Is it just depression or is it PTSD?

[John_P]

Hello.

Throughout my 20's, (im 32 now) i suffered with a couple cases of bad times, but now i think it was depression. once is my early 20's. about 22 for 2 years and then 30 to 32. both to do with relationship breakdowns, (not initiated by me),,,,, both situations left me completed destroyed as a person as I Love fully, but then crash after a breakup.....both occassions resulted in flashbacks, serious withdrawls from social situations, inability to function propoerly, constand brain fog. not able to feel good. bad sleeping patterns.....etc......is it depression or something worse? maybe it is PTSD?

my doctor gave me referral for a CT scan due to my constant pain in my head, or brain fog. Im concerned about the radiation side effects. Ans will it find anything?

clarity would be appreciated

[Idkme]

Hi John,

Interesting question... I guess the answer is not so much in the "you have" as to the symptoms you are experiencing now. The question is do you still think about those things in your life and they release emotions that are 'challenging' to you or that give you an empty feeling. If you answer 'yes' then they are possibly PSTD related. PSTD is related to the way we react to trauma, some can process huge big traumatic events quickly and easily whilst others struggle with what seems small insignificant things. It all comes down to how our brain processes the information.

As far as getting a CT Scan goes then that will depend on how you feel and if you want more answers (not saying you will necessarily get any though). Maybe you could ask your doctor for a mental health plan and see a psychologist and see what they have to say about it all. They are much more professional to discuss you symptoms and past experiences. The fact that you are asking here means that the idea is a possibility to you so why not pursue it.

Just my thoughts on the matter... I'm no expert....

Welcome to the group.

Regards.

[John_P]

Thank you

I wonder if PTSD is actually physcial symptoms? brain fog and a constant tension in your brain...and constantly in your head. i wonder what that is? can PTSD manifest in physcial symptoms of the brain?

and what are the treatments?

[Idkme]

Hi John,

i absolutely believe it’s related to the physical. There are so many studies that support it actually.... brain fog is just one of the symptoms... it’s a result of an over active mind trying to fight off threats that don’t necessarily exist ALL the time.

I also get irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and lower back pain, which makes sense considering that’s the bit I feel when I do get flashbacks, triggers, etc.

other symptoms include tension headaches, sore shoulders, sore eyes, cold sores, ulcers, etc. And they’re just the ones I get.....

how to deal with it.....? .... talk therapy.... sounds crazy but it works.... a psychologist who knows what they are doing will direct your conversation towards healing and reigniting the stronger, braver self within. Other alternatives are medication (only prescribed by a qualified professional, or EMDR therapy. That’s just what I’ve heard.... personally I haven’t seen an EMDR person yet but I’m working on it....

i still think you need to see a doctor for a referral.... it’s worth a try isn’t it.

Keep us updated.... lots of people read your posts.... just not so many reply, but they’re there.....

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi John,

Thanks for your post and questions.

As you know we can't give a diagnosis, but I'm pretty familiar with both Depression and PTSD so I'll try and answer them as best as I can.

The major difference between Depression and PTSD is the link of trauma.

Both Depression and PTSD match up in the sense of brain fog, negative moods, struggling with concentration and memory, sleeping problems, not being interested in things that you used to or struggling to feel more positive.

PTSD however tends to have recurrent distressing memories, dreams, reactions (flashbacks) and avoidance of certain situations related to the trauma. People with PTSD also tend to be in a hyperarousal state - so can be either more irritable or easily startled.

People can also have both PTSD and Depression, so it doesn't really have to be one or the other.

As for the CT scan, the radiation is pretty minimal (I've had several!) however if you're concerned I encourage you to talk to your GP about it.

Hope this answers your questions

[Lost123]

Hi John

I go through very similar things as you and I feel that it is quite normal. Am glad you are getting yourself checked out. I can’t comment on the physical side, but I know that there are a few things you can focus on mentally to heal.

I believe a healthy mind is the start of a healthy state. Give yourself plenty of self love and care, realise that the other was not all that and even deserving of the love you have. Do you know who is deserving? Yourself. This is your life journey.

i also give too much of myself and it’s a difficult balance. I do know this - when you are in a relationship, you have to be your own person, have your own hobbies and passions and self fixes. We can not rely on one person to give us everything and give everything too. I know that sounds awful and we wish it wasn’t true.

