try anything at this point, booked himself in. The psychiatrist within the hospital tried to give him Lithium last night and this really hasn't sat well with me, I'm not sure medication such as lithium is what he needs. He also didn't feel comfortable with the lithium and refused to take it and discharged himself today.
Anyway, I'm feeling a little bit surrounded by PTSD at the moment. I want my brother to get the right help, I'm just not sure where that right help is. I think he needs a really good trauma therapist, but how do you know who a really good trauma therapist is?