Understanding Ptsd - By Anthony Parsons

[anthony]

I'm curious, does anyone know the statistics of relapse into full blown PTSD once you've become relatively symptom free?

I have never come across such data. I think it would be near impossible to ascertain actually. It would be more like, if you endure another traumatic event of substantial significance, then you may go back to full symptoms, however; if you have experienced full symptoms and done all the work to reduce them to near nothing, then I doubt you would ever go back to full symptom severity if you manage yourself daily, and also if you are exposed to another traumatic event of significance, you take the time out to manage yourself, ensure its all talked out, techniques applied to oneself, etc etc... everything you have done and learnt.

This is why I can't stress enough, the skills and work you do to recover really do stay with you for life... because you must use them daily / weekly, and even sub-consciously / instinctively, being the idea of the work you do, so that you are helping yourself remain symptom free as possible, knowingly or not.

 

[anthony]

I should add... symptom spikes are normal and should be expected, but once you have PTSD under control for the best part, those spikes shouldn't ever be long term. A day here, few days there... if someone died you may fall apart for a month, but that is expected based on how close a person was that you lost... though by using everything you learnt, still back to new instinctive behaviour and subconscious methods of doing things differently now vs. how you did then when uncontrolled PTSD.

 

[Iam]

That's encouraging news Anthony.

Can't say I'm to the point of symptom spikes being a day here or a few there. It still can take me several weeks or more to get my symptoms back under control. None of my coping skills are second nature yet. I have to remind myself to observe my thoughts as mental activity not my identity. I still tend to isolate when they've spiked and I STILL ruminate on whatever is stressing me... which of course does absolutely no good unless I am observing the thoughts and feelings in order to trace where they originate and then let them go. I REALLY hate the physical symptoms of anxiety and need to learn to separate myself so I can observe those as well.

I know I need to control my stressors. Regular life stressors (the oven going out, getting a flat tire etc.) I can handle. My BPD mother may be someone I have to cut all ties with. That is within my control and I will do it if necessary.

I am very stressed with thoughts of going back to work as I KNOW I will not be able to handle the high stress level of my former advertising career. It would undoubtably flip my right back into PTSD. Unfortunately with this economy switching careers is going to be tough, no matter how transferable my skills are. Hence, stress about that. Going back to work literally scares me, I am so afraid I won't be able to handle it.

Sorry, off topic. I just so want to prevent myself from slipping back into being intensely symptomatic again.

 

[anthony]

This document has now been updated with the latest revision. Enjoy.

 

[Loloma]

Thanks heaps Anthony, have downloaded it into a folder. :tup:

 

[Iam]

Very well written Anthony. Also very encouraging in the fact that it proves that if a person is willing to do the hard work, they can manage their symptoms well enough to live a good and fulfilling life!

 

[Nicolette]

So, you didn't know him before PTSD then?.... I guess my main question is what percentage of "him" is still intact, does a person ever become whole again?....

Answering this question now........almost 5 years down the track (Feb 2012)... Anthony IMHO is a better person for the most part of the time. But most importantly manages himself better and actually makes decisions to assist with his management rather than just rolling with the punches whatever they ended up being.

He spends less time helping people and more helping himself which I love and it is rare for him to be out of action for more than a few days at a time where at the start he would be rendered unfunctionable for a week or more at a time each time an issue came up. It's like he has finally found a way to stop certain people pulling him down - I guess just as I had to when I walked away from my family.

Rarer still are the days immersed in computer and video games and now there are even time limits on what is acceptable - isolating is fine as long as it doesn't impact on all of us for extended periods of time.

There are things I have learned through family which I found out are more likely family traits than PTSD - that takes me back to a lot of what I say to supporters (PTSD is not always responsible for less than desirable actions of the person) and the other thing I have noticed is more of a 'military style' person is emerging (which he loved) so I guess some of what was has come back.

Life is a journey and not a destination and I think we all evolve depending on our situations. Anthony is now impressing me being in crowds in the middle of New York City where I struggle being shoved, walked into and having my feet stepped on. So I have no straight forward answer but this is the best I can tell you for now.

 

[Srain]

I'm sorry, so is the revision the same Article?? Or in a different location?

 

[Nicolette]

At the start of this thread Rain - first post.

 

[Srain]

Oh okay, sheesh sorry, thank you!

 

[Eleanor]

Thank you for this Anthony! It is a super article. Really first rate. I'm off with it in Jan. to change a little bit of the world! Here's hoping an ounce of prevention is worth even more than a pound of cure.

 

[Gamereign555]

Impressive, that was really worth reading. Intelligent words describing exactly whats going on.