This will help safeguard the recurring feelings of being “completely destroyed”. You still have to safeguard your own heart and not trust fully because they may hurt you without realising what they’ve done.

Any question I google an answer pops up and usually help me through the mental process. Live has been romantised by Hollywood in epic ways, but in reality it is not so simple.

Re: closing yourself off to people for a while - this is the grieving stage. Megan Devine on YouTube has a great short video on grief. How others will try to “look on the bright side” when you know you have no energy to. When I go through break ups, I sleep a LOT. It stops me from rumination. Nobody is to blame and rejection is tough to deal with, but in time you will realise that had a good run. You learnt some things, you helped someone and you have grown as a person. It can be difficult to find joy again, but keep the hope alive that you can return to a happy and content state before the relationship. Do the things you love doing. Find new hobbies even. It doesn’t feel like it now, but when you’re ready to stop being hard on yourself, you will be okay 🙂 self-awareness is very important, but thinking too much isn’t good.

[John_P]

hello guys.

thank you for the advice. i have got a mental health plan from my GP for 10 sessions. I started to ring a few psycologists, but realise that there is a huge gap?! Can anyone recommend someone in sydney that has no gap?

I found our recently the woman i was in a relationship with, got engaged-I had an intense crying spell, -more like a closure cry. I felt a little more healed. I wonder if crying is a healing mechanism? I am a masculine sort of guy, who usually keeps emotions hidden and doesnt cry much, but i know females find it easier to cry. maybe its better because that is a healing process?

How else can i force myself to deal with issues/other trauma's that has been hiding??? i feel like im the sort of person where my emotions build up and i dont deal with them? how do you force yourself to deal with your past and heal...and more importantly, going forward, deal with life struggles to ensure you dont accumulate emotional baggage?

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi John,

Thanks for your post.

Just to let you know, we aren't able to recommend anyone specific here as part of the community rules. Each psychologist gets to choose how big the gap is and if they bulk bill. You may find a Google search helpful "psychologist" "bulk billing" "Sydney" or alternatively you can try here -

https://www.psychology.org.au/Find-a-Psychologist

As for the crying, it's absolutely helpful. It sounds like you're after a scientific answer so it supposedly contains stress hormones, releases endorphins (aka our happy chemicals) and regulates our parasynthetic nervous system (PNS) - (aka our rest and digest response).

Anyway, hope this answers your question. Seeing a psychologist is absolutely a great place to start. Forcing yourself to open up and heal is no easy feat, but it doesn't happen overnight. One psychologist likened working with trauma to dealing with the stuff in the garage - you just start with one box at a time.

[John_P]

a concept that i would like to discuss: is struggle and overcoming the key to a successful mindset?

i have noticed the people in the world that have little are the ones with the biggest smiles....to appreciate life do you have to live through a struggle??? are we designed to overcome and strive to reach out goals??? if we never have to overcome something how can we appreciate anything? if we have lived a life with nothing, then we will appreciate a life with something....if we ate rice all day every day...then we went to a 5 star restaurant we would appreciate it....if we lose our jobs or get fired constantly, we will appreciate that promotion .

is struggle the key to a healthy mind?

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi John,

Great to hear back from you.

This is an interesting concept, although I'm not sure that there's a right answer. For me personally, I think probably an understanding of struggle is important, as well as the concept of gratitude.

Take two people who constantly eat at 5 star restaurants for example and who've never known serious financial struggle. One of those people might grumble about their wait, how their meal is cold or the waitress was unkind - where as the other might delight in the weather or the warm atmosphere. I think it's the mindset - are they grateful? Do they understand (even if they've never experienced) the real life struggles that are out there and how things could be worse for them or is worse for others?

and then if we're in struggle, can we be grateful for the little things, and see the bigger purpose? If I'm eating rice everyday I'm not going to dream of 5 star restaurants, but I'm going to try and be grateful for the family/friends I get to eat rice with, or the delight my family might get in cooking all that rice for everyone.

Does this make sense? Probably a few too many metaphors!