Undiagnosed Ptsd from loneliness?

[OphPop]

Hi Everyone,

I have a question. Can you get ptsd from being extremely lonely for about 3 years?
What has happened is too much to explain and it's really painful to think about. But it started when I moved to another country for study.

Basically I was just lonely and then some things happened, but there was no one to help me. I was invisible to everyone. I felt like I was a gohst. I started feeling unsafe and it started spiraling out of control. At the end of my stay I had suffered several mental breakdowns. From that moment there was a constant pressure on my heart and left side of my neck for a whole year and a half. I was very unstable. Scared all the time of being lonely.

Because of my experience there I hate this country. To this day I cannot hear people from this country speak without starting sweating and getting extremely angry. I have sworn to never set foot in this country again. I won't even fly over it. Everyone thinks this is hilarious and I am joking, but it's true. Sometimes I even think I hear a person from this country and it sets me off, and then I find out they are not. Just some sounds remind me and I am fully alert.

Yesterday I got reminded of something that happened there and literally all the memories bubbled up, super fast, everything. I was crying within less then a minute and shaking in my bed. Sometimes I think I am attitudinizing (sorry had to look up this word, not sure if it's correct).. that I am bringing these memories up on purpose.. but when I think about that it's not true. They just bubble to the surface.. It's not like Ah yes, bring it on, let's think about that.

On top of that I also moved 4 times in the last year because I moved in with my boyfriend but that didn't work out the way I had hoped. I suffered from depression. I moved out and lived in a tempory place for 2 months. I didn't know what or where home was in this year of moving and I was so afraid. I had panic attacks the moment I woke up and at night I couldn't fall asleep.

Now I am in shared apartment that is less from perfect, but at least it's safe and I don't have to leave. I am doing awhole lot better, depression is gone and I can't remember last time I was this happy for such a long time. Surrounded myself with good people and I have a good job now. Occasionally that pressure in my heart and left side of my neck come back and the fear as well. I have nightmares about not knowing where home is. Running through apartment buildings but not finding my door.

I know it's not full blown PTSD, but could it be some minor form? In any case I am thinking of getting professional help, because I feel the urge to talk about it. I just want some recognition or something, if that makes sense. Ah not sure what I am looking for.

Thanks for reading

 

[littleoc]

I was just lonely and then some things happened, but there was no one to help me. I was invisible to everyone. I felt like I was a gohst.

Without a diagnosis and a full evaluation, I obviously can't say that you do one don't have PTSD. I recommend that you speak to a doctor of some kind.

But I did notice this part you said, that something happened. And, yes, PTSD is much more likely if you had no support after the event, which your intense loneliness seems to count for. (Without seeing any other symptoms, I can't agree nor disagree that you have PTSD.)

I will say, though, that I understand in a way. There have been some studies linking solitary confinement to cruelty, noting that solitary confinement inmates end up with symptoms *like* PTSD (not necessarily PTSD itself, though, but it depends heavily on context -- it definitely makes everything much worse, though, and sufferers often don't just recover).

I have been solitarily confined by my father, and severely neglected as a child. I agree from experience that it does things to you, and you do go a little unstable to say the least. My therapist has called it mild torture, whatever that means, though I don't know what to think of it yet.

But, my PTSD is focused on surrounding issues, and later events. I'm not sure if I would have gotten it completely from loneliness.

I hope that helps :)

 

[Fadeaway]

Isolation does change the brain. Does it cause PTSD? I don't think so. Other disorders, yes. Research shows that just 48 hours in isolation in jail or a psych ward can cause hallucinations.

I have a lot of issues relating to isolation as a child and then self imposed isolation as an adult.

 

[Sweetleaf]

You certainly should see a therapist or some other professional if it's bothering you.

I was just lonely and then some things happened,

Did anything other than just loneliness happen to you to make you feel unsafe? What was it that made you feel unsafe? Some really bad social encounters or socialization attempts? Bullying?

I have no idea what qualifies as an event that can cause PTSD - you would be best off seeing a professional and seeing what they think. My own traumas do include an emotional abuse aspect, so I know that emotional abuse can be pretty damaging. There are other mental conditions that experience could have caused, I imagine. It's worth seeking professional help.

