Ptsd Diagnosis, Could It Be Wrong?

[wolfie205]

I've just started going for therapy. They didn't tell me what was going on and all we did was work on reducing the anxiety. I have not shared about my past or any traumas, but I accidentally glanced at one of my case notes and it said I presented with PTSD.

This was completely an accident, I didn't mean to see it and now I don't know whether they're really right. I mean if I haven't shared about any traumas with them, how can I be diagnosed with PTSD? All they told me was it was anxiety, paranoia and hypervigilance. I don't know if they think I'm in denial and that's why they haven't talked to me about this but sometimes I think I have it and other times I don't.

I mean when I first went into therapy, I was a nervous wreck. I was paranoid about everyone, thought everyone had to be talking about me and that everyone wanted to do horrible things to me. I can't trust anyone and I'm in a constant state of anxiety. I keep hearing people talking and plotting against me but most of the times they probably aren't true. And even if it is trauma, the incident happened in my childhood, why is it only affecting me now? And the things I am anxious about aren't really related to the trauma. I mean my symptoms fluctuate. A few months ago, I was literally going crazy and now I feel fine. Just a bit of anxiety here and there but nothing really bad...

Could they be right about this?? Do I really have ptsd?

 

[Muzikluvr]

I've written before about the differences in what outsiders perceive of a PTSD sufferer vs. what the PTSD sufferer is really going through, so they could be wrong... but, then again... despite the varying reasons for why these symptoms present themselves in individuals, the symptoms are pretty much the same for each of us. You've described several in your post above.

Have you experienced trauma? Have people plotted against you in the past? Have you ever heard that, "it's not paranoia, if people really are out to get you"... Does your paranoia have a basis? Is it just out of the blue?

My paranoia is based on past experiences. I fear them happening again. When I see the signs, I start to panic and have to reign in my reaction. It's still paranoia because people aren't out to get me anymore, in fact, most people weren't to begin with... but there were a few key people who sought to find fault in me and point it out to others.

If I were you, I'd start trusting and tell the therapist what you've experienced and what you're going through. It's the quickest way through the pain and into a state of mind where you understand the world around you. Once you can make sense of it, then you can feel safer in it... that's my experience anyway.

Good luck, Wolfie and welcome to the forum.
Muz

 

[Abstract]

Welcome here.

I do understand your reasoning and it is hard to know how they could diagnose you without knowing that you had trauma in your past. However, as Muzikluvr said, you have mentioned a lot of the symptoms.

Do you think you could have mentioned the trauma at some point without realising it?

It seems to me there are two questions here. The one is how they could diagnose you and therefore if the diagnoses is valid and the second is if you have PTSD regardless of the present diagnoses question.

There is such a thing as delayed onset PTSD and many here including myself have had that occur. https://www.myptsd.com/threads/when...appear-after-the-initial-traumatic-event.209/

Are these experiences recent and did anything specific set them off?

 

[Leah123]

Anxiety, paranoia, and hypervigilance could be a lot of things: a reputable provider shouldn't diagnose you with pTsd without a clearcut trauma, and shouldn't be quick to judge something in your life as a trauma without even asking you about it or discussing it with you. Perhaps there's more than we know about the situation, or perhaps they settled on PTSD out of convenience to have something official to use in billing your insurance company for the treatment. I certainly suggest asking your provider directly about it.

In the meantime, here is a link to the criteria for PTSD. You'll see it's a lot more than hypervigilance, anxiety and paranoia, indeed, I personally didn't know paranoia was a PTSD symptom, but of course, if you were traumatized in a way that would cause paranoia, I'm sure that could explain it.

[DLMURL]https://www.myptsd.com/c/wiki/posttraumatic-stress-disorder/#diagnostic-features[/DLMURL]

Best of luck, I'm glad to hear you're doing better!

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Well, to be frank, you're mincing words.

Saying that someone presents with PTSD means that they are presenting symptoms of PTSD. It does not mean that you have been diagnosed with it.

I can present my symptoms to anyone, and anyone who knows PTSD symptoms can say I present with PTSD, based on my behavior alone. It takes a professional, who knows of past trauma, to diagnose someone.

So, I don't believe you have been diagnosed. I believe you are presenting symptoms of PTSD and your therapists notes reflect that. (And therefore, you haven't been misdiagnosed!)

Trauma effects aren't always a straight line from A to B... I was diagnosed 25 years after my trauma, something I always considered to be no big deal. My biggest source of anxiety is finances even though money was never involved in my trauma.... Just to show that sometimes our biggest sources of anxiety that bring out symptoms aren't directly connected to trauma.

So yes, you could have PTSD. No, it's not always the case that we get anxious by things directly related to the trauma.

I think you should share your past with your therapist. With no smoking gun per se, you may be slapped with something like bipolar and you may not be.

