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.

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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

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Roseby Feelings of dread- life after domestic violence and life with PTSD
  • replies: 3

Hi, this is is my first post. I was married for 10 years and left the relationship when the violence became too much. Several years onward and after much deliberation I decided to ‘put myself out there’. I met a very nice person. By all counts they a... View more

Hi, this is is my first post. I was married for 10 years and left the relationship when the violence became too much. Several years onward and after much deliberation I decided to ‘put myself out there’. I met a very nice person. By all counts they are lovely. and then the darkness sets in. The flashbacks to the violence, the fear paralyses me, I push away anything that could be good because I am still imprisioned in a marriage that haunts me to this day. i see a psychologist. I have sought support groups, I make all the right moves to help myself. But this... this concept of ever trusting, ever allowing myself to be vulnerable, coupled with the PTSD symptoms erodes me. I dont one know how to fix this. I want to. So very much.

hjh I'm not coping well
  • replies: 3

to start off with, I am very much an animal person and have always been around them. About 5 days ago i was driving home the same way i always do. i wasn't speeding or distracted but out the side of my eye i saw a blur and then felt my car go over so... View more

to start off with, I am very much an animal person and have always been around them. About 5 days ago i was driving home the same way i always do. i wasn't speeding or distracted but out the side of my eye i saw a blur and then felt my car go over something, when i looked in the revision mirror i saw the most beautiful black and white cat pulling itself off the road. it had hit my back wheel and the wheel had crushed its back legs. i burst into tears and pulled over straight away. by the time i got out of the car this older man and a girl had stopped as well. the poor cat was in excrusiating pain, trying to move away from me but was unable to.it was gasping for air and whining. i couldn't stop crying and couldn't breathe properly. all that pain had been inflicted by me. i ran to my car and grabbed a towel and the older man helped me wrap the cat up. by this time my mum had arrived because i knew i was in no state to drive. i sat in the back of the car with the cat who was shaking and gasping for air. the poor cat stopped making the whining sounds about two minutes away from the vet and i started to freak out but when i got out mum said she saw it move so i thought we could save her/him. the vet rushed the cat out the back and we waiting. she finally came out and said the cat had died. i have never felt so guilty and terrible in my whole life. i am the reason this poor cat is dead and i feel as though i cannot forgive myself. i keep thinking what might have happened if i had left 2 minutes later, or if i swerved or braked more. i feel sick all the time, i feel unmotivated and i have such a negative frame of mind. i know i did everything i could to help but i feel as though there is so much more i should have done. i killed an innocent animal.

less_than_human Trigger Warning - Sexual Assault: 26 years and still not treated
  • replies: 14

I wish this was a sick twisted tale, but i lived it. Why? In the summer of 1989/90, just turned 12, I left a primary school in the isolated hills of Tasmania, of 40 students total, prep to year 6. To start my first day at a highschool on the far outs... View more

I wish this was a sick twisted tale, but i lived it. Why? In the summer of 1989/90, just turned 12, I left a primary school in the isolated hills of Tasmania, of 40 students total, prep to year 6. To start my first day at a highschool on the far outskirts western Sydney, in Penrith, with 2000 + students. Leaving behind a family of 8,myself being the youngest of 6, the family had almost disintegrated overnight. My parents took the opportunity to dissolve their marriage, and split their responsibilities between the two remaining dependants. My father taking my older brother of 15 to brisbane and my mother taking myself to penrith, to live with her girlfriend. Being an effeminate naive and trusting 12 year old boy going on 9, in a city that moved faster than anything i had ever seen before, I quickly become the target of deciet and harassment, both physically and verbally. To top it of, my mums new partner hated males and found the perfect victim in my submissive nature. To cut a long story short, i was beaten all day at school and all night at home. Until i met this girl, who showed me how to escape. Simply put, i would tell school i was going to be abscent because of family events and tell my mum i was going on a school excersion, then we would go to Sydney and noone would be none the wiser. So, now 14, standing in kings cross, my girlfriend decides she needs to confront an old boyfriend in a nightclub, but she wants me to come with her. So she has this great idea for me to go drag, which totally works, more than anticipated. Any how, high on drugs we(this will not make sence if edited too heavily)*she confronts her boyfriend with being pregnant, reminding him of her age (same as me), so yeah her stomach blah blah, me!, oh wait what have we here? Well this one isnt getting pregnant......join the dots, 3 way gang, is there anyway to tell this to another human, i am less than human. I am a worthless piece of..........i couldnt tell the cops, because of fear for the drugs and age and thing. I have never ever dealt with it. I want to be dead.