 

[gealach]

short version, no you can't get ptsd from loneliness. In addition to certain criterion of symptoms, you also have to have a criterion A trauma. This article explaining the ptsd criterion is somewhere in the forum, but with recent changes here I couldn't find it. Maybe someone else will know where it is now. I had it saved, so I copied Crit A for you.

I don't now your situation, and I'm not qualified to diagnose, so I can't say if you do or don't have ptsd. I would recommend talking to a psychologist, for diagnosis and treatment.

Hopefully some of the threads here will be helpful to you.

Cheers!

Criteria A

Criterion A outlines events that are considered traumatic enough for a PTSD diagnosis, which include but not limited to, war as a combatant or civilian, threatened or actual physical assault (robbery, mugging, physical attack, childhood physical abuse), threatened or actual sexual violation (forced sexual penetration, alcohol / drug-facilitated sexual penetration, abusive sexual contact, noncontact sexual abuse, sexual trafficking), being kidnapped, taken hostage, terrorist attack, torture, prisoner of war, natural or man-made disasters, medical (waking during surgery, anaphylactic shock) and severe motor vehicle accidents.

Whilst every conceivable type of trauma is impossible to list, the DSM clearly outlines a pervasive pattern of extreme violence or abnormal event not considered normal within life. Normal death, life threatening illness, debilitating medical illness, relationship breakdowns and other stressors considered part of normal life, are not necessarily considered a traumatic event by definition for PTSD. These lesser events are covered under other diagnoses, such as Adjustment Disorders, where a single stressor is responsible.

 

[Daydreamer]

I don't really have any answers sadly, but I can tell you what my therapist said classifies as a traumatic event, I hope that helps.

So according to her definition, trauma is the situation which overwhelmed a person's ability to cope. That means it could be a variety of situations - maybe including isdolation from people. That also means it's pretty subjective, what I experience as traumatic you might not and vice versa.
Another part of the definition of trauma involves the idea that the experience has shifted a person's worldview, in regard to people, places or concepts.
And here you are talking about your aversion to the country, language etc.

I am pretty new to all that and I don't understand a lot of it too, but I think that definition of trauma is pretty broad.
And now if experience of trauma always ends in PTSD - I have no idea.

I hope you'll find a way to figure it out - good luck.

 

[Suzetig]

So according to her definition, trauma is the situation which overwhelmed a person's ability to cope.

That is a description of a traumatic event, but not all traumatic events are capable of causing PTSD, only those that meet Criterion A. So, a divorce may be incredibly traumatic (eg overwhelming the persons ability to cope) but wouldn’t meet Criterion A, there’s a wide continuum between feeling overwhelmed and Crit A trauma, only Crit A trauma can possibly result in PTSD.

 

[Ronin]

You could help yourself by reframing the thing.

You moved into that country, voluntarily. You were not smuggled in there, you were not coerced to come, you were not deceived into coming with pain awaiting you.
You came to study, to higher up your education, so to do something good for yourself and others, see how far you moved in that direction.
You were in an unknown place for quite a bit of a time and managed living in there rather well. It is difficult to integrate in places some times even after yeaaaars and decades, if the social climate just is not cut for it. But there you have it, years you managed to get by.
You are also out of there, sounds like, already. That is an accomplishment.
You dont speak of others.... so I am assuming you left no one yours behind, you did not have to part ways with people dear to you. You did not have to flee for your life.

You have a stable position now, and are not threatened in your current home, much less daily.
You do not have people from that country stalking you to the current one.
And it was safe enough to speak of your hardships to begin with, you mention your reactions but mostly in a past tense and not as a security, someone please tell me who to contact now and how to proceed, concern.

Truly, it could be this much more complicated.

 

[Bibine]

short version, no you can't get ptsd from loneliness. In addition to certain criterion of symptoms,...

So years long (childhood) abuse by psychopathic parent can not be cause of PTSD? Strange that emotional abuse is not in that list of A?

 

[Friday]

So years long (childhood) abuse by psychopathic parent can not be cause of PTSD? Strange that emotional...

All squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares.

