lookingforadvice
New Here
I should start by saying that I'm not unfamiliar with PTSD. I've known two people affected by it, and have researched the topic online quite a bit. But I find myself at wit's end at the moment.
I have a friend who lives halfway across the country from me who has PTSD as a result of being repeatedly raped a number of years ago. She functioned until recently, not even knowing she had this, until she was triggered by an online relationship she got involved in.
She's been suffering nightmares, mood swings, severe depression, and talking about suicide. She doesn't *want* to kill herself, but she's afraid she will. I convinced her to make an appointment with a psychologist, but she didn't keep the appointment
As much as she's afraid of continuing to suffer the way she is now, and of the potential for her to kill herself, it turns out that she's phobic of going to a therapist. She went to one once years ago, and from what I've gathered, it was not a good experience, and may even be tied in her mind to the sexual abuse. She is more frightened of going in to see the doctor than she is of the consequences of not doing it. She's also afraid that with unstable behavior and suicidal thoughts, she will be committed. Primarily, she's afraid of having to talk about her trauma and the effect revisiting it will have
She recognizes how dire her need for therapy and medication is. She's willing to do it and wants to get help. But she can't. The phobia is a genuine phobia. She is smart, self-aware, and finds herself looking on as she feels like she's going insane, and she feels helpless because she can't do the thing with the most promise of helping her.
I have a call in to the doctor she made the appointment with; I'm hoping the doctor can give me some advice
But I'm also hoping for any help someone on here might be able to give. I got the idea from her, actually; she said she visited a PTSD forum in hopes of finding a support group but found she couldn't read it.
I've been through everything I can think of – I've been as much of a surrogate therapist as I can be, but it's beyond my help. My friend says she's afraid she won't be alive next year. I'm afraid of the same thing. Since she's not actively planning suicide, this really isn't a suicide hotline issue. It's more of a really urgent help-someone-overcome-a-phobia issue.
I have a friend who lives halfway across the country from me who has PTSD as a result of being repeatedly raped a number of years ago. She functioned until recently, not even knowing she had this, until she was triggered by an online relationship she got involved in.
She's been suffering nightmares, mood swings, severe depression, and talking about suicide. She doesn't *want* to kill herself, but she's afraid she will. I convinced her to make an appointment with a psychologist, but she didn't keep the appointment
As much as she's afraid of continuing to suffer the way she is now, and of the potential for her to kill herself, it turns out that she's phobic of going to a therapist. She went to one once years ago, and from what I've gathered, it was not a good experience, and may even be tied in her mind to the sexual abuse. She is more frightened of going in to see the doctor than she is of the consequences of not doing it. She's also afraid that with unstable behavior and suicidal thoughts, she will be committed. Primarily, she's afraid of having to talk about her trauma and the effect revisiting it will have
She recognizes how dire her need for therapy and medication is. She's willing to do it and wants to get help. But she can't. The phobia is a genuine phobia. She is smart, self-aware, and finds herself looking on as she feels like she's going insane, and she feels helpless because she can't do the thing with the most promise of helping her.
I have a call in to the doctor she made the appointment with; I'm hoping the doctor can give me some advice
But I'm also hoping for any help someone on here might be able to give. I got the idea from her, actually; she said she visited a PTSD forum in hopes of finding a support group but found she couldn't read it.
I've been through everything I can think of – I've been as much of a surrogate therapist as I can be, but it's beyond my help. My friend says she's afraid she won't be alive next year. I'm afraid of the same thing. Since she's not actively planning suicide, this really isn't a suicide hotline issue. It's more of a really urgent help-someone-overcome-a-phobia issue.