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General Surrounded by PTSD

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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?
 
Hi,
Finding a therapist is hard work. I have been through quite a few different therapists in the last year. Its hard to keep them all straight! I'm finally seeing someone whom I believe is right for me, but it took a lot of work to get to this place.

There are a number of resources out there for finding therapists. I don't know if you are in the US or not, but this advice is mainly geared towards those that are in the US.

One resource you should check out is the Sidran Institute. (sidran.org). They have a lot of information about PTSD and finding a therapist. I believe there is a list of questions on the website to ask your new therapist so you can determine if they are a good fit or not. Also, you can email or call their help desk and get a list of therapists in your area.

Another resource is the Psychology Today website (psychologytoday.com). You can search for a therapist in your area, and narrow it down by specialty (trauma/PTSD). This is how I found my latest therapist.

Again, I'm not sure where you live, but if you are close to a psychiatric hospital that has a trauma unit, you might want to call them and see if they have any recommendations for you. I live about an hour from a top psychiatric hospital that has a trauma unit, and they have an outreach coordinator who has connections to therapists in the community. Also, the hospital has therapists who work both inpatient and outpatient, so maybe this would be another option.

I know a lot of this information is about how to find a good trauma therapist, and you asked how to tell if you have a good one. I've found that the most important factor is whether or not you are comfortable with the therapist. After all, you will be spending quite a bit of time with the person, so it is very important to feel comfortable with them. It is also important to know the therapists history, where they have practiced in the past, etc. And you need to ask what kind of therapy the therapist practices. Of course, you may not know exactly what you are looking for, but it is very important for the therapist to have a solid plan of action. I've seen therapists who were wishy-washy about how to treat trauma, and I knew they weren't right for me.

Needless to say, when your brother starts looking for a therapist, he should "interview" a number of them to see the differences between them. Many therapists will talk to you for free over the phone, and some will give you a free first session. Take advantage of this! Sometimes you will be able to dismiss a therapist with the first visit, other times you will need to continue to see them for a number of visits. Just remember that finding the right therapist is a process...it is important to take your time, and do your homework in order to find the right one for you!

Good Luck!
 
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