I have a friend, a PTSD expert, who got PTSD from working with veterans on top of his PTSD from his own childhood. He started binge drinking, got two divorces, was a sensation seeker, and got into rehab. He was a “wounded healer.”
My dad had some PTSD from WWII. He was, according to my mom, more serious, less fun-loving and more irritable than he had been before.
I work at an in-patient mental health unit, so I see people with PTSD all the time.
The sad thing is, I work with TEENS.
My mom was in a really bad car accident a few years ago and has been dealing with PTSD ever since.
I had a bad car wreck in January and consequently had PTSD. I couldn’t sleep at night for a long time without the help of drugs, I became withdrawn and unhappy, I had nearly constant flashbacks and was overall in a miserable state. The worst is over but I still can’t make the left turn that led to my accident and I’m still a little more withdrawn. Oh, and I’m a teen.
Oh, Kahuna…sigh…
I know exactly what you’re going through.
Back in’86 I was in a car accident in which I was almost killed – actually, according to the police report, it was a wonder I wasn’t. Severe concussion, badly smashed ankle.
I sometimes still have flashbacks every time I open my car door…:eek:
I suffered from PTSD for two and a half years. It was as a result of watching a friend of mine get hit and killed while we were crossing the street.
I ended up seeing an excellent Psychologist, who is also a practicer of EMDR (http://www.emdr.com/).
I know there are some debunkers, but it worked for me!
It’s a horrible experience, I would wish it on no one. On the bright side, I’ve written some good horror based on my dreams and experiences from that time.
My girlfriend has it as a result of sexual abuse as a kid. You’d have to know her pretty well to notice anything, but a lot of what looks like tightly wrapped is just tightly wound. She’s crisply organized and no-nonsense / no-bullshit efficient as a way of exerting control. She knows all this.
She says she was in her 20s before she found out that not everyone had a handful of nightmares every night: