I Feel Like I Don't Have Ptsd Anymore? Did I Have It In The First Place?

[Marcus Brutus]

I'm going through EMDR, I'm on meds, and recently the person who caused it sort of gave an apology (Didn't admit they did anything) but it was about as close as it could get, I feel like it's gone. They were constantly getting into my life and they are apparently going to stop, emailing me, going to court with litigations, disregarding the law (Which made me feel threatened, because he thinks he can get away with anything) this spanned over two years, the abuse stopped but they kept trying to come back in. Maybe that was apart of the traumatic event and now that it's stopped I'm better?

I'm sort of jumping the gun, since it was two days ago. If I feel better for a long time, and feel normal off meds. Is it possible that I never had PTSD? Is that possible?

If this is long term, did I have it in the first place? Is it possible that I was just being traumatized even after I wasn't abused by them trying to come back into my life. I was diagnosed, and if I feel none of the symptoms anymore, I'm going to get that revisited. Meds never really had any effect on me, if they did it was crazy stuff. Suicidal thoughts and such.

 

[Marcus Brutus]

(P.S. I posted this on Yahoo! answers in case someone runs across this there, I'm just hoping to get a quick answer. Two sources for answers, didn't steal this :P)

 

[Avi]

Chances are, you never had PTSD if it just went away based on what you're saying. You most likely had an adjustment disorder, which is temporary. Possibly even Acute Stress Disorder, which is here and gone within a month, if that time frame fits, otherwise adjustment. PTSD does not present and disappear as you stated. Not sure who told you you had PTSD... because it doesn't sound correct based on your statement.

 

[Iduc]

Chances are, you never had PTSD if it just went away based on what you're saying. You most likely had an adjustment disorder, which is temporary. Possibly even Acute Stress Disorder, which is here and gone within a month, if that time frame fits, otherwise adjustment. PTSD does not present and disappear as you stated. Not sure who told you you had PTSD... because it doesn't sound correct based on your statement.

I was diagnosed with an Adjustment Disorder before, I was displaying a lot of PTSD symptoms (Hypervigilance, Nightmares, Anger/Aggression, Avoidance, Depression etc. etc.) and I had it for more than six months, but what I'm thinking of is that maybe I was still going through a traumatic event because I was fearful of my life because of said person, they would break the law (Violate three out of five terms of their probation, started some stuff in court while they had an arrest warrant) like it was no big deal, and they weren't that stable. So maybe my therapist diagnosed me thinking that it was over when it wasn't? I've never sort of felt this going away before, like ever. I've had these problems for maybe a year now? Never left me until now, now that they're finally leaving me alone and understanding of what they were doing (Because they sound like they care about me, I'm still wary though)

I pray to god this is just an adjustment disorder or acute stress reaction, because if I don't have PTSD (No offense) I'll be extremely happy. Maybe I have PTSD but I just got a boost from EMDR and that apology, coupled with the meds but I'm praying I don't have it (Again, no offense)

Thanks for the response

 

[Ohufuk]

I'll just wait and see if it goes away, or if this feeling goes on. If I still feel like this, I'll probably ask if it could the diagnoses could be revisited and see if it's PTSD.

I took a few screening quizzes, and compared to my old scores they're much lower. I know it's no substitute for a therapist/psychiatrist, but still.

 

[Ahu]

I go through times when I think, that's it, I don't have PTSD, PTSD all gone, It's all been a silly mistake. Usually those feelings coincide with walking away from a stressful situation, or a person that has triggered a lot of symptoms.

It feels like it's all been a bad dream, and I just imagined it all and I could just do 'normal' stuff like making friends or dating. It's a much nicer dream, but for me, it has just been the other end of a yo-yo. Something will happen in life, and I'm unprepared, and I find my head spinning and I fall straight back into PTSD world and trauma as well as PTSD becomes very very real again.

I'm finding more of a balance by accepting that I have PTSD and learning to manage symptoms, and working on understanding and improving my perceptions.

It might be that with the additional stress gone, your mental health improves significantly, and maybe it wasn't PTSD. But if you find yourself yo-yo-ing, then there is likely to be some deeper work to do.

 

[Pekeba]

Wasn't the EMDR and the meds to help you get through, over, or whatever, the ptsd? Why can't it be that it is working? When I went through my first bout with the PTSD(knowingly) and did intense therapy it did seem better and it was better for a long time. Unfortunately, a series of events changed it but I am still doing better than when I was first diagnosed. Please tell me that the therapy and meds I'm now taking will make it better, because that is what I'm working towards. Just like you are.

 

[Awub]

Well here's the kicker, it just sort of disappeared. When I was doing EMDR, it took away that event that I was working on. Now it feels like none of that bothers me anymore, I don't feel that hypervigilance, stuff like that. I don't feel anxiety that much anymore, it feels like it's gone. I feel like that's behind me, and I just know it'll be long term. I just know it.

Almost got attacked by a mangly mutt, not more than 30 minutes ago ironically :/

 

[Pute]

If you are healing, why think "I never had PTSD" instead of "the treatment is working"?

Two days without symptoms doesn't really mean anything, to be honest.

And thinking "I never had PTSD" may set you up for future issues. Those of us who know we have it and want to heal know we need a higher level of self care than the general public. Thinking you are fine and PTSD free may give you a false sense of well being that sets you up for future downfalls.

 

[Awub]

I haven't felt this way since before I "got" it, that's what I'm unsure about. Is if I had it, I'm just thinking that maybe the trauma got dragged on by fear of my life and because of them constantly coming back into my life, after all EMDR is commonly used to treat trauma that's unresolved, so maybe now that I don't feel threatened, because it's pretty much resolved, and because I feel the threat has passed maybe that's why the symptoms aren't showing. Tomorrow (Or today, rather) will be a full work week, that hasn't happened since I've had these problems. That mutt I mentioned? Didn't even feel Fight or Flight, like I normally would, or even fear or anger.

It could simply be a combination between EMDR, the meds, them apologizing (Which was Wednesday, now that I looked at the email) and recent achievements in my life. We hadn't gotten to hypervigilance and anxiety yet in EMDR and I'm no longer feeling that, we were going to work on my brother getting angry at me and my response to it (Long story short I flip out and it just gets bigger, it's become violent a couple of times) and I felt considerably more patient and calm like I did before my issues, I feel happier like I use to, I no longer have suicidal ideation, etc etc the list goes on, most of the issues I've said were never worked on in EMDR, as we've only done two sessions as of now. I'm not saying I never had PTSD to begin with, not yet. I'm just going to see if this feeling goes on and if I feel this way for a month or two, I will see how I do off meds, if I feel good off meds and back to my old functioning before these issues, I'll get the diagnoses reevaluated, if I revert to old habits I'll know I have it. I just feel like I'm returning to my old state of functioning right now. The meds never had an effect on me, only the antidepressants, and that just limited my depression to every once in a while, I'm on four meds and the only symptom it really ever helped was hypervigilance and the med used to treat that has been used for months and hasn't been effective. I just don't think that it's a coincidence that I start returning to a previous state of functioning before my issues (PTSD, whatever it is) and that the issues disappear just like that.

 

[Tozivu]

"because it's pretty much resolved"

It feels pretty much resolved now that they apologized, just want to make it clear.

 

[Tozivu]

I'm on four meds and the only symptom it really ever helped was depression*

I wish I knew how to edit on here.