I Just Don't Understand So Many People Thinking They Have Ptsd.

[Izim]

I don't want this thread to turn vicious but wanted to discuss this. I understand peoples frustration and it gets to me too but I genuinely want to gain some insight if I can because I am :confused:

I am talking about those who have a relationship breakup, a home life problem or the normal death of a family member amongst other things.

It would never ever have occurred to me to think of "trauma" or PTSD when my father died of a heart attack or when I was repeatedly bullied at work over many years (including mild physical threats) let alone relationship issues or home discord. For that matter it never occurred to me fullstop with other stuff until someone else brought it up.

I try to stay open minded as I wonder if there is more not being said but I find it challenging (I may feel the need to vent at another time).

If this applies to you and you are reading this please could you explain it? What made you think of PTSD? It isn't talked about very much in general other in relation to combat situations. Why would you not just think you were having a hard time as a result of your experience? If this is you then do you have invalidation problems in general?

Anyone else have any insight?

 

[Amu]

This is my opinion.

Part of the problem is that even people with PTSD use terminology that doesn't apply. Often when people are having intrusive thoughts they call them flashbacks. When they are feeling stressed they say they are triggered. When they feel very stressed they call it a panic attack.

Awful as these things can be, they are often not flashbacks, triggers and panic attacks in a PTSD symptom.sense. A flashback is reliving something without realising that you're not in the situation now. A trigger is something that actually happened during trauma, not something that is difficult. A panic attack is when you are certain you are about to die and your senses are all on 1000%, not when you feel scared and you can't cope or function.

If people with PTSD don't use words in the right way, then people with some sort of difficult life experience but not PTSD are also likely to start thinking their intrusive thoughts and stress are flashbacks, triggers and panic attacks... which are PTSD symptoms... so they must have PTSD.

I find the relationship breakup thing the most difficult. You can't get PTSD from a relationship breakup alone. Grief, loss, devastation, maybe betrayal - yes. PTSD - no. You might be waking up in the middle of the night sweating and anxious. You might feel your world has ended. That isn't PTSD, it's a relationship breakup. Maybe a very bad one. It's still not PTSD.

 

[Izim]

You make a good point. However, I still can't understand why someone would think of PTSD in the first place. I could understand it more if they were exposed to the discussions of those with PTSD but is that really what precipitates it usually.

 

[Bidopa]

The problem as I see it, is that the media use the term PTSD when talking about all and any trauma, and thus it follows suit through society who are human, thus they put their own interpretation upon their problems. People also think diagnosis is a checklist approach, and American diagnostic application doesn't thwart that approach much, to be honest, with it's mental health advertising of popping pills and therapy mentality. Then there are countries that are worse, as you have people with mental health problems who just ignore it because their belief systems are 'toughen up and walk it off' type approach.

Adjustment disorder, for example, caters 50% or more of all therapist visits, yet is rarely diagnosed officially and usually nothing is said other than a counselling approach adopted. People know what they hear and see in the media... and PTSD is the link to anything traumatic exposed in the media.

 

[Haza]

This is a very complex issue. PTSD is in fact the most severe form of anxiety disorder.

I must make it clear that I have been diagnosed with ptsd by a phsychiatrist and phsychotherapist. It makes me angry when people only think ptsd applies to soldiers.:banghead: Sorry for the rant, I have been struggling with severe symptoms for a while now. Stress (not due to this thread;)) makes my ptsd worse.

Some people are more resiliant to stress than others. I have intrusive thoughts, I wish I didn't. PTSD has completely messed up my life - any chance of a normal life was stolen from me each trauma I suffered - from before the age of 5 until I was nearly 40!! I have never been in the army, it can take just one traumatic event to cause ptsd to develop. We are all different, some people are very sensitive some are very thick skinned. I think that this plays an important part in whether someone will develop ptsd or not.

I think there is a misunderstanding of terminology here, a trigger could be anything from a word being said to hearing a lawnmower, not all triggers will be obvious. My phsychotherapist told me I may never know all of my triggers, he was right I still don't. :(

A trigger sets of a subconscious intrusive thought (a flashback) - why on earth would anyone want to re experience trauma.

