Accepting That You Have A Ptsd Personality

[Thinkingman85]

I have trouble accepting my personality as a PTSD personality. However, I have had mental pain for about four years now. I also believe that the pain isn't going to go away. I'm hesitant on saying that I have PTSD because it is like saying I'm an alcoholic. Has anyone else had problems accepting that he/she has PTSD?

 

[AABMT]

Welcome! I struggled with accepting the diagnosis of PTSD myeslf. I was diagnoised several years ago and by more than one therapist but I dismissed it and thought they must be wrong because I had this idea or stereotype of what I thought a PTSD sufferer was like. Then something happened and it made me realize and accept that maybe they were right and that working through these issues might help with other parts of my life. This forum was really helpful also. To be able to relate to so many people who have the same concerns and fears.. that I'm not "broken " afterall. That I'm just struggling with a disease that affects so many aspects of my life and who I am.
Welcome again and all I can say is accepting it myself was the first step in the healing process... Good luck!

 

[Zef]

Yeah, my t kept hinting at that label for quite awhile before I was able to accept it.

I would suggest changing the analogy from being like an alcoholic to being diabetic, because it is a closer fit. To manage it successfully does require changes in your behavior and thinking. At this point, both diseases are long term.

I do think that accepting PTSD (and diabetes) was a critical step in doing what needs to be done. . .even though it can be a very difficult thing to admit.

 

[^^FlyingSolo^^]

Hi Thinkingman85,

If you mean that admitting your an alcoholic over and over again in those meetings is basically reinforcing the bad behavior? I kind of agree with that. But, I don't believe admitting you have a mental illness is the same thing. The reason is because a mental illness like PTSD is not a destructive vice. We are not intentionally bringing it upon ourselves. Admitting we have PTSD is not going to reinforce destructive behavior. We are only just identifying it so we can cope, get the correct meds, help ourselves and our families identify with our mental condition. Just like Alzheimer's disease, everybody including the person with it needs to know so they can understand how to cope and deal with it. I guess the same would apply to cancer or many other illnesses.

There might be a lot of people who find it hard to accept the diagnosis. I thought I was schizophrenic before I was properly diagnosed with PTSD. I did a bunch of research after my diagnosis and bingo they were 100% correct. I felt relief to be properly diagnosed. It was then that I could identify what was really going on with me.

I tried to articulate my thoughts best as possible. but I hope I didn't offend anybody with alcoholism. I'm not a professional or anything. But I don't see the two as similar in the context of diagnosis in the way that I perceived how the question was asked.

Hope this helps, take care

 

[Anna]

I have accepted it, but I do not tell anyone ever. Lately though people have noticed my bad memory. I pass it off as alzheimer or mad cow disease with forgetting stuff. It is rather embarressing though. People tell me something then I forget 3 mins later... I have accepted myself for who I am, cannot change it! You have to make the best of all the good things you have in life :)

 

[Thinkingman85]

Thanks for the responses. I was comparing alcoholism and PTSD in the context of there is something wrong with us. We don't have control of PTSD, but we can live with it. Alcoholics don't have control of the alcohol predisposition, but they can live with it. Comparing PTSD to diabetes makes me feel like I would have a mental disadvantage, and I don't want to believe that. I definitely understand your analogy though.

 

[Spiderallis]

It's a new thing for me. I'm having trouble with the 'traumatic' and 'stress' parts, so in my head it's Post Things Sucked Disorder. I'm okay with saying that things sucked. Feels silly to get so hung up on the wording, but it's terms I'm more comfortable with.

And a gold star for the diabetes analogy, that's a great way to look at it. I've been diabetic most of my life, it becomes part of your routine after a while to take care of that. I really hope I can get the rest to blend in with day-to-day life like that. Thanks!

 

[Thinkingman85]

It's a new thing for me. I'm having trouble with the 'traumatic' and 'stress' parts, so in my head it's Post Things Sucked Disorder. I'm okay with saying that things sucked. Feels silly to get so hung up on the wording, but it's terms I'm more comfortable with.

If you're having symptoms due to the "things sucked", it's probably PTSD. Some are mental pain, memory loss, hypervigilance, and flashbacks. The mental symptoms are key, IMO. If not, it's probably just unresolved issues... just explaining from my personal experience.

 

[^^FlyingSolo^^]

Thanks for the responses. I was comparing alcoholism and PTSD in the context of there is something wrong with us. .

I completely agree with your correlation of alcoholism to PTSD in this context. Sorry I think I read too much into your initial post. I should have asked.

You are getting some good feedback here hope it helps ;)

<Entire quote edited>

 

[Spiderallis]

Thanks Thinkingman85, it was some of the symptoms that made me seek treatment- I'd been calling it paranoia but hyper vigilance is a much better word for that. I don't think I have an 'official' diagnosis yet, but I've got a great therapist and I'm ready to work hard on this. As much as I can relate to what other people around here are talking about, seems like I'm in the right place.

 

[Abrasky]

I can relate as I do also have many personalities. I am aware of them. My psychologist told me I had personalites 1 year ago and it crushed me. It took me a while to accept it.

Personalites are dissocotiave states, like blanking out. Sometimes they can be moods, where you are aware of them. They don't always become states where they become they are functioning soley without the knowledge of your other personalites. My main symptom is I seem very moody(according to other people). And it isn't very noticable.

And these personalities also have addictions that try to recreate my trauma. I have a personality of a bloke I had a crush on in Yr 10 that was attacked my my dad that likes to infuritate people. I have a 5 year old that likes to be social and is happy.

I have PTSD and T1diabetes. I am still healthy, insulin is like having a leg, not something I need to solve like my addictions. I got it either from an infection of the pancreas or rogue immunity cells not from my trauma. So I have a very different opinion of this. :( Diabetes means I am eating healthy food, exercising regularly. My diabetes is making me healthy. It is the way I like to see it.

My fil is alchoholic, and I have trouble dealing with it.:(. As it has effected the family a lot. My husband has psychological issues and pain from it. And his liver is shot. However he went through trauma, and I understand where he is coming from. It is the alcholism that I don't like. I love my fil, he is a lovely man.

My worst addiction isn't physical. It is enraging people. It probably makes other people as mad as my fil makes me. As it makes me seek out unhealthy behaviors like unemployment and infuriating people. But the good news is it is improving a lot becasue of all the therapy.

You can resolve personalities. It takes a lot of work. But they can be integrated into your real self. My psycologist calls it "getting the real me to stand up". Be prepared though, the resolving of personalites is quite rough in therapy compared to other councelling I have found. Good luck.

 

[intothelight]

It is funny, but I don't look at PTSD as part of my personality. It is an anxiety disorder, and it means that I respond to stress (little stress, big stress, bad stress, or good stress) in a manner that falls outside the range of normal.

The symptoms are heighten by certain things, but I am working hard to eliminate the symptoms I can and minimize the impact of the others in my daily life. Basically PTSD doesn't define me, but in a lot of ways it is ending up refining me.