General Is One Of The Symptoms Of Ptsd Self Absorption?

[IvyMillie]

I'm still learning the symptoms of PTSD. My husband displays many of them. He is getting older now, he is in his 60's and it seems like this self-absorption thing is getting worse.

He doesn't listen to me about anything I'm interested in and that he isn't. He isn't interested in any of my hobbies, not even to ask what I'm doing. I went to school a number of years ago, he never asked about my classes. He never has been a listener to me, but honestly I think it's getting even worse. For years I thought it was just the guy thing--especially guys his generation, but I must say some guys really are good listeners, so this is just a general comment.

I know that men and women usually have different interests and I tend to talk more about girl type things (although I'm not a girly girl really). I don't expect him to listen about shopping and such, but just at least feign some kind of interest in me once in a while.

He mostly talks about money and finances and trying to control those things. He also talks now a lot about retirement which I think he thinks will make him happy and it should happen in a few years not the happy part, the retirement part. He talks about work as I help him a bit in his job.

<So is this just a guy thing, part of his general personality, or is it a PTSD thing?

Please remember to insert paragraph breaks in your posts. Amethist>

 

[ISupportHer]

I am far from an expert. I read once that if you saw a person just sitting, withdrawn with depression, you would think the mind is blank. But if they would have electrodes on the head, it would show their mind is going a mile a minute as they are constantly thinking of their worries, depression etc I see it like a computer running super slow because of tons of spyware or viruses running in the background and impairing performance.

My opinion is that this happens a lot. That we see our spouses or partners forget things or "ignore" things because they're thinking of their trauma or worries. That this can appear as self absorbed but are using a lot of their mental "files" and can't process the other stuff.

Well, it's a theory anyway, LOL

ISH

 

[Tinyflame]

Pretty good theory I'd say, ISH, I like that analogy.

"Struggling with making sense of the basics"/ 101 thoughts fears worries etc, not 'present' or fully 'in' the present (but trying!)