Sufferer Recently Diagnosed. Struggling Forever.

[audiophile]

Hi folks. I was diagnosed with PTSD about five months ago. Since then, I have been put on Zoloft, Wellbutrin, and Ativan, plus adderall for my ADD (also diagnosed). The disorder stems from an attempted rape that involved a man breaking into my home. I fought him and managed to win. I was never the same. The disorder also stems from an extremely stressful upbringing involving a mentally ill father, whom I love dearly but who would go for weeks at a time pretending we didn't exist--not talking, not reacting, etc. Plus, divorced parents who handled the situation extremely poorly and some other emotionally destructive situations that basically left me with social anxiety, a need for control, and stuff like that. I always suspected I had PTSD, and thought the other things were due to OCD. ADD makes sense though.

I don't want to bore you with more details, but the essence of why I have joined is because I feel like I'm destroying my marriage. My partner is wonderful, but he isn't equipped with the tools to deal with my symptoms (of which he is often the brunt). I hope participating here will teach me some tools myself and generally give me a sense that I am not alone. Today was a terrible day. It finally prompted me to register here.

Looking forward to getting to know you all.
audiophile

 

[Deadman]

You've come to the right place. You are not alone. Are you getting therapy?

 

[ladee]

Welcome! Glad you are here, sorry for the circumstances.
Very happy you won the fight with the intruder. Still traumatizing tho.
A lot of great people here to listen and support you.
Read around the forum and you will find we all relate on many levels.
Your story is not boring. But share at your own pace.
No pressure.

 

[Snowflakes]

Welcome....we are here for you and we're in this together. My wife has C-PTSD from past trauma and I wasn't equipped to deal with her symptoms till I went to therapy myself to learn how to cope and support her better. Perhaps your husband could help himself, and you, if he considered therapy.

Again, I'm glad you're here. Take care.

 

[Freedomfighter]

Hi folks. I was diagnosed with PTSD about five months ago. Since then, I have been put on Zoloft, We...

Yes, this is the right place for you. How much of all of this does your husband know about you? It is important that you share these challenges so he knows what you are fighting.

I too grew up with both mentally ill parents and to find this out so long after the fact is incredibly stressful. My own father allowed total strangers to sexually abuse me when I was only four. To this day he will deny that, attempted to wrap his tentacles around me when I visited to say good bye to my dying mom. I now know that he would have literally used me as a maid, as a therapist, as a financial supporter, as a gopher, and as an entertainer (mental and physical) to his friends.
I am ill with a cold today but this mental duress is almost too much to bare.

Keep on visiting with us. You will learn a lot about yourself here and that can only help you. We in this group are always willing to shed light on problems all of us encounter.

 

[Walter C]

Hello my name is Walter. I am a psychology student in Oregon. I decided to study psychology because I have PTSD from things that happened in my past, and i am looking for answers.
There is a lot of research on the effects of what happened to you in your childhood. The biggest factor is that you had no control over what happened to you, and you were not given the chance to grow up and cross the stages of development properly. So it leaves you in a position to where you have to feel in control over everything.
I have a friend that went through that. She had to train her mind that her husband is not her parents, she is well taken care of, and that she had to force herself to trust her husband.
At first her husband didn't understand her struggle. After going to couples therapy he learned why she was the way she was. They made a contract of what was absolutely imperative for her to control, and what was important for him. It is a living contract that can be changed as she becomes more comfortable and is willing to hand over the reigns of certain things as their relationship grows.
The contract was necessary because the mind understands contracts and feels safe when there are boundaries that are understood and agreed upon by both people.
I highly suggest going to couples therapy so you and he can understand each other, set boundaries, and live a much more stress free life together.
I hope this helps.

 

[joeylittle]

Hi folks. I was diagnosed with PTSD about five months ago. Since then, I have been put on Zoloft, Wellbutrin, and Ativan, plus adderall for my ADD (also diagnosed).

Hi there, and welcome.

That's a lot of meds. I'm pro-medication, and rely on them myself. But are you having therapy to work on coping skills, communication, symptom management, etc? These things will help you and are really a necessary companion to medication therapy.