Thanks for the clarification linasmom! Additional question: would you say your Panic and agoraphobia is a result of or directly linked to your PTSD and trauma?
You know, psychiatrists are not always right and neither are psychologists always right either... I don't think it would hurt for you to bring up your thoughts on your diagnoses... perhaps you could be re-diagnosed by a psychiatrist if you're thinking is right (as only a psychiatrist can officially diagnose, though psychologists often work with psychiatrists in aiding them in diagnosis with the information they both collate with the patient). I believe that you have expertise on yourself, and they have expertise on their area of knowledge into disorders... so it's a partnership. If you think you have something to say that they don't know about - tell them, they are there to help you...
In terms of can we 'fluctuate'... well in a word, yes. Diagnostically, it depends on the disorder though... for example, if you're diagnosed with a personality disorder, you're diagnosed with that for life. Depression is not like this though... one in four get depression at some point, and within 6 months a lot of people get better on their own. A lot of people don't, and a lot of people get better, then 'relapse'. Some suffer a "clinical" depression, whereby there appears to be no cause, and it is persistently extreme. Many, many, people suffer depressive episodes because, frankly, life is shit. Additionally, there is loads of research on the fact that people often relapse with depression... so it is known that depression fluctuates. Makes sense... mood fluctuates. I am not lucky enough to say that I have periods whereby PTSD seems to minimally affect my life, but some may... but there are times when I am being hit over the head with a big giant mallet constantly with several aspects of PTSD, and days where more or less of these aspects of PTSD may be affecting my life.
There is a pyramidial issue here... for example a person will have the big disorder such as PTSD, schizoprhenia, etc. Underneath that, a lot of psychiatrists and psychologists will say it is a given that somebody would also be diagnosed with a depressive illness... because they're depressed from the impact of the big illness at the top. There also may be sub-anxiety disorders such as panic, phobias etc. also... in terms of the DSM and PTSD, PTSD is under the anxiety category of disorders... so some could say it is again, a given that one would also have several offshoots of anxiety problems in the form of other diagnoses.
I think it's important that diagnosis is right, obviously. And i think it's important for people to have a good understanding of their diagnosis/es, and the diagnostic system... but in terms of overcoming PTSD, the diagnosis itself serves no purpose.... dealing with root causes is what will change things. Often, people are 'treated' on the surface for one disorder or another, only to find themselves being re-diagnosed as some other disorder... that's because sometimes the disorders people end up with are actually disordered coping mechanisms... and disordered coping mechanisms are often due to trauma in the case of PTSD... so dealing with the trauma is what will lead to the lack of needing to 'cope' in any extreme or disordered way...