A flashback can come in various different forms. Sudden unexplained emotions of terror, helplessness, sadness to name just a few - I call these my emotional flashbacks. There is no logical reason to experience them in the here & now, it is as if you are being haunted by your past & it is unwanted believe me.

Snippits of traumatic memories that are new (it is very important not to be told by someone else what happened, the memories are yours not someone elses) . These memories are very distressing, completely throw themselves from your subconcious mind into your conscious mind when you least expect it - that's where not knowing all your triggers comes into play.

They can vary from intensity, painful distressing memories to re-living the events, not being aware of where you are - in your mind you are back there, every sense can be part of the flashback. I is very debilitating, I have problems with social situations where people don't know me. There is a lot of ignorance out there, I know of someone who was having an epileptic fit in the street the people just walked past without helping assuming incorrectly that they were drunk!!:facepalm:

Flashbacks can be very short or last for a long time. They can be repetative with short breaks in between. At the time of the flashback details could be perfectly clear from one moment to the next, however afterwards in my experience recalling details of the flashback has missing bits that you re-lived during the flashback. This could be the mind's way of protecting itself from emotional overload which is far from healthy.:nailbiting:

My PTSD developed many years after the trauma happened (late onset). It has been found that the most damaging trauma is emotional. Domestic violence can cause PTSD, yes the death of a close family member especially when least expected or in horrific circumstances can cause PTSD. Living in a dysfunctional family can cause PTSD, it isn't until you have had therapy that you can even start to comprehend just how easy it can be to develop this distressing condition.

Not being able to talk or being given the opportunity to talk about the trauma when it happens will also increase the chance that you could develop PTSD.

If someone is really distressed about their symptoms, it is perfectly normal reaction to want to make sense of them. If you didn't you could be stressed out even more so that things snowball & you would end up feel worse than before.:sorry:

Seeking professional help is the first step in determening if you have PTSD or not, it can sometimes take a while to diagnose.

Expert from experience!! ;)

 

[Utis]

Honestly, I don't think you're going to get many, if any replies from the "supposed ptsd from something like a break-up" crowd. These people post in the intro section and 99% of them are told its not ptsd (and thus get the message that this isn't the place for them, ultimately leaving).

I don't know why some jump to the ptsd conclusion. They want something to be definitively wrong? To give a name to their suffering other than "this is normal crap"?

I think I know the most recent post that may have spurned this thread. I just scratched my head thinking "where is the trauma? Everyone I know has been through that sort of crap!" (ie normal life stuff, nowhere near out of the ordinary)

 

[Iruj]

It seems possible that someone could have a reaction they don't understand, and are trying to understand it. It could be that they just haven't experienced some typical thing like a breakup before.

It's also possible that what may seem typical in "what happened" is actually pulling apart the person's defenses that was protecting them from a long cordoned off trauma. So what is emerging is PTSD-"like" even if it is subclinical, or even clinically significant and yay internets for letting people access DSM criteria to try it on for size.

Sometimes, however, the DSM criteria fit. Often, a person posting can't necessarily spell out entirely what is happening for them. For what it's worth, a *psychiatrist* once said to me that the DSM *is* only a series of checklists. A lot of the symptoms on a lot of the checklists do overlap. It's all about finding the best fit, seeing where the most boxes check off that match a person's experience. And the label is really only good for a short-hand way of talking about a set of experiences. What labels people get can often depend more on what checklists the particular clinician is familiar with than which one is objectively most appropriate (and often our clinician choices are random, or imperfect, or uninformed, or not chosen by us). Even PTSD has some overlap with other anxiety conditions. It may seem awfully discrete to some people like there is no fuzziness there, but there's at least enough for laypeople to self-identify incorrectly.

Yes, sometimes people use the wrong terms. But Haza makes some very good points about how varied experiences can be, even for the same person. And especially for someone with multiple traumas, which has a very complex history.

It's dangerous to tell someone they are incorrect when all the information isn't even present in the post, in the sense that it may invalidate them to the point of not seeking help. It's responsible to tell the person to seek professional help if they are feeling very distressed. And obviously, if they come looking for a diagnosis here, that's not going to happen.

It's just possible that someone is coming here because a recent event has brought them to a point where they can't keep their cup from overflowing, and can't quite articulate yet how their reaction is deeply rooted in something in their past. They really need a qualified therapist to help them sort that out, even if it turns out they are having a garden variety grief/loss response.