Just because loneliness may often be a component (or byproduct) of abuse & neglect, it doesn’t follow that lonliness all by itself equals abuse and neglect, nor that it stems from abuse and neglect. There are a lot of different causes of lonliness.

Ditto emotional abuse. Just because emotional abuse is often a component of life threatening abuse/neglect, it doesn’t follow that emotional abuse rises to that level in and of itself.

Dead Link Removed

Note: The following criteria apply to adults, adolescents, and children older than 6 years. For children 6 years and younger, see corresponding criteria.

A. Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence in one (or more) of the following ways:

1. Directly experiencing the traumatic event(s),
2. Witnessing, in person, the event(s) as it occurred to others,
3. Learning that the traumatic event(s) occurred to a close family member or close friend. In cases of actual or threatened death of a family member or friend, the event(s) must have been violent and accidental.
4. Experiencing repeated or extreme exposure to aversive details of the traumatic event(s) (e.g., first responders collecting human remains; police officers repeatedly exposed to details of child abuse).

Note: Criterion A4 does not apply to exposure to electronic media, television, movies, or pictures, unless the exposure is work related

Similarly (and note the note in the diagnostic criteria above) there are going to be different standards in play when one is talking of a child being abused by a parent, and an adult away at college. A child is totally dependent on their parent(s) / others in order to survive. An adult, meanwhile, may want the assistance of others, but at the end of the day is capable of taking care of themselves (barring very few exceptions, like being held prisoner completely dependent on others for ones needs / will die of thirst chained to the wall if someone else doesn’t bring them water). A parent ignoring a child’s needs is a different thing than a neighbor/classmate/etc. ignoring an adult’s wants.

Absolutely NONE of the symptoms of PTSD are unique to PTSD. Each and every single one of them is found in other disorders (as well as no disorder at all / they’re all human traits and experience). So if someone has some of the symptoms of PTSD, but no criterion A trauma? That doesn’t mean nothing is wrong. It means something else is wrong. Just like if someone has some of the symptoms of a drug induced disorder, but hasnt ever used drugs / is missing the cause, it’s not going to be a drug induced disorder.

 

[littleoc]

So years long (childhood) abuse by psychopathic parent can not be cause of PTSD? Strange that emotional...

@Friday covered everything else, so I just wanted to point out exactly what @brokenEMT said:

Criterion A outlines events that are considered traumatic enough for a PTSD diagnosis, which include but not limited to,

Also, on the lines of @Friday and not everyone/everything getting/causing PTSD, I completely feel you on the years of psychopathic father. No need to get in detail here, but I did end up with PTSD. He also neglected us, which in itself did cause complications but not PTSD... you also might notice that I said, "us." I grew up in a house with four children. I was the only one to develop PTSD. That doesn't mean my brothers' (or sister's) problems in dealing with the past are any better than mine -- it seems to mostly mean they handled it differently. At least that's my current understanding. My mom, despite having a very similar childhood to me, also does not have PTSD. And she's been almost killed more than a dozen times. I wouldn't say her issues are less severe than mine.

But anyway. This is why I was afraid to simply agree that @OphPop has PTSD. There are lots of ways a mind deals with horrible things. Although I hope that @OphPop feels warmly welcomed and feels able to go see a doctor for a proper diagnosis. It's the first step to getting better -- figuring out what's really going on :)

 

[gealach]

So years long (childhood) abuse by psychopathic parent can not be cause of PTSD? Strange that emotional...

I didn't write the article, I didn't write the DSM (versions 0-5 inclusive), and I didn't create the criteria for a diagnosis of ptsd. Want to debate what specific forms of abuse should be included in ptsd?, take it somewhere else, that wasn't the purpose of my reply here.

The OP asked if loneliness can cause ptsd, and the short answer is no. If there's a short answer, by definition that also means there's a long answer. I then shared FACTUAL known scientific psychological information regarding Criteria A, made note that there's more criteria, detailed that I am not qualified to diagnose and that I don't know the OP's exact situation, and finally recommended seeing a professional which is probably the most important thing a person can do if they're questioning if they have mental illness.

@Friday gave a great version of a long answer ^^^ if you're so inclined to read it.

Does anyone know the new link to the myptsd article I quoted in my original post? (or it may not be up yet).