Poll Ptsd As A Disability

[Hashi]

If you're therapist-less, it must be very tough. Maybe that's something you're working on/posting about separately?

I had to ask for a lot of accommodations at work (PTSD hit me at the point when I was working, but the same idea would apply if I had still been a student at that point and was asking my college). Two things I discovered.

One is that the "big deal" of asking for an accommodation was much more for me than for anyone else involved. I might have thought about it for days or weeks before asking. They would then think about it for minutes or even seconds before granting it.

The second is that - the overwhelming majority of people genuinely want to help. They know that some people need special arrangements for various reasons, they're trained to respond to that need, and they get satisfaction from doing so.

I would really encourage you to ask. I can relate to how hard it is to even leave the house and get to the gym. Any help that's out there to help you live a better life - please ask for it. We have enough to deal with already.

 

[Abigail]

If you're therapist-less, it must be very tough. Maybe that's something you're working on/posting about separately?

So I just left my last therapist (I haven't seen him in about a month anyhow) because he did next to nothing. I mentioned him in my Introduction post I believe. He was a very ill fit. I was/am very interested in a service dog (I feel really guilty saying this, I'm crying, it just makes me feel so guilty so it took a lot to bring it up), and he basically said "Yeah, from what you have told me about your relationship with animals, I think that would be very good for you." And he never gave me any information or where to go and he just pushed it off. There is one other trauma therapist in that office that is familiar with animal therapies that I could probably make an appointment with, but I am feeling so guilty every time there is a bill from the psychiatric institute because of me.

So now I'm just work on why I have the issues I do. Even though I haven't found any way to relieve my issues, I have figured out where they come from with some memories from my childhood. I'm planning to go to my psychiatrist and tell her how I'm really tired of this medication merry-go-round when nothing is working and ask about animal therapies (I don't know if psychiatrists know anything about that but I need to do something I'm getting really bad).

They would then think about it for minutes or even seconds before granting it.

I have never realised that before, but you are so right. So so so right. Like, I will think for ages before I ask for anything (like when I had to ask my math teacher for an extension) and I'm terrified and then it takes seconds and wow you're right. Thank you for that!

Any help that's out there to help you live a better life - please ask for .

I'm trying my best. At this point, all I want is to be around animals. I feel safe with animals. When I was growing up with my abusive mother, I had a dog that I basically trained to respond to my distress. Before I even knew what grounding was, I used him and his fur and his warmth and his paw on my arm or something to get me out of that horrible head space. When I was younger, if I were with my dog or around the horses I worked with, I was safe and I was happy.

I'm trying to figure out how to keep myself afloat without those and so far, I haven't been able to. I'm trying. Thank you so much

 

[anthony]

Is it a disability for me? Yes... without a doubt. PTSD can screw me over at the drop of a hat, without me even doing anything new or stressing myself... let alone those knowns if my self-management slides a little and I stress myself or become stressed by another influence. It can, and does, really screw me over pretty bad at times, and I manage the hell out of myself to keep this thing in control, and it still bests me at times.

 

[Prickly Daze]

I had ADA accommodations in grad school begin the spring of my first year. I thought it was helpful to have when I began realizing although I wanted to be there, the social environment thought I was lazy due to the way I coped with my symptoms. At first it felt odd waiting for the prof to pass out tests before they walked me to another room and 200 other students saw someone was different for me, but honestly they never asked more from me than, "why aren't you staying here?" And I'd reply, "I have an accommodation." We weren't close so I didn't go into the way I needed to read questions aloud to myself to help me concentrate on my test and prevent some intrusive thoughts from entering my mind and distracting me. That all takes extra time and I thankfully I got that time when I advocated for myself and said I needed it.

Granted there are people who will question it, but they aren't looking at you as a student holistically. Those aren't people to invest your energy in if you can help it. I found them to be toxic and I avoided them because they triggered some symptoms due to previous experiences of not being believed when my trauma occurred.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

Yes it is considered a disability! I don't know what you ended up deciding to do, but here is what I did. I just started university as well. For the first few weeks I did not tell the school and tried to handle it on my own. It did not seem to go well. So I did ultimately end up taking to the school accessibility office. They ended up being very helpful. I don't like the idea of having "special" treatment, but that's not the case when you really think about it. A lot of people have not experienced the trauma we have and can sleep well, can eat well, don't have flashbacks, etc. So they have no problem studying, doing homework, going to class, etc. Unfortunately it is a little more difficult for us. The office at my school has now made it so I can take exams in a small private room so that I don't freak out and get anxious, I am allowed to make up exams if I have an extreme bad day, I am allowed to miss a "reasonable" amount of classes. For example, one of my classes is a 5 day a week class, and we are only allowed to miss 2 classes a semester. For me they have changed it to 5. Small things like that will help take the stress off of you. I was also allowed to pick whether or not I wanted to share my specific disability with the professors, and I chose to do so. I think it has helped me a lot. They are more understanding now and don't really look down on me.

 

[Lionheart]

I have been disabled due to PTSD, (and Depression) for the past 15 years. I have a better quality of life now, after so much time in therapy, but I am not expecting to return to full time work....*(perhaps one day I will return to part-time employment, but that remains to be seen).

 

[Changing4Best]

I am on Social Security Disability and I was even asked by a person in the Social Services Department if I had ever been sexually assaulted or molested as a child (to which I answered yes both times). I had no trouble getting the Di$ability, in fact I did not have to get a lawyer even. I had first mentioned I was PTSD when this lady in that office asked me those questions. She filled out the form for me as I answered her many questions. I got the Di$ability about a year after that.