Ptsd - A Mental Health Problem?

[Deleted member 5760]

CB - do you have a Union Rep or someone of that nature whom you can speak with? The primary issue is whether or not you can do the job.

As far as I know it's a brain injury. It can be picked up using an MRI. Which I think makes it a mental health issue. A physiological thing. But it's also still an illness, for which at this particular point in time there is no cure. Only management. If you've had a sudden 'flare up' of symptoms when your history in the job has been quite good then I think it's unfair to label it a 'history'.

As far as predisposition/vulnerabilities -
My possible list is so exhaustive I'd need far more than one post.
Is there a genetic predisposition? Well this is why I believe in not just throwing money at treatment and sufferers, but into scientific research which aims at causes and prevention.

 

[cherryblossom]

Thanks for all your replies.
I do have a union rep helping me with my case, which is good.
I was just interested to hear other peoples views. 'We', as sufferers and carers of PTSD probably know more about it and understand it better than a General Practitioner or union rep, which I why I asked. I am actually trying to have a lot of the report re-worded, because in my opinion the whole report has a negative spin on it. This is what I'm considering for my argument against this phrase.

"........has had a significant period of mental ill health on the background of a long standing history of mental health problems.” This is factually untrue. I do not have a long-standing history of mental health problems. I am currently 38 years old; I have had PTSD for 8 years. The PTSD was caused by one traumatic life event. I did not have any history of ‘mental health problems’ prior to this, so I dispute the phrase ‘long standing history of mental health problems’. It does not necessarily follow, that a diagnosis of PTSD, leads to significant ‘mental health problems’. Any perceived ‘mental health problems’, simply based on a diagnosis of PTSD is unfounded. From my recollection, I have had sickness absence from work twice due to PTSD. This proves that for the majority of those eight years my PTSD, and any ‘mental health problems’, have been well controlled by me.

Any feedback on this, positive or negative, would be apreciated.

 

[catjudo]

"........has had a significant period of mental ill health on the background of a long standing history of mental health problems.” This is factually untrue. I do not have a long-standing history of mental health problems. I am currently 38 years old; I have had PTSD for 8 years. The PTSD was caused by one traumatic life event. I did not have any history of ‘mental health problems’ prior to this, so I dispute the phrase ‘long standing history of mental health problems’. It does not necessarily follow, that a diagnosis of PTSD, leads to significant ‘mental health problems’. Any perceived ‘mental health problems’, simply based on a diagnosis of PTSD is unfounded. From my recollection, I have had sickness absence from work twice due to PTSD. This proves that for the majority of those eight years my PTSD, and any ‘mental health problems’, have been well controlled by me.

I agree, CB, that it doesn't seem to be a fair representation of your circumstances/history and that you should continue to try to have the report changed.

Oh, and just to add, if you are diagnosed with PTSD, and PTSD isn't curable, does that mean you could be classed as having 'mental health problems' for the rest of your life, even if your symptoms are well controlled?

I did want to answer to this, though. Assuming, even if just for a moment for arguments sake, that we can all agree that PTSD is a "mental health problem", and we do all agree that it isn't curable, then yes, it would stand to follow that you would be classified as having a "mental health problem" for the rest of your life, even if well controlled. If a person were to have bipolar disorder or schizophrenia but it was well controlled, they were high functioning and their co-workers or average person to meet them had no idea that they had this illness (these types of people do, in fact, exist)...they still have bipolar or schizophrenia and they still have a mental illness, no matter how well controlled.

 

[Deleted member 5760]

I agree with catjudo - if there is no cure at present then yes, it stands to reason that we as sufferers will have it for the rest of our lives. We can also learn to manage it. Part of learning to manage it is treating our bodies and minds with respect, etc.In exactly the same way someone with bipolar or schizophrenia would.

Still - I was high functioning. Exactly like you. Post incident, but pre-PTSD diagnosis - One job I had 1 sick day. The other I had 2. Nobody, including myself, knew I had PTSD. It had to come to a head at some point and affect employment. Why - cause you need time out to deal with it. I would say that's a wise decision, and not something an employer should hold against you if everything before it was the mark of an impeccable employee. Yes, you did in fact have PTSD. No, it was not affecting your employment until such time as you took warranted leave for health reasons.

I would argue for your job CB - and I wish you the absolute best with it.

 

[GodSeeker]

Oh, and just to add, if you are diagnosed with PTSD, and PTSD isn't curable, does that mean you could be classed as having 'mental health problems' for the rest of your life, even if your symptoms are well controlled?

Have you ever heard of Rosenhan Experiment?

http://psychrights.org/articles/rosenham.htm

 

[cherryblossom]

I will have a look - thank you.

 

[AdamAnt]

Have you ever heard of Rosenhan Experiment?

Wow what an eye_opener!

 

[seedling]

CB - what a lot to have to go through. Glad you are getting through it so well (even if it doesn't seem like it!).

I like your statement refuting the diagnosis. My only input is that maybe you should delete the "mental health problems" clause of the last sentence. It almost seems that by putting that in there you are admitting that you do have "mental health problems" when you wanted to state emphatically that you do not.

As to whether PTSD is physical or mental or both: my T told me a few weeks ago that PTSD is different from other mental illnesses in that it is caused by outside influences. Other mental illnesses are caused by internal stimuli.

I remember the moments of the chemical damage during my trauma. I remember the indescribable physical feeling rushing all over my body. It was like having an ocean storm going on in every molecule of my body/mind. It was a great upward rushing from my feet. I remember being blown away by the sensation. I don't remember what I was "feeling," perhaps it will come back to me. Whatever it was, it was way too much for my body and mind to cope with.
After that I switched off and went into action mode, helping the EMTs, etc.

Up until those moments I was a happy, healthy, well-adjusted wife and mother who felt she had a dream-come-true life. Regular stresses - yes, major revisions in progress or desired - no.

I think there may be genetic predisposition to PTSD but that idea has to be weighed against the fact that PTSD is caused by our perception of the trauma. I could have seen something someone else would have thought was more horrible, and not gotten PTSD. Even if there is a genetic predisposition, it would still take the right trauma, seen through the lens of our past life/upbringing/etc. to bring on the PTSD.

Take care CB. Thinking of you.

 

[cherryblossom]

PTSD is different from other mental illnesses in that it is caused by outside influences. Other mental illnesses are caused by internal stimuli.

Thankyou so much for those words. It is exactly what I want to say, but couldn't for the life of me, come up with the right words. I will also review my last sentence. Thanks :)

 

[seedling]

Love your reindeer:)

 

[Deleted member 5760]

CB - I have a sheet of paper on my fridge written by my T which states exactly this word for word -

'I am normal and responding to abnormal situations'

 

[kers]

Any of us, with PTSD, only need an MRI to show the dramatic changes to our brain. c

I often forget that there is physical evidence of all this. Thanks for the reminder.