Support
Support

PTSD and trauma

A space for discussing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), domestic abuse, sexual abuse and other trauma. Please note some content may be distressing.

Start a conversation

FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

View the FAQ

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

View the guidelines
Categories
Start a conversation

Pinned discussions

A_Tech PTSD for Medical and First Responders
  • replies: 276

Hi, Well obviously this my situation. I was hoping to find others here that might have a similar background to chat with, it can be so hard to talk about this stuff with non-med people (and I mean no disrespect, it's just often graffic or upsetting t... View more

Hi, Well obviously this my situation. I was hoping to find others here that might have a similar background to chat with, it can be so hard to talk about this stuff with non-med people (and I mean no disrespect, it's just often graffic or upsetting to others). Im a 40 year old female that has spent the last 10years in the State Trauma Hospital as an Anaesthetic Technician. My PTSD was brought about after years of exposure to shocking traumas, deaths, and no support from management. I would love to hear from anyone that has a similar story, or just wants to chat. Cheers

All discussions

Start a conversation

16sundayz Dissociation
  • replies: 4

I'm not sure this is going to be in the right section but here goes. Can I please get some advice? My psychologist told me in November that I have mild dissociation and I was just wondering how to tell my family? For those who dissociate too, do your... View more

I'm not sure this is going to be in the right section but here goes. Can I please get some advice? My psychologist told me in November that I have mild dissociation and I was just wondering how to tell my family? For those who dissociate too, do your family know and how did you tell them?

witchy_poo I am a little lost
  • replies: 3

For 30 years I was with the man I thought I would grow old with. Sometimes it was easy and sometimes it was hard. I didn't mind so much that he kind of cut me off from friends and family - after all it was my decision I thought. I chose him to spend ... View more

For 30 years I was with the man I thought I would grow old with. Sometimes it was easy and sometimes it was hard. I didn't mind so much that he kind of cut me off from friends and family - after all it was my decision I thought. I chose him to spend my lie with warts and all and that was consequence. When you are 20 it doesn't really seem much of a price to pay. I gave my all to this man. A few years ago he was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and things got steadily worse. I won't go into detail but the last few years were extremely psychologically and mentally abusive which ended in a traumatic incident, "breaking" me and throwing several things in the car to literally run way from home. It's a year on and I feel like I should be over it. but I am not. I don't react to things the way I used too. My concentration and memory is shot. I have trouble sleeping at the best of times and night sweats and bad dreams on some nights. Things AI used to take in my stride floor me and the thing that worries me the most is that I barely remember my life with him. That sounds good I guess, I'm not dwelling on what happened to me, but it is like my life with him - 30 years of it - is like a distant dream of a movie I once saw but didn't participate in. It scares me. I am not the person I was before and I am not really sure of who I am now. I feel like sometimes I am waiting for life to start again, and sometimes I think it has but then something happens and I find myself on my arse again wondering what the hell I am doing. I am struggling at work, take a few days off when I can't cope. People say "you just have to get on with it". But how? My work has counselling available but they have said I may need to find a specialist that deals with trauma and has the right programs to help deal with these things. Has anyone had any experience with trauma counselling and know what is different from normal counselling?

Emmg PTSD and functioning in society
  • replies: 2

Hi, let me start this off by introducing myself. My name’s Emily and I have PTSD. I was diagnosed as a teenager after surviving sexual assault. I’m now a young adult and I feel like I’m only getting worse as time goes on. I’m on ssris and I have a jo... View more

Hi, let me start this off by introducing myself. My name’s Emily and I have PTSD. I was diagnosed as a teenager after surviving sexual assault. I’m now a young adult and I feel like I’m only getting worse as time goes on. I’m on ssris and I have a job and a cat, little things that make me feel vaguely normal. But I’m not normal, I can’t be normal and I’ve never been more aware of it. I’m wasting my life stuck in an unbearable cycle because of something someone did to me 7 years ago. I hate myself for not being strong enough to overcome the adversity I’ve faced in my life, I know there are people who have been through so much more than me and have come out the other side so much stronger. Maybe im just weak. My anxiety is off the charts, to the point where I often can’t even go to work or leave the house. I’m staring down the road of a whole life of this. My psychiatrist told me that I just need to focus on survival. But what kind of life is that? I want to actually live and enjoy life, but I can’t. I feel like a fraud and a waste of oxygen. I’ve put my family theough hell, my mom spent all her money on the best therapists for me, and now her retirement fund is gone and she has to work every day despite her own chronic illness. And still I’m not any better. I don’t know what to do. I feel helpless and pathetic at the same time. I was never able to finish university because of panic attacks and general anxiety, I’m now trying to complete my degree online but sometimes I can’t even deal with my virtual classes. How pathetic does that sound? My trauma has destroyed my life, and the lives of those around me and it’s all my fault. Im not posting this for sympathy or anything, I just needed to put it into words.