JackM How do you let people know about your PTSD without stigmatizing yourself?
  • replies: 4

How do you tell people about having PTSD without stigmatizing yourself, or causing negative reactions? I have been in the situation where people have told me, "you have so much talent, why can't you just..." so many times. On the occasions where I ha... View more

How do you tell people about having PTSD without stigmatizing yourself, or causing negative reactions? I have been in the situation where people have told me, "you have so much talent, why can't you just..." so many times. On the occasions where I have described my PTSD symptoms, cognitive issues, and the event the led up to it, the reaction is usually negative in the sense that I stigmatize myself as some kind of loser, and fail to get any understanding. So what I do now is that I don't explain it at all, and I cover up my PTSD to the best of my ability. Most of my friends and acquaintances have no idea that I have PTSD. If I meet someone new somewhere, I just tell them lies (not elaborate ones) that I have a job and a normal life. Because the result of telling the truth makes me more marginalized than I am now. So what do you do?

Ozmike Newbie saved a life but not dealing with it very well
  • replies: 3

Hi everyone. A little while ago I saved a complete strangers life in pretty shit circumstances. I was international news for a few days and everyone was heaping praise on me for the outcome. They have all moved on to the next thing to talk about and ... View more

Hi everyone. A little while ago I saved a complete strangers life in pretty shit circumstances. I was international news for a few days and everyone was heaping praise on me for the outcome. They have all moved on to the next thing to talk about and , on the surface, so have I. Under the surface though I'm not doing so well. The incident happened recently where i came across a crashed car in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere. Inside was a man trapped and the car on fire. While the outcome was good, my mind keeps replaying the preceeding 10 minutes where there were moments I genuinely thought i was about to watch someone who was perfectly aware of his surroundings and begging for my help get burnt alive. Every time I let my mind idle just a bit it goes to replaying those moments and every time i drive past that spot at night I have to focus very hard on something, anything to stop me going in to a full blown panic attack thinking I'm going to have to go through it again. Getting professional help out here is nearly impossible unless you are suicidal and even then you usually have to wait. I have spoken with the chaplains from the fire brigade and police a few times but they have people with bigger issues than me to worry about. I feel better for getting this off my chest but i think i need some tips from the people here to help me help myself. Thanks for listening.

LITH My future seems dark
  • replies: 7

I was firefighter and emergency medical technician for 14 years, when I moved state I gained a position with correctional services. After 4 years as a prison guard I quit and went back to my trade as a painter/plasterer. I hid my feelings my everyone... View more

I was firefighter and emergency medical technician for 14 years, when I moved state I gained a position with correctional services. After 4 years as a prison guard I quit and went back to my trade as a painter/plasterer. I hid my feelings my everyone for years as I was brought up by my grandfather who was ex navy and Avery hard man. Long story short I have major depressive disorder, anxiety and PTSD. I struggle to get out of bed and go to work, anxiety is over the top. First psychiatrist kept giving me more tablets which shut down my liver, second psychiatrist gave me different pills, but they don't seem to do much. I am living on alcohol and prescription drugs. Nothing seems to be working so my future seems very dark to me. I am trying to run a business and have four employees but it is a real struggle, I have run out of options, even a psychologist didn't help me. No one seems to understand what is going through my head and I feel like I may be exaggerating things in my head. I'm at a crossroad at the moment and there is only two choices, rant over, at least someone may see this and have an answer, otherwise I will be expecting something better in the next life.

Mm8kids Traumatic cesarean birth
  • replies: 2

Ive had depression and anxiety for a few years but 10 weeks ago it has gotten worse..i had my 6th cesarean (8th baby) the cesarean part was no big deal for me but i was diagnosed with low lying placenta from time i was 12 weeks preg..i told my husban... View more

Ive had depression and anxiety for a few years but 10 weeks ago it has gotten worse..i had my 6th cesarean (8th baby) the cesarean part was no big deal for me but i was diagnosed with low lying placenta from time i was 12 weeks preg..i told my husband i need help with the kids and house work etc as i was told not to lift and b on my feet to long..he told me to buy the kids wateva they want to make things easier..i told him this was not the solution..fast forward at my 28 weeks scan i was told i might have placenta acreta where placenta attaches to uterus and cause complications during birth and results in hysterectomy..at 34weeks scan showed everything to b fine..37w5d i had my cesarean..10 minutes afta they started doctor tells me they need to put me to sleep...i woke up that afternoon in extreme pain..once bak in my room they told me they did hysterectomy as placenta had gone right thru the uterus..my daughter was tiny but perfect and healthy..its been 10 weeks i havent left the house..i have night mares..my husband mocks my pain he tells me to get over it and b greatful..i am very greatful as i have been blessed with 8 healthy kids but this is so painful for me..at times i wish i jus bled to death then having to deal with this pain all alone...i dont expect him to understand but i wuld love jus a lil support from him..so sorry but had to vent

