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

[snarfus]

My trauma history started very early in childhood, but the first presentations of PTSD didn’t occur until I was 14, and it wasn’t until I was in my early 20s that my PTSD was fully developed, with the tendency toward isolation and hyperarousal arriving last of all.

 

[Brenton]

So when did your symptoms first appear? This is the magic question which will show quite drastic results compa...

Decades later, triggered by a bad car crash. I was sort of okay, at least better than I am now. Its like hitting my head shook everything loose. I still can't remember everything, and I dont know if I want to. This is an excellent question.

 

[Trae]

My trauma was during childhood. I did not have symptoms of PTSD until I was twenty five. I did suffer from undi...

Exactly the same with me but I was 24 with a son turning 2 when everything started going downhill.

 

[RavenGirl]

I really think it's a hard question to answer. We all bury the pain, thus pretending everything is fine, we're fine, the world is fine, etc. :bag:We don't even realize how the world and we have changed until we can't handle the "real world" any more. :ninja:Then we think now it has effected us when in reality it was effecting us the whole time but we were in total denial! :sorry: I think it effects us right away (how can't it) but we adjust the best we can. Then we can't adjust anymore and our spring snaps and BAMMMMM!! :nailbiting: PTSD.... Just my theory. I think it's like cancer. We have remission periods, then times where it attacks us full force and we have to beat it back into remission again. :banghead:

 

[Lopezwhere'sthefire]

My trauma was during childhood. I did not have symptoms of PTSD until I was twenty five. I did suffer from undi...

Same with me, trauma at childhood, symptoms of aggression, defensiveness, irritability, etc etc at age 25, however, i developed hypervigilance instantly after the worst of the trauma, (childrens shelter, had to keep my back to the wall, so to speak).

 

[Ron B]

My trauma history started very early in childhood, but the first presentations of PTSD didn’t occur un...

I had it since childhood, don't remember if I got it right away. But I had terrible nightmares and I had trouble sleeping. I'm just interested or I doubt you didn't have PTSD as a child. I also got the mess of PTSD as a child in that I have a learning disability. Lucky me and I survived a botched surgery.

 

[Jewel Jones]

Hi.

This is going to require some background information. My PTSD is from several traumatic experiences at the dentist over several years.

The initial incident that triggered things was when I was 9 years old. I started showing symptoms immediately. During the appointment I got freaked out because I was in pain and the dentist refused to give me more medication. He continued to work on my teeth and I was helpless and scared. I was a child. What could I do to stop him?

At the time no one really knew the extent of what happened and how it affected me. I now know that I started showing symptoms immediately, but I suppressed them for years. I was forced to continue to go to appointments and get whatever treatment I needed. I didn't know it was PTSD and a phobia until I was an adult, around the age of 21.

I had other traumatic experiences with dentists from then on. It wasn't until early 2016 that I finally took the step to find a dentist who works with anxious patients and to confide in him. He's helping me to overcome this and I'm also seeing an online therapist.

I have major trust issues because of what I've gone through.

Now I'm trying to take control of things and help myself to recover.

Thanks for reading.

JJ

 

[Deleted member 34424]

Right when it was happening; I became extremely violent and angry. I was acting out my trauma as a child.

 

[GWhizz]

Looking back I now see that my symptoms were ongoing concurrently with continuous trauma. Though they weren't recognisable until a few years ago. I hid it so well I almost lied to myself and pretended it wasn't real.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

I cant vote but def after 12 months. I was in denial for 10 yrs and it was directly right after my accident in 2009 (10 yrs after) before I moved back home. I started exploding every where on everyone about everything. It was the first thing that appeared before therapy and its why i was forced into therapy; it was that bad.

 

[peacelovemusic]

My trauma was ongoing verbal abuse and horrifying emotional abuse that lasted into adulthood because I figured it was normal. I wasn't diagnosed until five years ago (2011) but I believe I was displaying behaviors in the mid 90s, while the abuse was ongoing. My mom was my primary abuser, and used my symptoms against me. She had me in and out of mental health facilities, but by this time I did not feel safe to tell them my story. IN fact I remember one incident where I spent the whole inpatient time, about 5 days, talking about what a saint my mother was. Anyway, they gave my a myriad of diagnoses, from bipolar to BPD to Schizoaffective disorder.... you name it, I had the diagnosis. All before I turned 15.

I believe I showed symptoms starting around 1995 or 1996, but really believed I was a crazy, unlovable, unreliable, horrible piece of shit until I got a formal diagnosis and proper treatment in 2011.I still have times when I feel that way. I think I always will have those moments.

So anyway yeah, it was a LONG TIME before I got a proper diagnosis. The abuse ended in approximately 2005.

 

[Ahhlia]

I had two stage PTSD
Stage 1 is Childhood when I was abused from infancy to 16 physical, emotional, mental and later sexual.
Along with that, I was bullied at school because I had full lips which would get fuller when I pouted
or cried. I had no place - Home or School to fell safe. At 8 and again at 15 I was seriously planning
suicide. I had stomach issues - serious constipation, withdrawn, isolated myself, and started smoking
cigarettes, drinking and using drugs at 12. So I can say years.

Stage 2 is in adulthood 2011-2012 Starting in Jan I lost my adopted Big Brother Bobby. He died during heart surgery.
He was my Big Brother since I left home when I was 17 in 1978. That same month I met and got involved
with my late husband, David. And although my instinct screamed for me to stay away I did not like feeling
the pain of losing a vital person in my life. The times I asked David if he had a drinking problem, he would
deny it. One of those times was March when he asked me to move in. After I moved in I seen his dark side
his drinking and his verbal abuse and each month he would get worse, seemed to happen around the week
of the full moon. He got better for a period in May, when he asked to marry me.
I thought I could get him help, to save him... but after we married his dark side came back
and again it escalated to him waking me with a gun in my face, or his threats to kill us both. Proof later
was he had left his life insurance to his ex-wife but put a mere $2K of insurance on me... which I can
imagine was enough to cover my cremation and urn... March 2012 he tried and was arrested on time
and May 2012 he tried again but at the last minute after dragging me to the kitchen where in March
he almost shot me, he shot himself in front of me. I was numb, smoked lots of Medical Marijuana
was able to sleep and work. But isolated myself, did not want to socialize at work or after work.
That part of the PTSD was evident from month 1. But I had to handle the estate and deal with his
family who I disliked because of their Vulture ways and blaming me even though they knew he had
issues, (I had told his mother I was going to take him to rehab she turned around and told him
to drink all he wants). Years later the PTSD really hit, especially when I cut back the medical
marijuana and started getting stomach issues, sleep issues, hallucinations, depression, and anxiety.
That was 2014. In 2015 I ended up leaving work because I couldn't cope and felt suicidal where
I had the plan, the place and was getting my papers in order.