Poll When Did the Symptoms of PTSD First Appear, After the Initial Traumatic Event?

[LaurenRose]

I too have a difficult time figuring out how to score this. I did an average of the traumas I experienced and chose 12 months or longer. The almost fatal car accident was short, the assault was a lot longer. The hypothermia in the bush in the Yukon was short, the brainwashing from the cult was much longer. The PTSD didn't fully activate until almost five years ago, that was when it all came rushing in. Hmmm.. in thinking of it that way, suppressing all of the traumas in my life, does that mean that I had PTSD? or that I only got PTSD when it activated?

 

[yellowfields22]

I was diagnosed with ptsd when I was younger, and at the time couldn't understand the diagnosis because I felt totally fine, and extremely mature, too mature for a kid. I thought I was smarter than everyone around me, and very cold heartedly devoted to honor and not feeding into stupid things like I saw everyone around me doing. I thought I was the only reasonable person in the world and everyone else was so stupid.

For me it was gradual, I realize now that I was very cold and numb at that time and experiencing a lot of anger and pain that I had yet to unleash, it was the only way I could deal with the situation. Looking back on it now, I realize that I did and thought odd things that other kids didn't, even though I felt "normal" and numb. The full effect did not happen, and I did not realize what I was experiencing until I had to live on my own and was away from my family and friends. Then the panic attacks set in, flashbacks, everything else. I remembered all kinds of things. Before I had only thought that I was just weird or something, it was like I was in a weird daze for so long, almost like starting out old, then becoming more and more a child as I got physically older. I now often feel like a scared child, while as an actual child, I felt like a cunning older woman, or rather a sex-less cunning alien person or something. So to sum it up--- the period of abuse and neglect happened from when I was a toddler to when I was about 21. I was numb or "old feeling" from as far back as I can remember, until about the age of 17. From 17 and on was when I finally began feeling like a helpless child and starting to see the beginning of my symptoms like flashbacks, etc.

 

[Debi]

I voted 12 months or more.

I grew up in violence and I don't remember not being molested or exposed to some sort of sexual deviances by my father....grrrr!.

..Anyway, now as I really think about symptoms I was a bed wetter until the age of 21. I did not start my period until age 14, that could be because I was very underweight. I would deprive myself of food . (this is very uncomfortable to tell). I had dificulty remembering things when I was small (under age 8...I had black outs) My mother thought I did it on purpose. I got some beatings for that.

Anyway..I chose 12 months or longer because I recieved the diagnosis at age 30. The incident that caused me to seek help was very scary, Geez!!! I have masked so much.

 

[scott_1971_h]

I wish there was a single event that caused my ptsd. I received the diagnosis at 33.

 

[ClairBear226]

I know my the first time I experienced a flashback was on the 1 year anniversary (short as it was, it completely scared the crap out of me, BTW), and I had other symptoms, like nightmares, intrusive thoughts, and depression, but it was really years before they were in full swing. The initial trauma occurred in 1988. Full blown symptoms didn't really appear until 1992, and became debillitating in 1993.

 

[Orsino]

My initial trauma happened in February 2007. The second was in March/April 2007. I started getting symptoms about 12 months after it (March 2008), however they weren't really the most noticeable unless you really thought about it. The worst symptoms came at the start of 2009 and finally ended in my diagnosis in July 2009.

 

[Incendiu]

I can not answer this one. I d not know as I have had my ptsd problems since before I can remember as my mom talkt about how unusual I acted as a child...and I know my life been traumatic since the start of my life. Why I first got the diagnose atypical autism two ears ago. But it was changed to ptsd last year.

 

[jo may]

My PTSD is mainly about my old boyfriend my first in fact, But I bottled it up as I always do. I buried it for 19 years and never let on how hurt I really was. I also denied anything was going on, though my family aren't stupid they couldn't help me. I turned to drink to help me cope and due to this in December 2010 I got abused again by someone else and the 19 years of bottled up feelings came out and I was a right mess and they think i've had PTSD for at least 10 years without knowing it or getting treated for it.

 

[Gamereign555]

Yeah.. it's a real bad joke that we all had to put up with a lot of something traumatic, then years later another trauma comes along and puts us over the edge..

My therapist swears I must have had ptsd long before this past year also, but I don't believe that. It is just the way ptsd works, rather than having ptsd all these years, I think its more likely that stresses and trauma worked me to the point of one day cracking under the strain of an additional trauma that came years later. Perhaps it was even bound to happen eventually with all the other abuse,drugs,loss,ect. that is a part of my past, I wasn't ptsd after or during all that. But rather I believe I was basically a ptsd sufferer in the making, this made my recovery from the stress or post traumatic stress if you will that followed a much later and recent traumatic event very difficult or unlikely to recover from and thus am now a ptsd sufferer.

But who knows, I could be wrong about my understanding. I just find it hard to believe I was ptsd for years and years and never knew it, I simply don't believe that reasoning.

I don't know if my case is unusual or not, but following the post traumatic stress which took place right after the most recent trauma, I only had about 2 or 3 weeks of complete relief from the post traumatic stress before it resurfaced again, never going away after that. It has been all about managing what I have no ever since.

I have to ask, what is your definition of 'initial traumatic event"? My trauma started as early as the age of 3 with events happening all throughout my childhood and teen years. I got about a good 10 normal seemingly stress free years in my life after that. Then I hit 30 and bam, something terrible happens and nothing is ever the same again. If it's the first trauma experienced that defines 'initial', then I would have to say ohh... about 27 years until my first symptoms of ptsd. Now if its the trauma that broke the camels back that you mean my 'initial' then I would have to say about 3 weeks.... So I'm confused by what you mean by the question.

And if you look at the results of the poll it seems to reflect the confusion. Though that could be because some are considered complex ptsd *shrug* I don't know.

 

[AngelaMarie]

The trauma started when I was born...so I think it's probably something I have had my whole life.

 

[Deimos]

My trauma was constant 24/7 for two years. Many of the symptoms of PTSD were actually used as tools during the trauma. Hyper vigilance being the biggest. That being said, looking back its almost like my PTSD developed during the trauma. I know that contradicts the title of "POST traumatic". I think most likely my symptoms were tools during the trauma and once the threat was over they were so ingrained in me that I couldn't let go of them. I think for me, the end of the trauma and onset of PTSD were seamless.

 

[kimberley dawn]

I answered 1-3 months as I know I "went blank" or dissociated real early in childhood. Know I must have had SOMETHING when I was 6 and sitting on the brick wall in the back-yard clenching my legs to my body and rocking back and forth saying haummmmmm haummmm over and over and over. Must have been ptsd.
But it went away and came back with a vengeance when I was 38 and then again after being "cured" it struck me bad last year.