Do I Have Ptsd?

[Joey18]

I drank a lot of liquid before bed one night so I had to get up to use the restroom multiple times. Each time I did so my cousin would follow me to the door and basically bug me while I was half asleep (he stays up all night and kept harassing me by saying things like "you use the bathroom too much"). I asked him if he could not stay by the door while I used the restroom and he flipped out and called me all sorts of names and threatened me.

The verbal attack was very vicious and for some reason ever since then I can't stop thinking about that event. It really made no sense to get cursed out and threatened with such hatefulness just because I didn't want to be bothered while using the restroom.

It feels like my mind has been in another dimension ever since then. He called me names such as a "bitch" and for some reason every time I hear those words since then that moment in time flashes back to me.

For some reason since then I also can't stop thinking about bad events in my life. I have intrusive thoughts every second of the day and my brain feels anxious every second of the day. This has been going on for two years now and it feels like I am living in a mental nightmare. It is not as bad as it was at first, but it is still very distressing to live with.

Sorry for the long post, but is this PTSD? The event wasn't that serious like being in combat or anything, so can abuse such as this finally trigger it? For some reason the unexpected verbal attack seems to have messed up my brain permanently. I just want my life back as it was before that day. I can't imagine living the rest of my life with constant anxiety and intrusive thoughts in my brain every second of the day.

I have had issues with repetitive thoughts, panic attacks, etc. before this event, but they would come and go and would be very minor (maybe lasting a day at a time at most... NEVER TWO YEARS).

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Hi,

Nobody here can diagnose you. I urge you to seek professional help for your anxiety. I wonder, have you had any other events in your life which were traumatic? Sometimes people experience something traumatic and are seemingly unaffected, or only minorly affected. Then, at a later time, a smaller event which would normally not be so bothersome end up sending us over the edge. This is exactly what happened to me. My trauma itself was significant, but what sent me into full blown PTSD was some stupid guy calling me "dirty". I never tell anyone this, because it makes me feel so stupid. I've been questioned "why now? 25 years later?" But I never tell anyone what set things in motion.

I wish you the best.

 

[.Bubbles.]

As already said, nobody here can diagnose you. But you are clearly suffering. I urge you to get professional help. They can help you to work out what's going on for you. You are dealing with a few ptsd like symptoms, but only a pro could diagnose for sure. To answer your question - i do think verbal abuse can cause ptsd. By the way you worded your post, it seems like you were in fear of assualt.

Whatever is going on with you, I hope you get it sorted :)

 

[Joey18]

Thanks for the replies. I will seek out professional help. I was actually wondering if a moderator could delete this thread because I would prefer not to be reminded of it.

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

I am sorry, we don't delete threads. But why would you want them deleted? There is nothing wrong about talking about what bothers you and opening up about it. If the advice here helped you get the courage to see a professional then that's good right?

 

[heidi]

My trauma itself was significant, but what sent me into full blown PTSD was some stupid guy calling me "dirty". I never tell anyone this, because it makes me feel so stupid. I've been questioned "why now? 25 years later?" But I never tell anyone what set things in motion.

I wish you the best.

Just wondering when you struggle with memories do you think of the more traumatic event that predates the trigger or do you think about the trigger? I had a similar experience and while my brain would initially go from the one thing to the other eventually it seems to have settled more around the trigger.