RM2926 Worried about the happiness of my children
  • replies: 6

During my last pregnancy I had to deal with a series of traumatic events and had a really awful time being run down and sick. There have been times where I lost control and asked for help from my husband to deal with everything that was going on. I a... View more

During my last pregnancy I had to deal with a series of traumatic events and had a really awful time being run down and sick. There have been times where I lost control and asked for help from my husband to deal with everything that was going on. I am not proud of my own behaviour at times. I have cried in front of my kids, sworn at my husband. One time I threatened to kill myself in front of my son. I am so ashamed of my behaviour. I know I need help. My husband can be aggressive towards myself and my oldest son and I’m worried about my son being raised in a household where he is unable to thrive. I’ve been handled roughly and bruised while pregnant. I can’t keep going on like this. My husband stays up until all hours playing PlayStation, he goes out whenever he feels like it, and I no longer feel comfortable with his lifestyle with two young kids at home. I have found an empty sachet with traces of drugs while cleaning the house. Stuff like that makes me worry about my eldest son finding and ingesting something. My husband is still a good dad. He is more present than his dad ever was. But I feel like since becoming a parent I’ve changed so much but he continues to act like someone without the responsibility of kids. I cant really rely on him to help me with raising my two children, the majority of work gets outsourced to my parents and my mother in law. I want him to leave. The problem is, he won’t leave even though the house was mine before we got together and it’s my family home. I’m at the point now where I’m almost certain there is nothing he can do to make me change my mind. Tonight my four year old wanted someone to sleep with because he was all alone in his room. It breaks my heart when my husband turns him away and makes him go to his room in tears alone. When I confronted my husband, he started acting all aggressive throwing things and then when I tried to sleep in bed with my son, he got into the bed so that I couldn’t lay down with our newborn forcing me to sit upright and not sleep. I’m just upset my son witnessed his parents’ toxic behaviour yet again. This kind of thing happens at least once a month lately. I just don’t know where to turn to next. Or what to do. Thanks for listening.

Peter775 Scared for the future.
  • replies: 7

Hi all I wanna thank everyone that responds to this message in advance. I need advice , I apologise in advance to anyone if my story and circumstances are not as bad as yours I just want help, insight and understanding. 7 days ago in short summary th... View more

Hi all I wanna thank everyone that responds to this message in advance. I need advice , I apologise in advance to anyone if my story and circumstances are not as bad as yours I just want help, insight and understanding. 7 days ago in short summary the person living in the apartment next door was found dead. I did think what if that man is dead and i was denial hoping that maybe he was with hes family for christmas or fine. I had heard and seen things I wish I hadn't when the forensics team arrived. He was a drug addict, i saw this coming as a he was lonely old man who would tolerate listening to for 30mins avg each time he saw me because he was talented at gossping about other neighbors and hard to understand from been high. Given he was dead for about 2weeks at most from what police think might of happened. That neighbor later said he was let down I didnt go in with them. Could this be true? Only thing i saw was a strecher the one time i looked out my door. I have plans in place to get help, im going through panic attacks since coming back to my home and pain which seems to have improved from the images in my mind. I want this to go away as fast as possible and dont want it to interfere with my life though I feel with time I will move on from it there is fear I might not. To say i suffer from ptsd makes me feel like its wrong because of others in worse situations then mine. I dont wanna believe it despite proffessionals suggesting it could be so. A few questions I have is whether this really is a form of ptsd and what are my chances of having it not effect me in the future? And has anyone gone through something similar and if so how long did it take them to recover? What if I never recover, this scares me dont wanna have my life ruined over this?

LAC08 First Responder with PTSD and Chronic Adjustment Disorder
  • replies: 6

G'day, I sound like a page of the DSM! I've been a first responder for ten years and been exposed to all forms of shit during this time. However, my trauma history extends way back into my childhood - probably why I do what I do now. I have recently ... View more

G'day, I sound like a page of the DSM! I've been a first responder for ten years and been exposed to all forms of shit during this time. However, my trauma history extends way back into my childhood - probably why I do what I do now. I have recently linked in with support services through work and am now on WorkCover. Yesterday, I received an official diagnosis from a psychiatrist - PTSD (kind of knew that) but also Adjustment Disorder (AjD) with chronic symptoms. Dr. Google isn't really helping me and I don't go back to see any of my support people until after Christmas. Can anyone shed some light on having AjD? Is it really just a case of me 'over-reacting' to stimuli? Cheers, Laura

Coco1696 Past Trauma ruining today
  • replies: 4

Hi there, I am married with four children and my past life is catching up to me. My husband is generous and loving and an amazing father. I am sabotaging our relationship with my controlling behaviour and jealous rages. I was sexually and physically ... View more

Hi there, I am married with four children and my past life is catching up to me. My husband is generous and loving and an amazing father. I am sabotaging our relationship with my controlling behaviour and jealous rages. I was sexually and physically abused for a period of about 6 months when I was nineteen (my first boyfriend). He decimated my self worth and esteem. I thought I had done so much work on myself, reading/understanding/not blaming myself etc but apparently I have a long way to go I still carry that worthlessness with me today and have this completely irrational fear that my husband is cheating on me or is planning to leave me. Every woman is a threat to me because every woman is better than me. I’m angry a lot and so controlling of him that he can barely breathe. My rational mind knows my husband loves me and is devoted to me but lately I’ve been spiraling out of control and accusing him of these terrible things. I’m so ashamed of my behaviour. How can I banish these irrational thoughts (and actions) . I’m lost.