 

[Abstract]

I have to say that I didn't know there was a difference in notes saying "someone presented with PTSD" and being "diagnosed with PTSD". Maybe the difference is between an official psychiatric evaluation with forms and such and an observation diagnoses gained from a period of time, conversations and such. I would have still thought they would have to know there was trauma. That without it it would at the most be "suspected PTSD" rather than "presenting with PTSD".

I do agree that it is not always an obvious clear cut line between cause and effect. It can be very confusing. And there was a time when I did not think to mention other symptoms although they were obvious to others. Paranoia for me comes along with hypervigilance and mistrust from experiences in the past. I hate those feelings.

As the others have said there are many other possibilities for your symptoms. Regardless if you have trauma in your past you really need to discuss this with your therapist and deal with it. So many symptoms can be displaced emotions.

It seems you are just confused and wanting to know what is happening for you and I hope you find clarity soon. Speak to your therapist and I am sure she will help.

 

[Wounded-Healing]

Ummm ... interesting. I wonder if you could tell us more about who "they" are? Are you seeing more than one therapist? Have you been referred to this therapist by another caregiver, such as a primary doctor, who may have giventhemmhismown observations? Since trust is so critical to a successful therapeutic relationship, I would suggest you tell your therapist/therapists that you saw the note and you are confused about it and ask them to explain.

And see, here's the thing. It doesn't matter if you accidentally caught a glimpse of the file or if you picked up the file and deliberately read it. Every bit of information in it belongs to you. You have a right to see your file, so you haven't done anything wrong by looking at it. It's nothing to feel bad about or guilty about. And one of the most important things to improving your health is to take responsibility for it. Understanding is necessary to be responsible, and so it is perfectly appropriate to ask for clarification. You might feel awkward at first bringing it up, but just push through it and say, "You know, last time I was here I saw something in my file that made it sound like I've been diagnosed with PTSD. Is that correct?" What's the worst that could happen? They could ask, "Oh, did you take a look at your file?" And you would respond nicely with, "Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. And I am curious if that is a diagnosis at this time and the reasoning behind it?"

 

[wolfie205]

I have experienced trauma in the form of sexual abuse although my therapist doesn't know about it yet. I'm not comfortable sharing it with people and I've pretty much kept it a secret my entire life. I don't see how it is related to the anxiety and paranoia that I'm facing now but I guess I don't even know why I'm anxious sometimes. I guess it's going to take a while to build up that trust with her before I share about my trauma. Anyway just some extra info, I was referred to the therapist through a doctor but I mean, I've never shared about this with anyone so I don't know why they would assume I had a trauma. Its weird though like my symptoms keep fluctuating. Sometimes they get better and sometimes they get worse. I will try to see how therapy goes... Maybe its just her initial impression.

 

[Abstract]

It aounds like the trauma is the really large elephant in the room and that it is very difficult for you to go anywhere near it. I think that says a lot.

I too hope it isn't PTSD but when you find the time is right I really hope you discuss this with your therapist. So many things appear to be about other stuff and yet are actually about trauma or abuse.

I look back at the therapy I had and how much was essentially a waste. In some respects, regardless of the question marks around the PTSD diagnoses issue, I am glad she is thinking along those lines as at least you are more likely to get appropriote treatment whether you have PTSD or not.

If you felt it was easy to discuss the abuse and no big then it may be different.

Do you have any nightmares or other experiences that connect to the abuse at all? It seems you avoid this topic too. Is that risht?

 

[DMerish]

I've just started going for therapy. They didn't tell me what was going on and all we did was work on reducing the anxiety. I have not shared about my past or any traumas, but I accidentally glanced at one of my case notes and it said I presented with PTSD.

Hi Wolfe205,

There's bound to be a little bit of getting to know you time in the first few weeks and months of any relationship, before people open up with each other. "Presenting" simply means you showed some generalized "symptoms" similar to "symptoms" that folks often have who are diagnosed with PTSD. I don't know what part of the world you reside in, but in the USA where I am it's necessary for medical staff write down a code and a note that is related to the symptoms that the person presents with, or if known, what the diagnosis is, so that the billing office can submit paperwork to insurance for payment.

Think of it this way: If you had a "cold" and you went to your doctor he/she might first think you have bronchitis and write the word "bronchitis" with "asthema" in your chart. But after he/she got to know you better, they may suspect that you're allergic to peanuts. Whether you're actually allergic to peanuts is a different matter: that will take some time to determine. You'll have to "test it" - won't you?

You have to be clear and honest with the doctor (or therapst) about the various experiences you're having, and under what circumstances, so they can help you. Whether you have PTSD or not, if you have anxiety it's a big step to understand how to manage it so it doesn't get too much in the way of you living the life you want.

Good luck
Drew~