Asking Therapist For An Assessment?

[Deleted member 26314]

Hi, I'm not diagnosed with PTSD - or anything for that matter. However, I fit the symptoms (including the past traumatic event, obviously) and relate to the symptoms/effects that a lot of people have talked about.

I'd like to bring it up with my therapist (Clinical Nurse with the NHS Adolescents Mental Health Service) but I'm not sure how. She sent me to a psychiatrist for an assessment for depression in February but the psychiatrist told me I was fine and not depressed, which I understand since I showed none of the symptoms (well, a couple but not enough to be depressed). So I was thinking, I could ask my therapist to send me to a psychiatrist for an assessment for PTSD. But I don't know how to word it, or get this across to her.

I've only been seeing her for about 7 months - on and off and I have been avoiding her appointments for the last 2 or 3 months now. So I have the awkward explaining of that to do and then I don't want to seem as though I'm doing her job or self-diagnosing. I panic at things like this - I'm not good at talking to people or getting across my emotions at all. Which is bad since the time when I last spoke to her, I pretty much told her everything was fine and tried to get out of there as fast as possible. But, I am determined not to do that now and so, with my boyfriend supporting me this time, I'll hopefully be able to go in and talk.

I'm not quite sure how though, like I said, I don't know what to say... any advice?

(Would printing of a list of the symptoms/effects and highlighting the ones that relate to me be a good idea? My boyfriend suggested it but I don't want her not to believe me.. I just have a hard time saying things so printing it off and showing her might be easier. I don't know though.)

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

You need to be honest with yourself and your doctors.

 

[Ryn]

Would printing of a list of the symptoms/effects and highlighting the ones that relate to me be a good idea?

This is more or less what I did, and it worked well since I have trouble articulating things and making a big deal out of myself like you do. I don't think it comes across at all like you're self-diagnosing - in fact, you're doing just the right thing by simply approaching your psychiatrist with your symptoms, and even your suspicions of PTSD, and then letting them make the call.

 

[Deleted member 26314]

This is more or less what I did, and it worked well since I have trouble articulating things and making a big deal out of myself like you do.

What did your therapist say? How did your appointment go, if you don't mind me asking? I stress out about the little things, such as what she'd say after giving her the list or what she'd think about me giving it to her and doing the research myself etc. PTSD hasn't even crossed her radar, I don't think, so I'd need to directly bring it up... just giving her the list of symptoms wouldn't be an option unfortunately.

Thank you both for your replies, it's appreciated.

 

[arfie]

I routinely wrote my thoughts, reactions and questions in a spiral notebook and carried it into therapy with me. It helped me get past the brain freeze that happened so often during sessions. I didn't always need it, but it helped more than once. I never asked anybody to read it, but it helped me remember what I wanted to cover.

Good luck and welcome to the forum.

 

[Ryn]

I'd begun recovering memories of my trauma several months before that, and had given her a few tiny details, so she probably had some idea of how it might be affecting me, but it was the first time I approached her wondering about PTSD. I hadn't seen her for a few months, during which the PTSD really began to surface.

I found several lists online of "adult symptoms of childhood sexual abuse" as well as the standard PTSD symptoms, and I just printed all these out, stapled them together, and circled the ones that applied to me (nearly all of them). I gave her the list and we basically just talked through it. I was worried as well that it might look like I was doing her job for her, but she simply agreed, looked over the symptoms, and said she thought it very likely I had PTSD. The "official" diagnosis came a few weeks later as we continued to talk through things.

I think in your case, it is important to tell her about your trauma first. If you think you might have a hard time verbalising it, maybe you could write about the trauma as well and hand it to her.

 

[digger]

Hi! I'm going to my doctors in the next couple days to get an assessment for PTSD. My therapist thinks it's a possibility and considering my history and symptoms, it's likely.

Confused. In your introduction thread (quote above) you say your therapist thinks PTSD is a possibility, but here you're saying that you don't know how to bring it up with her and that PTSD hasn't even crossed her radar. Have you spoken to her about it already or not?

 

[Deleted member 26314]

Confused. In your introduction thread (quote above) you say your therapist thinks PTSD is a possibility, but here you're saying that you don't know how to bring it up with her and that PTSD hasn't even crossed her radar. Have you spoken to her about it already or not?

Sorry for that! I had a different therapist a good year ago, she thought PTSD could be a possibility but it was brought up once and then forgotten. I must have gotten side tracked when writing my introduction. Sorry for the confusion.

And thanks Ryn, she knows bits and peices about what happened to me but not the full thing and I minimised what happened by quite a lot (i.e. lied and said nothing happened and said it was fine pretty much). I'll try writing it down, as much as I can, though I have a hard time writing it or saying it (I've tried both), but I do need to do one or the other so I'll give it another go.

Thank you for all your input.

 

[digger]

But you're already seeing your doctor in a couple of days about it? Why do you need to ask your therapist to refer you if you're asking your doctor?

 

[Deleted member 26314]

What is this? An interrogation?

I have been speaking to my boyfriend and considering the fact that my therapist sent me an email a couple hours ago asking me to schedule an appointment with her, I decided that I would go to her instead of my doctor. I wanted to see my doctor in the next couple days (hoping he'd have a less 'judging' outlook on it, idk, I'm weird), I was about to ring him before my boyfriend started talking to me about the fact it'd be a better idea to go to my normal therapist since she knows more about me and can most likely get a better idea of my symptoms.

 

[digger]

No, it's not an interrogation - you posted two posts, relatively close together, saying different things about the same issue and I was confused by which it was.

 

[Deleted member 26314]

I posted my introduction post at 12:22. It's now 19:34. I do nothing during the day and my therapist knows this so she sent me an email and we had a very short talk (2 or 3 emails). My boyfriend, who finished college at 16:20, rang me like he always does, I spoke to him and decided to see my therapist instead of my doctor. I then posted this, asking advice - not wishing to be questioned about my posts - about an hour ago.

Sorry for the confusion! I do appologise and hope I cleared it up for you. (Oh and I was joking with the interrogation thing.. sorry if that went the wrong way).