Q&A

When were you diagnosed? May 9^th, 2011

What form of PTSD do you have? Unintentional Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Were you only diagnosed with PTSD? No, I was also diagnosed with major depression disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.

Were you surprised when they gave you the diagnosis? Very. I thought PTSD was only a diagnosis for military or people who have been through assault or rape.

When did you show your first symptoms of having PTSD? My first signs were shown in April of 2004. However I did not have significant symptoms until September of 2010.

How old were you when you first showed symptoms of PTSD? I was 12.

When did you hit rock bottom? February to April 2011

Did you research your symptoms and come up with a diagnosis before going to the doctors? Sort of, I researched my symptoms and thought I was just depressed and had a little anxiety, but I knew that it had to be more than just that.

Who diagnosed you? My regular doctor, I was diagnosed by a psychiatrist in October of 2011.

Where does your PTSD stem from? My neighbor passed away when I was only 12 and we (my family) are extremely close to them.  The years following though, I experienced 8 more deaths.

What are your triggers? They vary, sometimes they just pop up out of nowhere.

How has PTSD affected your everyday life? Every day is a struggle, each day has its own challenges. I have good days and I have not so good days. I take the days as they come.

Are you currently in some sort of therapy or support group? Both, I see a therapist on a regular basis and I am a part of an online support group and the ladies on there are fantastic!

What medications are you on and how long did it take to come up with the right ones? I am on Paxil (40mg) and clonazepam (1mg as needed.) It took about a year and a half to figure out the right medications and correct amount of mg of each drug.

Which medications didn’t work? I can’t think of the name off the top of my head, it starts with an L.

What advice you would give to someone who is newly diagnosed with PTSD? You really have to figure out what’s best for you. Therapy is great for me and I started trying different medications right away. Also, tell your closest friends and family so they can look out for symptoms and such. You are not alone. Find someone, even on facebook who you can share your experiences with.

What advice would you give the people they live with? Each person is different. Being diagnosed with PTSD is scary and you need to let that person come to you when they are ready to. Do not pressure them to do anything they don’t want to do. Offer encouragement but do not suffocate them with support. They need their space to figure out how they are going to deal with things.

Do you think people without PTSD can ever understand what it’s like to have PTSD? No, no one can understand the flashbacks and how scary a lot of things are. You may thing you understand, but you don’t unless you have PTSD also.

Do the people with post traumatic stress disorder need to get over whatever is stressing them? I am a strong believer in therapy. I think they need to deal with the event but it will always be there with them and I don’t think you can ever get over that event since it has affected them so much. Ian (my neighbor) died almost 9 years ago and I am still not ready to come to terms with his death.

When did you start telling your friends and family about your diagnosis? I told my (at the time) best friend that day along with my sister, grandma, and mom. The rest of my family was within the month of being diagnosed.

How do you cope with everyday life having PTSD? I don’t have an option. This is my life and I will deal with it. I have everything I need right now and a support system to help me up when I’m falling down.

Does having PTSD triggers give someone the right to be rude? This is kind of iffy, triggers can come at anytime, anywhere, at any point in the day. Some people deal with triggers different than others, especially if they are newly diagnosed.

How do people who have had past PTSD episodes convince others that they are not/were not crazy? It’s all part of the diagnosis. If they love and care for you, they will understand. If not, make them look it up.

Because you have PTSD, does it cause problems in relationships? I have severe abandonment issues. I have started dating so we will see how that goes.

When do you tell your significant partner about it? I’m not hiding it. It’s a topic of discussion before we would start dating. However I would never walk up to someone and be like “Hey, my name is Clarissa and I have PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Do you still want to date me?”

Are some people immune to post traumatic stress disorder? Personally, I don’t think so. People react differently to different situations. When Ian died, I reacted differently than every other person. It just depends on how you react to certain situations. Who knows though, maybe someone else who experienced his death also has PTSD.

Do you think mental illness should be discussed more in middle or high school? YES. Middle school is such a hormonal stage. I think it should be touched in middle school but in psychology in high school it should really get in depth. And by in depth I’m not talking about look at all these people in asane asylums, they need to normalize it. There are plenty of students throughout their 13 years of education that get diagnosed with a mental illness.

Why do people claim PTSD is fake? Depression is fake, anxiety is fake, schizophrenia is fake, bipolar is fake, etc…. people will always have these opinions. Unless they know someone personally with a mental illness, they won’t get it.

Is there a cure for PTSD? Not currently.

Can you ever just get over your PTSD? Personally, I don’t think so. You will always have those triggers that you will have to deal with the rest of your life. More than likely, you’ll experience your ‘event’ on tv or in person at another given time.

Can you have PTSD but no flashbacks? I hate the term ‘flashbacks.’ There is such a variation to that term. It’s different for each person. What I consider a flashback, another person may not, so I guess it depends on the person.

What’s your biggest regret with having PTSD? I waited almost a year before I finally asked for help or told anyone what I was going through.

Does PTSD mean I am weak? HECK NO. It should mean you are stronger because what you have been through.

What do you do when you experience a flashback? It depends on the place. My bedroom is my safe place. I usually crawl into bed, darkness, and try to sleep. I basically try to ignore the pain of the flashback.

If you are in a public place and suddenly are having flashbacks, what do you do? I seclude myself. I go somewhere private until I can calm myself down. Most of the time that means taking one of my anxiety pills.

Can someone still suffer from PTSD even if the event was a long time ago? Yes. There are veterans today from the Vietnam war who still suffer from PTSD.

Do you have a lot of issues with stress? Yes. I hate large crowds. I also need control of whatever is going on. If not, my stress level goes up which causes my anxiety level to sky rocket. If someone says something or does something unexpected, my anxiety level is through the roof because it’s stressful.

Did PTSD ruin your life? Nope, it’s a part of who I am.

If you could fix yourself, would you? Would I get rid of some of my triggers and other issues? Yes. But having PTSD has made me who I am today. I honestly can’t picture myself without it now. Having PTSD isn’t a good thing, but I’m learning to deal with it.

Would you ever date someone with PTSD? Yes. No one is perfect.

A year or so ago, there was a veteran with PTSD who murdered someone during a flashback and didn’t remember it. What do you think should happen to him? I think he should do time, but instead of doing it in jail, he should spend it at a mental facility. He obviously needs help, sitting in a jail cell isn’t going to get him anywhere.