Long_journey Marriage impacted by my sexual abuse/complex PTSD/Sexuality confusion
  • replies: 4

Hi all, I have been in the same relationship for almost 16 years (married for 8), I have 2 beautiful kids - which are my true joy. However my life is slowly fracturing. I know that it is my own lived experience more than anything else that is to blam... View more

Hi all, I have been in the same relationship for almost 16 years (married for 8), I have 2 beautiful kids - which are my true joy. However my life is slowly fracturing. I know that it is my own lived experience more than anything else that is to blame. I was raised in a physical/emotionally abusive house - I am the youngest of 4 sons; and by the time I as 6 I was also being sexually abused by an older brother, this abuse continued until I was 14. It became a 'normal' part of life. As a result of this childhood I have cPTSD, and almost all aspects of life give me anxiety - I have become very good at appearing 'happy', when actually under the facade I am broken. I have no birth family now, I have completely escaped - for my own health. My only family now is my wife's family. They know my childhood story, and are somewhat understanding. I have an amazing Dr Psychologist who has helped me a lot. But there are some things that are just not getting easier. My sexuality is confused. I think I am bisexual -but am disgusted in myself, and also fascinated with the idea- unfortunately these thoughts often take me back to my sexual abuse. I am trying to accept that this is me, but I will never know if I am bi because of my abuse that began when I was so young, or if I am this way 'naturally'. Acceptance of myself is the only way I can move on from this. Unfortunately my wife is conservative and when I told her about my Bi thoughts about 8 months ago, she didn't talk to me for several days, and then it took at least a month of pain for us to get back to some kind of normal relationship. My wife can't accept who I am - I did tell her in our first week together when we were young, that I had 'experimented' with a male housemate a couple of years prior (my only MM experience), she was okay with that. I have been monogamous for our entire marriage. But I now find that I need to know (definitively) my sexuality - of course I risk my own life (and impact my wife and kids lives) if it all goes wrong. I want to tell my wife again - I am a very honest person - but am afraid of an even worse response than the first time I raised the topic. The only other option is to have a 'fling' on the side - which would create other awful emotions - guilt, being the main one...and maybe more confusion. I am 42 and still don't know who I am. It breaks me everyday. The clock is ticking, and I have so much regret. I love my wife so much and don't want to hurt her. Thanks in advance.

Jessica1111 Why does smoking Marijuana help with my anxiety
  • replies: 10

Hi, I was in a toxic relationship & was narcissistically abused & I'm suffering from pts,anxiety & panic attacks. I have gone to the doctor & he subscribe anti depressants but they don't work & won't work for 6 weeks, I asked the doctor for anxiety m... View more

Hi, I was in a toxic relationship & was narcissistically abused & I'm suffering from pts,anxiety & panic attacks. I have gone to the doctor & he subscribe anti depressants but they don't work & won't work for 6 weeks, I asked the doctor for anxiety medication & was denied, I asked for light sleeping pills just once off but was denied. My anxiety is so bad I can't stop reliving it & I can't sleep & I'm extremely mad & I will attack u if u even look at me the wrong way doesn't matter where I am I'm filled with rage. The doctor basically cannot help, so I started smoking Marijuana & it's great, I'm relaxed I don't think as much it makes me hungry & I have a great sleep I'm not angry. I feel the doctors do not really want to help & was a waste of time & I now self medicate myself as the doctor was completely useless. I need something that's works today not in 6 weeks. When I feel a panic attack I just smoke & everything stays good. If the doctor had given me something for anxiety I would have not had to do something illegal & find my own outlet for anxiety.

Ayisha Is addiction curable? Is addiction a mind disorder?
  • replies: 5

I am a 53 year old alcoholic. Luckily I am a functioning alcoholic who only drinks in the evening. My research tells me that addiction is an incurable disorder. (I hate the word addict, so I call myself as having SAD...substance abuse disorder). I kn... View more

I am a 53 year old alcoholic. Luckily I am a functioning alcoholic who only drinks in the evening. My research tells me that addiction is an incurable disorder. (I hate the word addict, so I call myself as having SAD...substance abuse disorder). I know that many people have successfully achieved abstinence. But does that mean they are cured? Ayisha

As an organisation that supports people from across Australia, Beyond Blue acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country and their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay respect to Elders past and present.

First Nations Peoples are advised that this website may include reference to and images of deceased persons.

Beyond Blue is committed to safe inclusive spaces, policies and services for people of LGBTIQ+ communities and their families.

Helpful information

Stay in touch

Sign up below for regular emails from Beyond Blue, filled with information, advice and support for you or your loved ones.

Stay in touch

Talk it through with us, we'll point you in the right direction.

Call 1300 224 636

24 hours / 7 days a week

Chat Online

24 hours / 7 days a week

Email us

Get a reply in 24 hours

Copyright � 2026 Beyond Blue Ltd

All rights reserved

Contact us Terms of use Privacy policy Site map