 

[Gupib]

@Iruj

The DSM is SO much more than a checklist! Saying something like that is dangerous and encourages self diagnosis.

You might want a second opinion on your diagnosis if the psychiatrist just went down a check list! (And a refund...)

 

[Anoh]

For what it's worth, a *psychiatrist* once said to me that the DSM *is* only a series of checklists. A lot of the symptoms on a lot of the checklists do overlap. It's all about finding the best fit, seeing where the most boxes check off that match a person's experience. And the label is really only good for a short-hand way of talking about a set of experiences. What labels people get can often depend more on what checklists the particular clinician is familiar with than which one is objectively most appropriate (and often our clinician choices are random, or imperfect, or uninformed, or not chosen by us).

That is quite accurate, I must agree. Diagnosis is a guide, though one that no physician should interpret for themselves by adding, subtracting or adjusting criteria to suit themselves and their client. The DSM is a method to standardise mental health diagnosis... that is really what it's about. The problem is that there are still a lot of crackpots out there doing their own thing, as you outlined, handing out diagnoses that they're familiar with and not updating themselves on current doctrine, which often results in incorrect diagnosis, and treatment as a result. There are a lot of therapists who hear any trauma, regardless of criterion A, then tell their client they have PTSD... which is complete and total nonsense. Therapists shouldn't tell their clients they have anything until after a lot of assessment and sessions to substantiate their assessment.

That is why this site is for those who have been diagnosed, or supporter of, and does not really support undiagnosed unless they squarely fit into criterion A and ARE enduring PTSD specific symptoms. Otherwise... this forum would become nothing more than the mess that exists on the web already, of people believing they have things they don't, spreading nonsense and perpetuating mythical factors of PTSD and so forth.

The subjective factors of trauma versus the stringent guidelines of PTSD are what keep this specific site PTSD focused, not trauma focused and open to broad definitions people choose to use.

 

[Eluf]

There are a lot of therapists who hear any trauma, regardless of criterion A, then tell their client they have PTSD... which is complete and total nonsense.

And then some of those people come on the forum and say they've been diagnosed with PTSD, and get told here that it's an experience that doesn't even meet the criteria. Then they understandably feel invalidated, get angry and disagree with forum members, not the therapist, because they believe that a therapist must know better.

Those therapists have a lot to answer for, for what they're putting people through by misdiagnosing them.

 

[Jukev]

I know we shouldn't compare traumas, but I feel a tad bit insulted when someone says they have ptsd from something that can't cause ptsd, then fits their symptoms to the diagnostic criteria. I want to ask...Really? A breakup sans any sort of violence is supposed to cause the same disorder as war, rape, violent assaults, etc? I've been through bad breakups with cheating. As horrible as it can be, it doesn't even begin to compare to actual ptsd symptoms. I think a great problem is the need to label everything in our lives. It can't just be normal crap that everyone goes through, it must have a specific name so that we can feel special rather than just like everyone else in the world dealing with being dumped.

 

[Uful]

I think that people don't understand just how debilitating anxiety can be. It has almost ruined my life several times; however I also have PTSD, so who knows.

I was in therapy off and on for 20 years before I was in therapy with the same psychiatrist for over year and she diagnosed me with PTSD. For all that time before that I thought I just had really shitty depression and anxiety.

I think that people want to think that they have PTSD to give whatever happened more meaning. I.e., the breakup was so bad it caused PTSD and this is why I'm still suffering.

As to why they think that they have it when it's most often in the media about soldiers, that shit is just, well, wack. Sometimes I think it is related to the fact that we have no real idea what war is like unless we have been there. This is highlighted by so many people thinking that they have PTSD from something so unlike war.... i.e., it further shows us how far we are removed from the actual war when people think that a breakup can cause PTSD (just like war)!

That being said about soldiers, I have PTSD and I wasn't in a war. I'm just referring to the OP and that's why I think that some people think they have PTSD, because most of the time PTSD is in the news it's related to war. They read the symptoms on a Huffington Post post article about soldiers with PTSD, think, "Gee that sounds like me!" and all heck breaks loose when they start Googling symptoms.