Question:
Hello to anyone, everyone reading this. I’m looking for some advice, feedback, help etc. in this area, to confirm what I feel/believe or to indicate I’m barking up the wrong tree, or just plain barking. Story is this. (I’m in the UK BTW) 15 years ago I worked for local police force as a communications operator in their main control room. As you can imagine, this is a stressful environment, 999 calls, urgent radio messages, urgent faxes, telexes, incidents of every type etc….In addition to this I did see photogrpahs of vehicle accidents, accident investigatione reports as well. (this is just a brief outline BTW) Other incidental information as well: I was involved in a vehicle accident 16 years ago, sustained no physical injury, but my car came with an inch of being ‘totalled’ by another vehicle. Whislt working at the police, Pan Am flight 103 came down in Scotland, on Lockerbie. My sister was living there at the time. I was on night shift at the police, thus had good info about the crash, but was unable to speak to my sister for quite some time as all phone links had been cut. Since leaving that job (I know work in IT in a university, which is a relaxed, stress free environment), I have drunk to excess, have flashbacks about specific incidents from when I worked at the police, can remeber many of the photographs I saw then, have been severly depressed (have just come out of a very bad ‘bought’ which has prompted me to ’sort things out’) have had ‘relationship’ problems (now getting better:)), have cut myself off from friends, don’t go out to socialise at all, have developed an expolsive temper which is only set off by specific or mundane things, have disturbed sleep, also have inability to watch anything on TV remotely connected with disaster, hospitals, medicine ie. re-creation type programs, documentaries or even medical soaps. I find that only very recently that I can start to try and rationalise all of this and thus trying to see what is wrong with me. If anyone reading this can say ‘yes, you need help’ or ‘yes, that’s what I ‘had” it would be great to know, or whatever…… I am seeing my doctor next week, but would like to hear from people ‘who have been there’ as I (possibly incorrectly) think my doctor may dismiss what I say and how I feel? Simon ———–== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==———- http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
Response:
Dear Simon, Classic PTSD…I’d say… so does the DSM ( "Diagnostic criteria for 309.89 Post-traumatic Stress Disorder") …find a therapist who belongs to the International Society for the Study of Dissociation, they are the best authority on effective PTSD treatment. You’re smart to research for yourself. I agree that dismissal is likely; that was my experience…it was diagnosed, but supposedly would resolve itself within two years_HA…fooled them again_( I certainly wish it had). My PTSD escalated when I was rear-ended, and I consistently lost the ability to stay with reality. I wish I had the patience to type the DSM for you but you doctor should have a copy (it’s a big blue book) or your library will in the reference section. Hopefully it’s a universal manual. Please post again, I’d love to hear you get good help. Checkout www.sidran.org/trauma/html it’ll help. Your Internet Compatriot, Suze
Response:
Simon, >I’m looking for some advice, feedback, help etc. in this area, to confirm >what I feel/believe or to indicate I’m barking up the wrong tree, or just >plain barking.
All that you have related certainly sounds like you’ve had a rough go of things. I thouhgt perhaps a couple of URLs would be of interest to you to help narrow down diagnosis. Both are from www.mentalhealth.com Who knows, they may be of use for you. http://www.mentalhealth.com/dis1/p21-an06.html is the "American" description of PTSD. http://www.mentalhealth.com/icd/p22-an06.html is the "European" description. The "American" description seems a bit more descriptive and take efforts to categorise types of symptoms however they both express well what I experience as PTSD. Hope that helps in some way Take Care Gary
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