Death PTSD - witnessed an attempted suicide.

[DSD]

I am in the very early weeks of the aftermath of severe trauma. My ex partner attempted suicide just over two weeks ago in a very violent way and I found him. Without giving all the gory details, there was blood absolutely everywhere.

Can anyone give any advice of what I may expect? I tried accessing talking therapy but I have been told to wait another 2 weeks due to the potential PTSD I may experience.

 

[Movingforward10]

I'm very very sorry for what you witnessed. It sounds horrendous. I'm also very glad to hear your ex partner survived and I hope they get to see the benefit of that in time.

Not everyone who experiences trauma goes on to develop PTSD. I'm surprised to hear that you've been told to wait another two weeks for therapy.

Talking it through now. Helping you to process what happened. Are really good ways to reduce PTSD from happening.

Talking. Expressing emotion. Finding connection. Working through it all. All helps.

Be kind to yourself. You might experience reliving it, or intense worry or fear, or other things might remind you of it. Learning that things are ok. It is all ok now. Helps.

 

[arfie]

hello dsd. welcome to the forum. sorry for what brings you here, but glad you are here.

you are already following my main advice, just in making this post. it is quite similar to @Movingforward10 's advice. talking about ^it^ really does help with the processing and working it through.

keep venting. . .
listening. . .

 

[Ecdysis]

EMDR can be hugely effective, especially for "single event" trauma.

 

[abovedown]

I'm very very sorry for what you witnessed. It sounds horrendous. I'm also very glad to hear your ex partner survived and I hope they get to see the benefit of that in time.

Not everyone who experiences trauma goes on to develop PTSD. I'm surprised to hear that you've been told to wait another two weeks for therapy.

Talking it through now. Helping you to process what happened. Are really good ways to reduce PTSD from happening.

Talking. Expressing emotion. Finding connection. Working through it all. All helps.

Be kind to yourself. You might experience reliving it, or intense worry or fear, or other things might remind you of it. Learning that things are ok. It is all ok now. Helps.

Also maintaining your daily routines might help to dealing with the emotions and shock what your experience has caused. Remember also to continue doing things that give you pleasure: watch movies, do crafts/art, see friends over coffee or lunch etc. Life will continue even though it's now hard :).

 

[Friday]

Can anyone give any advice of what I may expect?

Probably one of the most important things to know is that it’s not as simple as trauma = PTSD. The overwhelming majority of people experience what’s known in PTSD circles as “Criterion A” level trauma at some point in their lives, but only about 1:5 go on to develop PTSD. So it’s reeeeeeally not a done deal AND there are a whole lot of things you can do (or may already be doing) to reduce the likelihood of developing PTSD, or any other disorder.

Traumatic resilience: avoiding ptsd

Isolating specifics that identify resilience to trauma is complex. In essence, this article likely raises more questions than answers, which I look forward to discussing. One must note that--due to the complex, individualistic nature of humans--science on resilience is only a hypothesis and not...

www.myptsd.com

Another thing to know is that the symptoms of PTSD are normal in the immediate wake of trauma. What would be a “symptom” after a few months or 50 years? Is healthy/normal/right/expected innthenfirst few days/weeks following a traumatic event. In fact, it’s much more likely to not become PTSD (or any other disorder or condition, resulting from trauma) if a person IS experiencing ABC-XYZ… as that’s the brain/mind/heart/body “processing” the trauma right then & there, on the spot. It’s far more alarming (clinically) if a person appears untouched by what would shatter most people.

 

[Lost in the Woods]

Hi DSD, you are doing the right thing reaching out. As a child, aside from the actual violence I experienced, I walked into my mother’s suicide attempts and also had to deal with (or not deal with) her actual suicide. I also witnessed a murder close up at age 10. I am 69 now and I had always thought I had skated through unharmed. Until very recently I had never made the connection to those events and a life of not feeling like I fit in anywhere, that I was defective and not fit for human companionship. And then there was the guilt, it isn’t rational but it is there.

I commend you for getting in front of these things, I wish I had had the knowledge and access to what is available to people like us.

 

[DSD]

Thank you everyone for your replies.

I don’t believe what has happened has really hit me as of yet. It’s mainly bad anxiety I am experiencing. I did have a nightmare the other night about helping someone else who was trying to commit suicide.

I cannot use my shower/bath at the moment as that is where a lot of the blood etc was, so I find this quite triggering. I am attempting to go back to work next week but I can only try and see what happens.

 

[abovedown]

Thank you everyone for your replies.

I don’t believe what has happened has really hit me as of yet. It’s mainly bad anxiety I am experiencing. I did have a nightmare the other night about helping someone else who was trying to commit suicide.

I cannot use my shower/bath at the moment as that is where a lot of the blood etc was, so I find this quite triggering. I am attempting to go back to work next week but I can only try and see what happens.

Do you have a trusted person likeva friend or a family member you would be comfortable talking about this? Or a counselor/priest/social worker?

I cannot use my shower/bath at the moment as that is where a lot of the blood etc was, so I find this quite triggering. I am attempting to go back to work next week but I can only try and see what happens.

Would you have a possibility to get away from your apartment and stay with family or a friend for a few days? I am sorry what you going through :/.

 

[DSD]

Do you have a trusted person likeva friend or a family member you would be comfortable talking about this? Or a counselor/priest/social worker?

I am very lucky to have a great support system of family and friends. We have spoken a lot about what’s happened but I think I will need some professional help.

Would you have a possibility to get away from your apartment and stay with family or a friend for a few days? I am sorry what you going through :/.

I have stayed away from my apartment on/off for the last couple of weeks. First night tonight, here, on my own. Hopefully I will be ok.