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Sufferer Ptsd One Year After 3 Major Earthquakes
- Post starter CBatheart
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- Post starter
- #2
I'm feeling so lost. 3 earthquakes in 2 years and counting still. They were the scariest thing I have ever experienced I can count the people in this city, on my hands who have been through what I have on both my hands. Its hard to get help. Mum thought I was over reacting and told me to get over it as did a counselor at school. It took one severe panic attack, numerous trips to the hospital for chronic headaches and a specialist to convince my mum that I needed help. Now, I'm on sleeping pills and still suffering panic attacks and have no one to turn to.
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franciemarnie
Diamond Member
Welcome!
Seasounds
Diamond Member
Welcome! You've come to a good place. I hope you find support and more.
Three earthquakes in two years, that is a lot. Sorry for your difficulties. I can understand how being in a city makes anxiety worse. It has happened to me, after a trauma. Taking breaks to the countryside, devoting time to peaceful activities, time, and professional help, were my biggest allies. Hope you get better.
Three earthquakes in two years, that is a lot. Sorry for your difficulties. I can understand how being in a city makes anxiety worse. It has happened to me, after a trauma. Taking breaks to the countryside, devoting time to peaceful activities, time, and professional help, were my biggest allies. Hope you get better.
I've never been in a major earthquake but I've been in smaller ones and I can only imagine what a major one is like. They're incredibly scary. I come from a country which doesn't have earthquakes, then lived for a time in a country that did. I found them - even the minor/medium ones that I experienced - terrifying and awful. I've also seen the result of a major one, because of travelling to the site of one soon after it occurred.
I'm really sorry for what you've experienced. I don't know how many members have PTSD from earthquakes, and I've never been in one that bad, but I wanted to say that what you said struck an immediate chord with me.
I hope that being on the forum can help you.
I'm really sorry for what you've experienced. I don't know how many members have PTSD from earthquakes, and I've never been in one that bad, but I wanted to say that what you said struck an immediate chord with me.
I hope that being on the forum can help you.
NovemberStar
Platinum Member
bBg big hugs!!!
I very much relate - have just been through two years of strong quakes and aftershocks .. began with a seven point one at four thirty in the pitch black of a morning ... hundreds of strong aftershocks in the next twenty four hours ... a lot of damage but no one killed. then five months later - a six point three, but closer to the city and it killed nearly two hundred people. People lay trapped and dying in the buildings for days - it was live on tv and of course again, there were severe aftershocks and ongoing trauma happening (not enough ambulances to get the injured to hospital etc). No power no water, having to go to the toilet in the garden like a dog. Petrol supplies and food and water limited. Again, hundred of aftershocks that first twenty four hours - and in fact, it took another eighteen months til the aftershocks all stopped ;-0 (yeah, lucky me - turns out it was a very very rare aftershock sequence). Our city went though as many as over fifty size five quakes in the two years - all were very close to the surface (under 10kms!!!) .. two were size six, one the size seven.
I know the fear you are talking about. It was the 'norm' to go into EVERY building you entered, looking for a) signs of damage (will the building withstand the next big shake?) and b) a quick escape out.
But I don't need to rehash it with you - just know, I KNOW. I have been on a few different chat forums and have yet to hear of anyone else traumatized by quakes. In my case, the PTSD from the quakes triggered childhood PTSD stuff to come up - so I had a double dose. Thankfully, as the quakes have settled, the quake PTSD has gone (I'm pretty sure one good shake would bring it back) .. now I am dealing with the aftermath of the childhood PTSD. Very much similar - the unpredictability of earthquakes and my mother's physical abuse were the same - living in fear for months and months on end, NEVER knowing when the 'next one' was coming. Not feeling safe.
Added to that of course, is the massive change in environment - normally when you are traumatized you have the relative 'comfort' of things around you being familiar. obviously when those things are destroyed - nothing is the same. In my city, out centre city is GONE. Close to 1,000 buildings demolished. Famous landmarks GONE. I walked through the city centre just yesterday for the first time in months - the centre has only been 'uncordoned' for a few weeks now - three years after the first big quake - 3 years on, I am still struggling to fathom HOW its changed so much and still grieving it wont ever be the same. Its expected to take up to 20 years to rebuild the city centre.
