Poll Did You Self-diagnose?

[Jana Hope]

It was self diagnosis followed by my thoughts being affirmed by a therapist. Luckily, I assumed right based on my symptoms and history and had began a journey towards taking control about a year before therapy. It made things much easier.

 

[walter mitty]

Please help me out by letting me know how your diagnosis came about. Did you recognize sympto...

Took many years starting at 5 or 6. Spent 20 years pondering why I was like I was. This was way before PTSD was considered an DX.

 

[420kitty]

I self-diagnosed. Which is looked down upon, but I have my reasonings. After my turbulent relationship ended I started to notice I wasn't my old self anymore. I would get extremely angry to the point where I would scream at my thoughts, throw things around, punch walls, take it out on people but the most extreme was punching the outside of a stucco house until my knuckles bled. It would help to release this broiling rage within me. Then I started to get flashbacks, could not sleep for shit, and it finally all came to light when I noticed I had triggers.
I was diagnosed with clinical depression at 15/16 and admitted to a psychward around 18 for attempted suicide. My hospital stay was traumatizing. I have epilepsy also and they didn't believe me until I started having seizures all day. It took them a week to get doctor's approval and my family was never contacted. All they did was drug me up so they didn't have to deal with me. I was so scared that if I was honest with a psychologist or psychiatrist they would put me in another psychward. So, I went to get my medical marijuana card and started to read about ptsd. I started reading on ways to manage it and this has helped so much. When I get bad weeks I often think of seeing a psychologist but never follow through.

 

[GwenDR]

Friends and family insist I have PTSD, my therapist disagrees. I think it's possible, but don't know if I qualify. So not diagnosed, but not quite self-diagnosed.

 

[PhoenixAshes7]

A friend told me to that I should go to counseling and I eventually did and I then was diagnosed. I would say I knew I was having all the symptoms, but before then I thought there was no way it could be PTSD .
I thought PTSD was only for veterans and for a few others. I honestly didn't want to think about it.

 

[SophiaWisdom]

Everytime someone talked about PTSD I was in disbelief b/c I thought only combat vets got it. A psychologist I talked to during college said I had mild depression b/c I had a relapse and self-harmed again (something I'd grown out of after high school) and I was horrified b/c depression sounded like this huge horrible thing that meant I was crazy and not fit for living in this world.

In college I learned what codependency was and realized I might have it but was too embarrassed to admit it or talk about it.

Three years ago I lived with a boyfriend who was a recovered alcoholic and active in the AA/Al-Anon community. He destigmatized so much of 12-step and disorders and I became more comfortable with the whole thing.

I never heard of CPTSD until two years ago when I hired a narcissist recovery coach after an abusive relationship with a narc. I realized my mother had NPD then but didn't admit to her sexual abuse of me yet, though I did know she had performed covert incest on me.

This coach told me that's what I had - she had it too and I started looking it up, as well as EMDR.

Over a year ago I became a Christian and suddenly I had the freedom to see the truth - my mother had sexually abused me. I joined some recovery Christian groups and was able to admit to everyone, including my home church. It was so freeing.

Last fall the CPTSD hit me full force and I was unable to care for myself at all without help. I upped my recovery resources and after a few months, with my friends' help, I was able to come out of the majority of it and begin recovery. I now have an EMDR therapist though we have mostly been using psychodynamic talk therapy as I prepare for actual EMDR. I've admitted to the extent of my abuse to several people and though my mother is still my trigger and I can't talk about her, it does help to be open about her abusing me.

My therapist has never told me he thought I had CPTSD - he even once jokingly said I was the one who said it, but it's pretty obvious lol. I went to my doctor with my story and he gave me medication for anxiety and depression (I started having panic attacks again after several yeras of not) and so I pretty much assume that is what I have - it all makes sense. I took tons of online tests and scored mild-severe depression on all of them and it's kind of clear that's what I have. I never ask my doctors for their diagnoses because it's not important what the label is - I see labels as a logistic method to get what we need from our flawed and legalistic system, but it's more important that we just deal with our hurts and get healing. I trust my practitioners that they want to help me get better and I also trust myself and my God to guide me to the right resources and HE has.

 

[Deadman]

I knew something was wrong but I didn't admit it to myself or anyone else. My ex kept telling me to get help. I'd go to a doctor and they would give me an antidepressant. It wasn't until I had a full on flashback and broke down that I admitted I needed help. I told a new doc about it and she just gave me another antidepressant and sent me back to work.

Eventually a social worker and mental health advocate that worked for the organization I was in saw how messed up I was and sent me off for a proper evaluation.

 

[cryinglightning]

I wasn't quite self diagnosed, but I had suspected that maybe I might have it. I didn't claim I did though. Eventually, several months later, I was diagnosed.

 

[Gadgie]

I knew something was wrong with me but I didn't have a clue what it was? At the time I was so busy caring for my late wife, to worry about myself, so I just put it down to tiredness and fatigue.

Then my late wife noticed my sudden mood changes, and my short temper, (not with her) if someone upset me I would just go for them, rather than slink away like a mouse, like I used to. I didn't fear any body, no matter who they were, I felt no fear.

It was about that time my doctor sent me to see a therapist, who put me on a waiting list for treatment, that's when I was told I had PTSD.

When they told me, it was a large load off my mind, as I thought I was going mad, I really did think that!

 

[Deleted member 41588]

I've been self diagnosed for a while now. It started when I had depression and started studying psychology cause of it. I realized after a while I probably had ptsd or at least trauma. I would like to get diagnosed but getting a therapist is super hard here and I still probably have a couple months left to go til I can find one.

 

[Changing4Best]

I described what happened to me when I was a child and I believed my Therapist diagnosed me with PTSD, though I never actually confirmed that. I just started writing it on Dr.'s reports whenever it asked for diagnoses and no one ever disagreed with me or anything, so I assume it is correct. One time my current Therapist said to me that she thought I was Borderline Personality and I also was diagnosed as Bipolar by my first Therapist, so I guess I have a bunch of diagnoses. I never did ask my Psychiatrist(s) what they have diagnosed me with, the one here or the one where I used to live. I suppose I should, but I figure by now it does not matter. They prescribe stuff that corresponds with my symptoms anyway, which is what really matters.

 

[TonyG]

I had been going to doctors for years saying I didn't feel right