Moonbeamer PTSD anxiety and depression are devastating enough to live with
  • replies: 1

Every day is a struggle to stay healthy and, to be frank, keep going. The worst thing about PTSD anxiety and depression is the stigma. I live in a rural area (New England region) and several times in the last 12 years I have been admitted - or admitt... View more

Every day is a struggle to stay healthy and, to be frank, keep going. The worst thing about PTSD anxiety and depression is the stigma. I live in a rural area (New England region) and several times in the last 12 years I have been admitted - or admitted myself - to hospital out of immediate fear of my safety. My last 3 encounters with the local mental health department have seen outrageously disrespectful, rude and downright abusive treatment from certain people 'in charge'. In some cases these 'professionals' have failed me by simply not doing their job... making things impossibly hard for me. When I was hospitalised a few years ago as a result of domestic violence - not a single person asked me about domestic violence. I was not even permitted to talk to the police about it from hospital. After release from hospital, the police asked me why I hadn't contacted them earlier! Almost 4 years later and I cannot go out in my local town for fear of the bloke who got away with it. Another time, they would not let me make a phone call to get a friend to check on my dog. I was desperately distressed... worrying about my dog and being treated like a criminal with one phone call made everything far worse. When I tried to leave so I could make a call from a public phone ( I was there voluntarily), they refused to give me any of my property or my car keys. I am a very quiet, reserved softly-spoken person. I am well educated and articulate. I am polite to a fault. I have never assaulted anyone. Never been in trouble with the law. My main problems with PTSD anxiety and chronic depression are the result of me being the VICTIM of violence/abuse. However,in every interaction with hospital-based mental health in the Armidale/Tamworth area I have been treated like dangerous criminal scum! It has been made clear to me, by the implication of so-called professionals' failures to bother to do their job, that the violence I experienced MUST have been ALL MY FAULT... I MUST have done SOMETHING to deserve the abuse. Consistently, I have been made to feel unwelcome and worthlessly undeserving of assistance. Breaks my heart. Makes the feelings of isolation, constant fear and worthlessness worse. I no longer see the local mental health service or local hospital as viable or safe options for dealing with crises when they occur. There is literally nowhere else to go, but I desperately need help... Stigma kills and I'm feeling there is no hope either for me or for change. Lost.

Kelizabeth Struggling to come to terms with serious car accident
  • replies: 4

I was involved in a very serious car accident about 6 weeks ago and I'm struggling to cope with the thoughts that run through my head 24/7. I was T-boned on the driver's side by a 4WD going 110km/h and it all still feels surreal that I'm even here. I... View more

I was involved in a very serious car accident about 6 weeks ago and I'm struggling to cope with the thoughts that run through my head 24/7. I was T-boned on the driver's side by a 4WD going 110km/h and it all still feels surreal that I'm even here. I can't sleep anymore, I get images of myself in the car and no one can get me out and everyone is standing around looking at me but no one is helping and I'm screaming and in pain. I find that little things startle me so much and I've forgotten so many details of what happened even though I was conscious for the whole event. I'm getting so angry because everyone I reach out to for help seems to think I'm just absolutely fantastic because my physical injuries have healed and everyone keeps telling me I'm lucky...but I don't feel it. I feel so stressed and anxious I won't let anyone else in my car because I'm afraid I'll hurt them and I spend hours staring at the pictures of the accident trying to undo it or punish myself for what I've done. I've always been anxious but this is a whole new level and I'm having panic attacks literally everywhere, in the shower, in bed just remembering the small things I actually remember from the accident. People keep telling me it's normal to feel like this but I'm not convinced

Keep_on_running Keep moving forward!
  • replies: 6

Someone else is always worse off than me I keep telling myself. You see it every day in the news! I think I am typing this as it helps me clear my mind somewhat. I am 41 years old now, have 3 beautiful boys, but sadly I have had to say goodbye to one... View more

Someone else is always worse off than me I keep telling myself. You see it every day in the news! I think I am typing this as it helps me clear my mind somewhat. I am 41 years old now, have 3 beautiful boys, but sadly I have had to say goodbye to one child a number of years ago, and then goodbye to my wife almost 2 and a half years ago. We lost her in the most tragic of circumstances while on a family getaway. Such a beautiful, healthy young woman with nothing but love for life and for her family and friends. We tried to keep her alive, doctors, nurses and paramedics were and are amazing, and they truly don't get the recognition they deserve. I have seen things I never wanted to see, made decisions I have never wanted to make. Its strange you know. People have often said that they don't know how I have dealt with things or how I have coped. The true reason is, what alternative is there? You either cope and maybe there will be days ahead where something happens and it makes you smile or laugh, or your kids make you so proud, or simply the warm sun shines on your face and you realise there is much to look forward to. There is no alternative but to cope. Try and love life I say!