Are you seeing anyone for treatment / counseling? trauma from a major earthquake (let alone a few of them!!!) is VERY real. It's a statistical fact that in any population, up to TWENTY PERCENT of the population will have some form of PTSD following a natural disaster.
I very much relate - have just been through two years of strong quakes and aftershocks .. began with a seven point one at four thirty in the pitch black of a morning ... hundreds of strong aftershocks in the next twenty four hours ... a lot of damage but no one killed. then five months later - a six point three, but closer to the city and it killed nearly two hundred people. People lay trapped and dying in the buildings for days - it was live on tv and of course again, there were severe aftershocks and ongoing trauma happening (not enough ambulances to get the injured to hospital etc). No power no water, having to go to the toilet in the garden like a dog. Petrol supplies and food and water limited. Again, hundred of aftershocks that first twenty four hours - and in fact, it took another eighteen months til the aftershocks all stopped ;-0 (yeah, lucky me - turns out it was a very very rare aftershock sequence). Our city went though as many as over fifty size five quakes in the two years - all were very close to the surface (under 10kms!!!) .. two were size six, one the size seven.
I know the fear you are talking about. It was the 'norm' to go into EVERY building you entered, looking for a) signs of damage (will the building withstand the next big shake?) and b) a quick escape out.
But I don't need to rehash it with you - just know, I KNOW. I have been on a few different chat forums and have yet to hear of anyone else traumatized by quakes. In my case, the PTSD from the quakes triggered childhood PTSD stuff to come up - so I had a double dose. Thankfully, as the quakes have settled, the quake PTSD has gone (I'm pretty sure one good shake would bring it back) .. now I am dealing with the aftermath of the childhood PTSD. Very much similar - the unpredictability of earthquakes and my mother's physical abuse were the same - living in fear for months and months on end, NEVER knowing when the 'next one' was coming. Not feeling safe.
Added to that of course, is the massive change in environment - normally when you are traumatized you have the relative 'comfort' of things around you being familiar. obviously when those things are destroyed - nothing is the same. In my city, out centre city is GONE. Close to 1,000 buildings demolished. Famous landmarks GONE. I walked through the city centre just yesterday for the first time in months - the centre has only been 'uncordoned' for a few weeks now - three years after the first big quake - 3 years on, I am still struggling to fathom HOW its changed so much and still grieving it wont ever be the same. Its expected to take up to 20 years to rebuild the city centre.
Are you seeing anyone for treatment / counseling? trauma from a major earthquake (let alone a few of them!!!) is VERY real. It's a statistical fact that in any population, up to TWENTY PERCENT of the population will have some form of PTSD following a natural disaster.
- Post starter
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- Post starter
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re:Novemberstar: I only just got into counseling. But we moved to nelson and we felt the Seddon quakes and I had a panic attack in the middle of class and the anticipation of more earthquakes especially the alpine fault going off just makes me feel terrible with many nights panicking thinking there is going to be another earthquake. We lived close to the epicentre of the 7.1 earthquake and received structural damage then i was at school for the 6.3's so school is quite a challenge mentally/emotionally.
NovemberStar
Platinum Member
Cbatheart .. wow. Is the quakes the reason you're on here - PTSD? I have yet to 'know' of anyone else in our city who has 'PTSD" - but I sup[pose its not something many talk about. 'Everyone' else seems 'fine'. In a city our size - up to 500,000 in the city and surrounds - given 20% of us are likely to be left trauamtized - that is as many as 100,000 people - largely invisible. For a city that is that trauamtized - it angers and saddens me there is no specialized help - other than those TOKEN '5 quake counseling sessions' offered by the government.
I also think many people have not been diagnosed - due to that the health professionals themselves doing the diagnosing - 20% of them too, will be severely affected - kind of like the blind leading the blind. some will not recognize PTSD due to their own issues....
I also think many people have not been diagnosed - due to that the health professionals themselves doing the diagnosing - 20% of them too, will be severely affected - kind of like the blind leading the blind. some will not recognize PTSD due to their own issues....
NovemberStar
Platinum Member
Cross posted .. I had to turn off all news and AVOID the coverage at all of the Seddon quakes. I'm glad you are getting counseling now ...
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- #12
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