Ptsd From Being In A Police Station

[daisychain23]

I'm totally confused , firstly you say 'For questions you need answers to or supportive feedback, post here as well. It is an interesting group'...... but then you say no body can give you answers.... ok so there is no point in asking any then ...... thank you for your help.

 

[Kefira]

It may be helpful to consider for a moment the limitations of this sort of environment. We cannot diagnose and we cannot provide a course of action specific to you. We can answer general questions that have factual answers, we can offer our own personal opinions and perspective, and we can suggest things that you might try in order to see if they help you or not.

Ultimately, you come up with your own answers because you are your own person. The choices that you make about your life and the direction in which you want to move are yours. That's true of therapy as well- no one can reach in your head and fix you. But you do have the option of support and guidance while you do the work of recovering. And it is work.

there are millions of ptsd posts with flashbacks, panic attacks and body memories...... so I am supposed to try every single way that other people try and hope and pray that one of them works and if not then tough luck to me.

I read that you are hurting and are immensely frustrated. But let's just unbox this for a moment. First, millions seems a bit of an exaggeration. Second, the idea is that you take the time to research so you can come up with a few things that might be helpful to you. Do you have to try everything? Of course not. If you picked half a dozen coping techniques and really give them a try while you're waiting for therapy might it help? I'd like to think so. As alone as it feels, what will help you is probably not completely unique.

I have tried to manage and the only way that I can find of managing myself as you say I have to do is self harming so I assume that that is the right way for me. yes it might mean that I die, but hey at least I wont have to think about this anymore. thank you for your advice.

but then you say no body can give you answers.... ok so there is no point in asking any then ...... thank you for your help.

Maybe you should consider why exactly you feel the need to be sarcastic and lash out when people are trying to help and to determine what exactly you feel you will get out of this sort of peer support structure if this is your attitude.
There is a lot of information and a lot of wonderfully helpful people here if you are open to them.

 

[daisychain23]

I am not being sarcastic at all. I am simply confused with the message sent. its says ask questions, but we cant answer them.... that's confusing to me. and also that I have to manage myself... I do , I self harm as that is the only way that works for me... I have tried many things to overcome this and nothing works.. I have tried many coping techniques, distraction, talking to somebody... going for a walk, and such like and they don't work. it simply stays in my head playing like a constant video even as I type this its still there in the background playing away.

I see no point in asking anybody on here, as Ive already been told.. we cant answer your questions.. so basically don't bother asking.. look for yourself and hope and pray that something might help... im really not into trying constant new things hoping they will help and then they don't. as I said .. I ll stick to my way of managing and self harm instead.. at least I know that works, and hopefully if I am lucky enough I might just end up not waking up and then it s problem solved.. no flashbacks, no panic attacks no body memories no nothing.. thanks for all your advice.

 

[Chava]

im really not into trying constant new things hoping they will help and then they don't. as I said

This says a lot. Nothing changes if nothing changes.

I've tried seemingly ridiculous things because I had to try something different. If nothing else, simply to feel like I had the power to do something and try to change....in small but very important ways this tells my nervous system that I am not fundamentally trapped in the past or old patterns. It takes a long process of many small and consistent efforts (in my experience).

Even if "change" meant tolerating the next five minutes with a little more presence or one new healthy distraction, that's good news to me. I've become an artist largely as a way of healthy distraction. We find all kinds of tools if we're serious. If we're sick of trying, it's simply more difficult. Also, all tools don't work for everyone. Nobody here relates to my exact trauma scenarios, but that doesn't mean I haven't found some valuable support through not feeling so alone with some of the symptoms. Sometimes I take someone else's ideas and they work. Sometimes no. But I'm not giving up. I do have a therapist, but even with that, 167 hours of the week are me managing on my own and working slowly to develop safer coping mechanisms and healthier patterns.

It sounds like you don't want to try anything new (or maybe want only a solution if it can happen right now or it isn't difficult??), so it will be very difficult for you to change, don't you think? Can you take one suggestion that you haven't tried and approach it with the mindset that you will give yourself a chance?

