I Don't Feel Like A 'Real' PTSD Sufferer

[USMC-Grunt]

I can't imagine what its like to have to experience the things half the people have posted on this forum.. I feel like a sham getting told that I have PTSD. (Still awaiting an "official" diagnosis from the Veterans Affairs Administration this friday when I have my first real visit with a psychologist whos specifically looking for PTSD and not just some doctor who may or may not just be looking to cover their own arse)

The more I analyze my own situation the more I keep feeling bad for people who have like legit PTSD.. I'm talking rape, molestation, being nearly killed etc.. stuff that really would and should affect a person..


Am I alone on this or is this a common feeling? =\


I hate feeling like I'm almost 'taking away' from someone elses situation by getting told that I have 'PTSD'..

 

[Pixie]

USMC-Grunt,

You aren't "taking away" from anyone and you deserve every chance to have support and understanding and your diagnosis is legit. I know most people think of PTSD as only emanating from things such as the traumas that you mention but any trauma can cause it (and usually does...). The symptoms that you suffer still need to be worked through and managed and are important. You deserve to heal just as much as anybody here.

Some people have a harder time than others, but at the end of the day, we are all here to support each other and that most certainly includes you too.

:Hug_emoticon:

Pixie

 

[Deleted member 541]

Hi & welcome to the forum.....

One of the things that most of us here will tell you......DON'T compare your trauma to anyone else.....Your trauma, was traumatic to you....Mine was traumatic to me......It's all individual, and should never be compared. By comparing, in a way you are denying your trauma.....We try not to do that here......

 

[cragger65]

I have the same feelings, and I was nearly killed. Could it be that you're down playing your experiences?

 

[Jestadud]

You're not alone in feeling like that nor for getting ptsd with none of the above.

You didn't pick it! It found you.

 

[eyebiter]

First and foremost welcome to the forum. I tried to save a person and end result was CPTSD, took over a year for me to even seek help! I think the first step and the hardest (for me anyways) was admitting i needed help.

 

[anni]

Oh my!

That is so odd, in a good way!

For YEARS I felt 'unworthy' of having PTSD mostly because I hadn't gone off and had the experiences people have in combat! I've been poisoned ( twice), choked, beaten, stalked, and can only add 'etc.' to the list without being triggered at the moment but still thought that other's experiences were much more dreadful, hence ''deserving', than mine.

It seems to be part of PTSD to not feel worthy of anything at all on the planet, not even having something as dreadful as PTSD!

There are so many ways to inflict horrors on the human soul- and there seems to be an endless list of circumstances and types of people which inflict that carnage. It's mind-boggling. Just please be kind enough to yourself to accept help, and know we're all in the same proverbial PTSD boat.

Take care!

Anni

 

[CCurry]

Hi,

I hope it helps to know that what you are feeling is very common, denial, a sense of weakness for even having ptsd. My bf also military had ptsd symptoms years before he was ordered through work for a psychiatric assessment. When he looks back now, there were many occurances that he overlooked that screamed of ptsd.

Take care of yourself and don't deny yourself the help that you deserve.

C.

 

[Manic11]

That's a lot of the PTSD. I have been abused for 20 years and yet I often tell myself that I've hardly been through anything.
I minimize all my situations most of the time and a lot of people do.
Acceptance is one of the steps.

Manic

 

[Fortress]

I agree with the above posters. It's very easy to minimize and deny that we are "worthy" of anything. I am honestly still struggling with this too, because it is so easy to tell myself that what I've been through wasn't that bad, it only happened once, others have been through much worse, it's all in my head, I should just "suck it up," I can deal with it all myself, etc. I think it's just fear of the unknown and of accepting that I need help.

One thing this forum has taught me is to recognize that train of thought. Now, instead of dwelling on feelings of weakness or unworthiness, I try to be grateful for the parts of my life that are going well. Surprisingly, this has helped me to better identify and cope with the harder moments.

 

[Xenu]

I read so many worse sexual abuse stories than mine, I'm kind of ashamed to be PTSD. There was no violence or even threat of it, it was just the overwhelming power he had over me for so long...

 

[phoenix62]

Your question is one I ask myself a lot, since I was only recently diagnosed, and like you when I read the threads, I feel that maybe I haven't had it that bad, or as I was brought up to think, I just have to pick myself and get on with it. The thing is, that sort of reasoning has only led me to get to a point where I am now unable to function at all. And by wanting myself strong and together, and by ignoring my symptoms, I have allowed myself to ruin my life and allow many to contribute to that fall. So, in that sense I realise that it is better to deal with whatever it is whenever understanding and help are on offer, or time only makes it worse.

And I find all of your replies very helpful, thank you, because they encourage me to accept that parental abuse and rape and bullying are serious, NOT NORMAL, and can leave one seriously damaged even if life goes on.

So no matter how strongly affected you feel you are in comparison to others, if your symptoms tell you that something is changed in you and that you feel "not right" as a result of it, then embrace it and use that knowledge to heal. We all deserve the right to function to the best of our abilities. This is the one life we have we are aware of after all, and it should be a happy one.
Go guys!!! :)