Lived Experience Forum

[Joe1998]

Hi, I'm new this fourm and the website. 

So pretty much I'm a 18yr old guy that has been though hell and back a few times. My mum is a drugo and in a DV relationship, My dad ran off before i was born and it goes on and on but thats not the reason I'm on here.. So I thought I was doing well till afew weeks ago when I hit a bad patch. 😞 I went to the doctors asking for help and he sent me to see a mental health doctor on the sunshine coast (Which I didnt like at all he was rude and I felt like he was only there for the money) Anyway we did tests and stuff and it come back as I had PTSD, ADHD and Anxirty! Like WTF I though i was doing well. I was going to my counselling and stuff but some how I its done nothing (well i know it has but thats how it feels). They want to put me on meds but I'm scared of the after effects and stuff can somebody please tell me abit more about PTSD and what the meds do? 

Please and thank you! 

p.s sorry about the spelling 

[Sahara]

Hi @Joe1998,

good for you for going to see a doctor and getting checked out. That shows a lot of maturity. 

Coming from the background that you describe, It's not to surprising that you have a few mental health issues. I suffer from anxiety and depression myself, and I also thought I was going along quite well, until I fell in a big heap. So it's better that you sought out help sooner rather than later, as you might have been heading for a breakdown without even knowing it.

If you didn't like the mental health doctor you saw, then you are entitled to go back to your G.P. and ask for a referral to someone different. Explain to your G.P. that the doctor was rude to you. There is no point being treated by someone who you do not like nor respect. You don't have to put up with sub-standard care No-one does.

Medications can help you feel better, if you have some distressing symptoms. What are the symptoms that led you to seek treatment, if you don't mind me asking? 

Some people can get by without medication, if they have on-going counselling and are prepared to do a lot of things to help themselves. It's up to you if you want to give medication a go. You can try it and then decide if it's not for you. Your doctor can explain the side-effects and other important information about medication. There are a lot of different products out there.

I took medication for my anxiety and depression for a couple of years and I believed it helped me, although it is no miracle cure!  I still had to do a lot of things to help myself and change my behavior, in order to get over the depression. I don't need medication anymore. But I'm glad it's available to me if I do ever need it again.

Let us know how you go, write back if you can.

[Joe1998]

The thing that made me go to the doctors was that normal my "stages" (When I feel upset and angry) only last for about a week but this time something trigged me and it lasted alot long and i got scared to be honets. My everyday life is pretty stressfull. I try to make it less stressfull but nothing seems to help. It kinda sucks. I am thinking about the tablets but I'm scared if it all goes bad eg, It make me worse. 

Thanks you for help to!!

[Sahara]

Hi @Joe1998,

if your everyday life is very stressful, then you could well benefit form on-going counselling. I'm sorry that you did not feel counselling was any help to you in the past. It might take 6 or 8 sessions to get to the bottom of some of your issues and then you can start addressing them for there on.... this can take a year of more. It is not a quick fix. 

I am talking in general terms; but everyone is different. Some people are able to discover their issues quite quickly in counselling and for others it takes a lot more time. There are no guarantees! The most important thing is that you feel listened to; that you feel you experiences are worth discussing. It is also very important that you feel your counsellor is a good, decent person who you can respect and relate to. If you feel understood and you trust your counsellor, then things often can progress more quickly.

If you start taking medication, you should book an appointment to go back for a review with you dotor to see how everything is going. Don't just start taking tablets and then forget about it. You will need to keep in contact with your doctor and ring them if anything is bothering you in terms of side effects. 

I was like you; I first went for help because I was very angry and my mood was getting worse with time, rather than better. I felt like I had been mistreated by a few different people and I was powerless to do anything about it. Through counselling, I was able to get back a sense of power over my own life. It took some time. I was also able to discover where I had gone wrong in the past with my own behavior. 

I had been such a 'good' and 'kind' person, but I had also been a bit subservient, unfortunately. I had always put everyone else's needs before my own. As a consequence, I was not living a life that really benefited me or made me happy. I was just doing everything I was told to do by everyone else! As a result, I was an angry person. My anger was very passive/aggressive. I was sarcastic and grumpy all the time. Counselling really helped me to turn everything around.

I still have to watch myself, and make sure I don't get too involved in other people's problems. I am very, very lucky in having a supportive husband who is good at sticking up for himself and handling difficult people. I am learning a lot by observing his behavior! 

Do you have someone you look up to in your own life who can give you advice? Someone you trust who demonstrates to you the right way to look out for yourself?

[Joe1998]

Yeah see your "promblems" are just the same as mine! I always try help other before helping myself and even your symptoms are the same.

