Were you diagnosed with another mental health illness before ptsd?

[katz]

When I was in elementary school, I was diagnosed with Epilepsy. As I grew up, my medicines were increased because they didn't seem to control my "seizures". When I was in my 40's, I was checked into the hospital so that they could evaluate me.

I was diagnosed with PTSD and weaned off all of my medicines except one. From that day forward, I don't have any "seizures". That was 15 years ago!

 

[Cactus Bloom]

When I was in elementary school, I was diagnosed with Epilepsy. As I grew up, my medicines were increased...

I hope you’re doing okay! Do you mind my asking what was happening to cause the “seizures”?

 

[Overcoming]

Adjustment disorder... It was sexual abuse, but hey, guess I'll just adjust better. Anxiety and depression, but I struggle with those too to this day.

 

[CrossingMyLine]

I was diagnosed at ~26 with depression. ~28 with bipolar I or II, depending on how much I protested that the diagnosis/meds were wrong. Eventually anxiety NOS and Seasonal Affective Disorder were added. Along with a host of physical illnesses that are affected/exacerbated by stress. None of my providers EVER heard my tales of trauma and considered PTSD. S.M.H. I was the one who pushed the diagnosis on my last psychiatrist. He just added it to my diagnosis list and left it at that. I believe that I am ADHD-C. That particular neurotype makes trauma more “traumatic”. I believe it is due (in part) to the executive function deficits, the emotional lability, and the rejection sensitivity dysphoria. I’m not saying that ADHD causes PTSD, but I believe that being ADHD made me so sensitive to trauma that the effects were amplified. And it’s amazing how many “mosquito bite” offenses add up to a very compromised mental state! It’s difficult to fully recover from the truly traumatic events when you are continually barraged with the equivalent of emotional BB pellets. I hope that helps someone.

 

[CdnCopper]

I was mis-diagnosed as having "depression" until a very wise, former military supervisor I had saw something else and had me seen by our Force Psychologist.

 

[user27357]

my HMO had me categorized as "depressed" for years, made me wait sometimes months between non productive hour long sessions, sometimes at the very outside reaches of the area they covered. Finally, looking back, they had no choice but to diagnose my PTSD and my counselor apologized when she finally made the diagnosis. I started EMDR with a "therapist" that had been to a weekend seminar and was just starting the process, in fact I was one of her first and when the floodgates opened she had no idea what to do next!
So, yes, I wasted a lot of time on second rate at best HMO diagnosis of depression, before getting the right diagnosis and a start in the right direction.
-I quickly opted into my secondary coverage plan and dropped the HMO, and have been well handled since-

 

[Mee]

I just remembered that the name of the thing my dr first said I had was acute stress disorder. :). He explained its acute stress disorder first then if you don’t calm and settle it sort of turns into ptsd. I cannot remember patches of then. .

 

[freyjacat]

I was diagnosed with ADD at 11, but was tested for a lot of different disorders/learning disabilities in middle school. I think because my abuse was happening at the same time, teachers assumed I just had some kind of disorder or disability. My grades were crap (understandably so) and I was extremely anti-social. I also got into a lot of trouble, skipped class, etc. I am not sure if I really have ADD, but still use the diagnosis for extra help in school.

At 22, after a mental breakdown and hospitalization, I was diagnosed as Bipolar 2 and depression. Later on at 23/24, I was rediagnosed as Bipolar 1. After revealing my trauma to my therapist at the time, she also diagnosed me as PTSD. I do wonder sometimes if I really have Bipolar 1, or if it was misdiagnosed.

 

[lizbeth27]

First thing I was diagnosed with when I was about 15 was extreme social anxiety and depression (I could barely speak or relax enough to move freely around people, my whole body felt frozen all the time, just lived in constant terror since my pre-teens... just being around other humans was impossible) and would go to extreme lengths to avoid any kind of social contact because I was so terrified and unsure of everything and had no self worth. Then panic disorder and agoraphobia. Loads of things had been suggested, and written down in my notes, but I don't think they exactly counted as official diagnoses. OCD, even BDD when I was a teenager. Only relatively recently local mental health services admitted I have dissociation as a distinct issue in itself (despite being debilitated by the symptoms for years.)

Was given psychiatric drugs as a teenager that triggered mania, thank god they didn't diagnose me with that as well.

Only a psychologist I saw recently thinks I have CPTSD (I also strongly believe everything that came with growing up with an undiagnosed developmental condition increased the likelihood of me developing a traumatic reaction). I have all the symptoms of CPTSD, including disordered eating. Have binge eaten for years and years, it's a miracle I'm not clinically overweight. Can't live with it, can't live without it.

I hate the half-hearted, endlessly contrasting and damaging attempts to help people who are unable to live due to mental illness.

Being manic was awful and confusing and humiliating... but I'd never been so social in my life!!!!

 

[Deleted member 8714]

I always had PTSD, well, since about 3. I was diagnosed when I was 52 because until then I was high functioning. I was mis-diagnosed with GAD and depression prior to that, but it was c-PTSD.

I could've written this myself with the ages a little off. My PTSD started at 3 years old. I was high functioning as well, though didn't think of myself in that way until a T told me I was. I was misdiagnosed with GAD and depression numerous times. Then received a diagnosis of PTSD in 1988.

 

[Mach123]

I was misdiagnosed and not diagnosed forever. I had practically tell someone or convince someone I had it and needed help getting something out that I couldn't deal with. I made no progress till I started to deal with PTSD and trauma in therapy with specialists. It had to be ready though I recognize this. I don't think things could have gone differently or I could have been helped sooner? It comes out when it's ready.

 

[katz]

I hope you’re doing okay! Do you mind my asking what was happening to cause the “seizures”?[/QUO...

Disassociation.