My boyfriend and I have been together for a few years, and as I've mentioned, it is a long distance relationship. He has not met any of my family or friends yet. They all know of him, but whenever he visits we just hang out together and not with other people. While part of that is because I want him all to myself during our visits, another part of that is because I am afraid that he will blow up in the presence of my friends or family, not only offending them but also making them wonder what the hell kind of relationship I am in.
I'm not the only person who's been on the receiving end of his anger episodes, but I have gotten the impression that they most often happen in the presence of his few close friends and loved ones, or while he's alone. And he doesn't seem to have the same general social/crowd anxieties that I've seen mentioned by others here. He likes getting to know new people and hanging out with others. He wants to meet the other people in my life who are important to me. It is important to him that he makes a good impression on them.
I know everyone is different, but I'm wondering if any of you can offer any insight, supporters and those are diagnosed with it. Does the PTSD tend to show itself more often in the presence of those you are very close to as well as when you're alone, as opposed to when you're in a situation where you're getting to know new people and you really want to impress them? Is having him over for a holiday dinner with my family a disaster waiting to happen? He has told me that he'd like to be able to do that, and I would like it too as we are planning on moving in together later this year. Also bear in mind that the events that caused his PTSD happened nearly 20 years ago. I don't know if that is likely to make him better at managing in situations where it's especially important that he doesn't shut down or act out.
Despite knowing him for over 10 years, the official PTSD diagnosis is still pretty new to both of us, and I don't know if these are ridiculous questions or not.
I'm not the only person who's been on the receiving end of his anger episodes, but I have gotten the impression that they most often happen in the presence of his few close friends and loved ones, or while he's alone. And he doesn't seem to have the same general social/crowd anxieties that I've seen mentioned by others here. He likes getting to know new people and hanging out with others. He wants to meet the other people in my life who are important to me. It is important to him that he makes a good impression on them.
I know everyone is different, but I'm wondering if any of you can offer any insight, supporters and those are diagnosed with it. Does the PTSD tend to show itself more often in the presence of those you are very close to as well as when you're alone, as opposed to when you're in a situation where you're getting to know new people and you really want to impress them? Is having him over for a holiday dinner with my family a disaster waiting to happen? He has told me that he'd like to be able to do that, and I would like it too as we are planning on moving in together later this year. Also bear in mind that the events that caused his PTSD happened nearly 20 years ago. I don't know if that is likely to make him better at managing in situations where it's especially important that he doesn't shut down or act out.
Despite knowing him for over 10 years, the official PTSD diagnosis is still pretty new to both of us, and I don't know if these are ridiculous questions or not.
