Asking about diagnosis

[NewBeginnings]

Hi-
I don't want to be hung up on a diagnosis and it hasn't been a focus but I am wondering about "my diagnosis". My T has dropped lots of pieces of information around PTSD, depression,anxiety, dissociation episodes but I do not know what I really classified as. I am not one for labels or so I thought and I had issues early on when she said I was depressed because my image of that carried a lot of baggage. On one hand there must be something significant because insurance has been paying for weekly appointments.
How do I find out my my diagnosis is? I am not sure why I want to know but I think I should know. It seems obvious to ask but I don't want her to think I am fixated on it but it is on my mind a lot. I guess if I knew I would have a better sense of what to expect along the way... should I care?
Anyway, I am wondering how to go about finding out what i am being "treated" for. All this said, my appointments have helped me a great deal but I am wondering if she will say - you have x and always will- then what?
Thanks!

 

[UnicornSightings]

If you're concerned enough to write in a forum about it then it's something your therapist should know. You two can talk about why and if it's good or perhaps harmful for you to know. I do not know my diagnosis. I suspect it's just anxiety but perhaps she would say I have depression as well? Diagnoses are mostly for insurance companies. They have to tell them SOMETHING so I wouldn't put too much stock in what it actually is if you find out. Also remember your T is only aware of as much as you tell her and she sees. My T thought I could be good to go in 6 weeks if I wanted to. After flipping out about that, more things were divulged and now we have a lot more work to do.

Once you have that label there's a chance you will let it define you. You are not a diagnosis. You are complex af and you can be helped. I wish you luck on whatever you decide!!

 

[NewBeginnings]

If you're concerned enough to write in a forum about it then it's something your therapist sho...

. You two can talk about why and if it's good

Thank you for your reply.
It never occurred to me that information regarding a diagnosis would not be openly shared if it was considered to not be helpful.
I have been thinking about this for a bit and get so crazy anxious about asking what my T thinks. This must sound dumb but I don't know how introduce the subject. If I could talk about it maybe there would be space to say if it is worse for me to know then don't tell me. I already have a hard time giving myself credit and then later that with another person judging me is crippling.
I am surprised how something as simple as this is so incredibly hard.
Thank you.

 

[DharmaGirl]

I was at this point in therapy, and I said to my therapist, "I don't want to have PTSD, but I think that I do." He answered, "Yes". Then after that he referred to it more and I was able to learn more about it. It was helpful for me to find out.

 

[PDH]

My thoughts have actually been going in the same direction lately.
My T refers to PTSD quite frequently and gives me things to read regarding it, but has never actually said "you have it"
For some reason I've always been really scared of diagnosis, and I think she knows that, but I'm beginning to figure out that I deal with things better the more I know about them.
Knowledge is power.

 

[NewBeginnings]

Knowledge is power

Agreed and I am afraid to hear it.

Any suggestions on how to ask? For me waiting for my T to bring it up may not happen. I have shared so much but to ask leaves me really vulnerable.

 

[PDH]

Any suggestions on how to ask?

I'm seeing my T tomorrow, and I'm due to go see my GP to get another mental health care plan...so I was thinking tomorrow I'm going to say "When I see my GP, would it be fair to say I need another care plan because I have PTSD?"

I may also entirely chicken out though :-/

 

[kilted]

I know it's hard to do, but it's important not to get too hung up on the "diagnosis". The label your therapist gives you is for the insurance form, nothing else. One big problem is that the labels used for behaviours are constantly changing, and the symptom checklist used in the DSM doesn't map on to the underlying issue and consequently doesn't map to "treatment". Classic PTSD is a very recent diagnosis and the DSM still hasn't got to grips with C-PTSD being a completely different neurological/somatic beast.....different causation, different impact on brain development/functioning, different symptomology, different treatment.

What a diagnosis may help with is finding information about your symptom cluster. This can lead to the most recent advances in understanding of the range of underlying issues and possible beneficial activities. From there it's possible to try these out and see which one works best. However there is a downside to diagnosis...... the idea that one is broken and the damage is irreperable. Some people use their diagnosis as a defense, this can be useful in the early stages of recovery, but if it carries on long term, it impedes recovery.

It's important to understand that the DSM system used by the US medical/insurance industry is not the only way and that other countries and cultures use completely different approaches, some of which are better, some worse. In the UK, therapists do not diagnose, so you would not get a formal diagnosis from a psychotherapist, unless they had additional medical/psych qualifications. This does not mean the results are worse here.... it just underlines that diagnosis is not essential in the recovery process.

Interestingly brain imaging research is pointing toward a reduction in diagnostic labels, and several authors say that the DSM should shrink to the size of a pamphlet once the psychiatric profession fully absorb the results of neuro-imaging research on the impacts of inadequate attachment/parenting

 

[NewBeginnings]

I know it's hard to do, but it's important not to get too hung up on the "diagnosis". The label your the...

I think you touched upon a super important point for me. I have known and felt as though I am broken and damaged for a really long time. Maybe my wanting my T to put a name to it goes a bit further to confirming that for me. I was rationalizing it by other ways of healing. If you think you broke your arm, you would get an X-ray to diagnose and confirm then you would treat. This is not quite the same...I am benefiting from my sessions with my T already and I guess how we are proceeding will not change based on my having a label. Consequently, it could contribute to my thinking of myself as broken and irreparable. I also just want me to be fixed if 6-8 weeks as if I broke a bone. Clearly that is not my path.
When I can think things through it seems really straightforward. When I get caught up in the emotions surrounding it I am not very rational and thoughtful.
Thank you for your insights.