General My Spouse Has Ptsd And Doesn't Know I Know About It.

[CvaLife]

I know about my spouse's PTSD, but my spouse hasn't told me about it yet. I would like to help, but I don't want to bring it up first.

 

[Sweetpea76]

How did you find out about the PTSD?

 

[Kintsugi]

How exactly did you come across this information?

My thoughts here are twofold.

The first thought is that bringing it up first will feel like a violation/intrusion to most sufferers in my admittedly limited experience. I knew a girl had PTSD--not for sure, but I was pretty damn certain--and I never brought it up until she told me, just out of respect for her. But I have PTSD. So I know the signs, and I knew she had CritA trauma as a kid.

The second thought, however, is that if you were looking through her paperwork or something and happened upon her diagnosis, not saying something may appear dishonest. If it was an honest mistake of a discovery, bringing it up is the straightforward thing to do IMO.

So... how do you know this?

 

[CvaLife]

How did you find out about the PTSD?

By watching and paying attention. I had PTSD myself, so I kind of know what to look for and then my spouse's mother called me concerned and confirmed it. Wasn't her right to do that, but now I'm 100% sure

 

[CvaLife]

How exactly did you come across this information?

My thoughts here are twofold.

The first thought...

I've had PTSD myself so I know what to look for in actions. And then I got a call from my spouse's mother she was concerned about the PTSD and she told me about it just confirming what I thought. She wanted me to bring it up to my spouse and I refused because I feel like when my spouse is ready to tell me then they will. I told her she had no right to tell me but that I already knew about it

 

[Fadeaway]

At the beginning of the thread you made it seem as if there was a diagnosis hence the type of responses you got. You know for she your spouse has PTSD. If your spouse doesn't have a diagnosis there is nothing to tell. What you can do is mention to you spouse that you see they are struggling with past trauma, and and would be 100% supportive of a decision to work some of that out with a therapist.

 

[holdenmonty]

what if you don't bring up the diagnosis but bring up things that you have noticed and bring up the things that you might have had as well when you had PTSD that way it shows him that you can see where he is coming from with different things.