 

[Friday]

I'm a bit confused here... Do you have CriterionA Trauma in your history?

Because the good news for you is that if not, being embarrassed for being naked for a few hours won't lead to PTSD, although other disorders are possible. The diagnosis is important, because if you don't have PTSD, then the best treatment modalities in the world for PTSD aren't going to help if you're dealing with a different condition.

____________________
Criterion A: stressor
The person was exposed to: death, threatened death, actual or threatened serious injury, or actual or threatened sexual violence, as follows: (one required)

1. Direct exposure.
2. Witnessing, in person.
3. Indirectly, by learning that a close relative or close friend was exposed to trauma. If the event involved actual or threatened death, it must have been violent or accidental.
4. Repeated or extreme indirect exposure to aversive details of the event(s), usually in the course of professional duties (e.g., first responders, collecting body parts; professionals repeatedly exposed to details of child abuse). This does not include indirect non-professional exposure through electronic media, television, movies, or pictures.

 

[joeylittle]

@daisychain23, you could try working your way through this website: http://www.dbtselfhelp.com/ . There's a ton of good material there, specifically about how to notice your thoughts and emotions while they are happening in a way that allows you to turn down the dial on their intensity.

You can also try working through a workbook. I actually don't have any trauma books I've worked thru myself, but that's a pretty focused search you could do here...Here's one that looks pretty good: Link Removed. Do a search for trauma therapy books, you'll see good ideas.

Finally, you can put down your defensive thinking. Look, we are all here for the same reason - looking for ways to deal with our mental health. All @shimmerz was saying, I think, was that a forum is never going to be a solid as real-life therapy, but you can figure out how to use this place kind of like an ongoing group drop-in peer support kind of thing.

This thinking:

I ll stick to my way of managing and self harm instead.. at least I know that works, and hopefully if I am lucky enough I might just end up not waking up and then it s problem solved.. no flashbacks, no panic attacks no body memories no nothing.. thanks for all your advice.

is not helping you. There are great lists of techniques for controlling self-harm - here's a thread to get you started:
Self Harm - Help Me Understand

There is some trial and error in all these things, but it doesn't take forever. I have a self-harm problem, and it took me going through about four or five ideas that didn't work til I found the one that did. It's like trying on shoes, in a strange way.

 

[Friday]

t.Furthermore being as I suffer from constant videos of the situation, panic attacks and body memories and there is no other diagnosis for these things....

Actually, these symptoms are common to many disorders.

 

[anonymous]

There is no quick fix.

The best coping skill I ever found, well I had to work at it for almost a year before it had any effect whatsoever.

So, you may have to practice your skills over and over and over again ad nauseam before getting any relief.

It's not a matter of trying something once or twice and deciding it doesn't work for you.

 

[daisychain23]

thank you for all your advice.. I think I ll stick to what I know and self harm, It distracts me from the constant videos all day long, I don't wake up with panic attacks and feeling somebody touching me - because im unconscious and I dont have any body memories during the day as im too ill to do so. I am not waiting another year trying something that might eventually work in a years time.. that is way too long for me..

as for being naked doesn't cause p.t.s.d ... have you ever had 4 people forceably remove your clothing, touch your privates, leave you naked for 4 hours for men and women to see you. I dont think you have otherwise you might see that it is extremely traumatic an experience, not to mention the humiliation of it, feeling of helplessness and inability to rid the constant videos of it playing over and over again, feeling the person touching you.. its like being sexually assaulted. and violated even raped.. have you seen the video on you tube of Steffi hope that it happened to.. if not watch it and see how traumatising it actually is to be forcibly stripped naked and touched and then tell me whether this would be traumatic to a person.

and as for the symptoms being common in many disorders... so the doctor than I seen got it wrong , and theres no point in seeing a therapist then, as I dont have p.t.s.d according to this site... that's fine.. I ll cancel them then as I dont want to waste their time.. can you suggest what other disorder I might have then, so that I can inform my doctor that they need re educating.

 

[joeylittle]

I think I ll stick to what I know and self harm, It distracts me from the constant videos all day long,

I'm going to repeat what I said - using self harm as a coping tool isn't going to help you in the long run. You are just adding problems to problems.

and as for the symptoms being common in many disorders... so the doctor than I seen got it wrong , and theres no point in seeing a therapist then, as I dont have p.t.s.d according to this site... that's fine.. I ll cancel them then as I dont want to waste their time.. can you suggest what other disorder I might have then, so that I can inform my doctor that they need re educating.

Passive-aggression will not really get you anywhere, you know? We can't tell you what you have, and you believe you have PTSD. Please, try and make use of some advice that's been posted...And because tone is really hard to read on the internet - if you are honestly responding that you will cancel your therapy and tell your doctor they need to learn more - then no, that's not what anyone is saying.

If you have PTSD, you have PTSD. You could also have Post-Traumatic Stress, which is no less painful but actually gives your treatment a better outcome. Not all traumas result in having the disorder - but they can certainly leave very serious and painful after-effects. It must be very frustrating for you to have to be on a waiting list to get help. But you can do things to help yourself, and spending time learning about those things on this site could relieve some of your pain and move you quicker towards recovery. What's to lose in giving it a shot?

 

[Queen Boudica]

Is it usual for the Police to leave unconscious drunks in a Police cell, wouldn't they have had to have a medic examine you? Do you have the medic as a witness, if there was one? There would have to have been a statement by the medic. Just thinking if the medic could back you up. I am surprised that they can strip any woman naked in the UK like that. If you were not conscious what would be the reason? Seems ground for a complaint. Is it common practice to do this? Have you tried making a complaint to the IPCC. I see there was at least another case and that was upheld. So at least you could feel that something is being done about this. It is unlikely you would be the only one they are doing this too and others may come forward or have complained to the IPCC

 

[Lucycat]

Hi @daisychain23 and welcome to the forum.

I am disappointed in your experience - by which I mean I thought our British Police were better than that. However I too have read horror stories of Police officers found guilty of rape, assault and other crimes. There are rogues in every profession I guess. I don't know why they would remove your clothes, but nonetheless am aware that does happen - for evidence perhaps or to prevent self-harm. I also know that Doctors are not resident in all police stations. In many places it is up to the Police to call a Doctor in for a medical assessment. In some places that has even been down graded to a Nurse Practitioner doing the assessment in some areas. As long as you are rousable (as checked out using the GCS or Glasgow Coma Scale), then you are left to 'sleep it off'. That is not the same as being left unconscious.

As a Doctor has diagnosed you with PTSD, accept that. Your doctor knows your full history, whereas members on here, even with the best of intention don't know the full picture. I think there is more to your story. Of course it is up to you if you wish to share or not - I am not trying to pry at all. You mention that you have reverted to your familiar coping mechanism - self -harm. So I wonder what it is ( prior to the event in the Police Station) that you have been trying to cope with. Additionally you were so drunk that the Police lifted you, - is drink another coping mechanism? I am not trying to judge - please don't think that. Many of us here have and do 'use' alcohol although we all know that is not a healthy option.

I am glad that you have been referred for therapy. I am sure you will find it helpful - although it is very hard work. I have been seeing an NHS Therapist (Community Psychiatric Nurse or CPN) for the past 5 years since I was diagnosed. Trauma is his specialism so I am really lucky to have him.

Now to address your question - what to do about the Flashbacks -or videos in your head. The advice I received in the early days was to use distraction. Playing games on the computer that need a bit of concentration helped. I could not achieve the targets in the games while the pictures where there so had to 'push them aside' which I could only do for a wee while at a time. Also apparently daft things like going out for a walk with a friend. Alone is no good as your mind wanders. Then there were other physical things like making a cake, doing a jigsaw, clearing out one cupboard or one drawer. Distraction simply puts off the moment that you will think about it. It does not make it go away. So another thing some people find helpful is to deliberately allow those videos and thoughts in - for say 15 minutes- at a planned time each day. Not allowing any other time to dwell. This is all about just biding your time until you start therapy. Then you can address and process those memories so that they no longer matter. They will likely never vanish, but they will not control you any more.