I've desided to go back to the doctors tomorrow and go on the tables just to give them a try. I'll keep you filled in on how I go. 

Thanks you so much, I think the best part of this fourm stuff is knowing that your not alone. My girlfriend asks why I come on here when I her but its not the same as talking to somebody who knows what its like 😕 its had to explain to her but I'll just keep pushing on, I guess. 

[Decadian]

Hi @Joe1998

You have enough reason to have a hard time - that is true - and you are very young and it's very good that you have sought help - even though you are not sure of the doctor you saw

I can tell you about PTSD  as it affects me - it is a complex condition - so everyone you ask will have a different story - but here goes

There were several years in my life when life was hell and I had many traumatic experiences - and in time - life did change and I took control over the my circumstances and yet - dreams -nightmares really - and bad spells would return - and I have just had a bad spell - and now it lasts a few days - and I don't take medication for that - I have medication for a physical condition I have - and would not be prepared to take anything else though many years ago I did

To me it seems that it is better to be really aware that medication has it's place - but not always - talking therapy has helped me more

Back to the PTSD - take the last few days - okay - a stress-filled situation suddenly took over - and I had flashbacks - very brief - lasting less than seconds - when sometimes I see something that happened very clearly - but more - I have the feelings return - eg - the helplessness of my situation

The flashbacks when I see something is the car accident I was in years ago - I am back in my car that has been hit by another car and I am over-compensating swinging the steering wheel - and I can see the buildings opposite me - swinging violently - for a split second - and it brings back feeling of terror of what is happening -

Or - when I find myself in a dark place I am reliving memories or a terrible event when I was not present - and I don't have visual flashbacks - but for a brief time - I am 30 years in the past

This passes - but not the backwash of the emotions that seem to be part of my life - I can't change what happened but I have to live with it. My emotion go out of control - sometimes I will cry - and I get massive headache. I feel angry about the people that did not help me through years of trauma.

And as years have passed - I have learned to cope with this better - but still - I can understand your situation and you are so young to have such recent events - I understand that this will not be an experience that lasts seconds leaving you feeling bad - but rather you are out of control

Aw -  I read you story and wondered about people bringing a child into the world and behaved as your parents did. It's not my place to tell you they had their own sh*t - it's mine to say - Hey - what can you do when you father bails on you and your mother escapes into her own shadows and lets a man bash her - what are you supposed to do? What ARE you supposed to do?

With that horrific start in life - how do you find the tools that we all need to get through it all? - if people have an easy ride in life they don't really know - so you have found a great bunch of people here who have been through all the crap - and have made it

Your girlfriend will not be a lot of help - and I am not degrading her at all - but she is young too - and she does not know how - and that is just a time factor - not a failure

If you are unhappy with the first guy you saw and maybe he read you wrongly - but I have read that you decided to take the medication - and you can give this a try - but they do take time to work and you can't stop taking them suddenly

But you need more than medication - if your girlfriend loves you - she can help by loving you - and here - we accept people with stuff happening -

So please keep in touch - PTSD is only one of your conditons - the one you asked about - and others will answer with their own experiences

I wish you well

Decadian

[SCORPION]

Hi Well you're on the right path that first step to say you have a problem, is hard I had to be pushed wife and Lawyers. But all our journey's start differently. Your entitled to a doctor that cares about you and understands where you are coming from and where you want to be.

Me I'm 4 years into PSTD and depression and on heavy duty meds but now in a better place. 

A lot due to this forum and the people here just knowing that you're not alone in you journey help.

Find a new doctor tell them you're concerns about the meds. But above all believe in yourself it gets better. 

Scorpion

[Owaf]

Hi @Joe1998,

I was diagnosed with PTSD late last year, after dealing with depression, agoraphobia and social anxieties for well over a decade.  I have family members who have assorted mental health issues.

I wouldn't recommend focusing on the labels, they're intended to loosely diagnose some of the feelings you are having.

I'd highly recommend talking to a trained professional about PTSD, someone you feel comfortable with and can ask questions/discuss with.

Depends on the type of medication, I believe most are for a stabilising effect but it'll probably take trial and error to find what feels right for you.

Same goes for councillors or paychologists, if you don't feel comfortable or things feel like they aren't going anywhere then try someone else, but be sure to give it a bit of time.  There are rarely any quick fixes for mental health, and that's not a terrible thing.

[Nikolai]

Hi @Joe1998

Firstly, I think it is brilliant that you have gone to get help, it can be a really overwhelming experience.
I have bipolar disorder and general anxiety disorder.
Unfortunately for me the two conditions frequently affect each other making me very unstable most of the time.
I essentially had a break down and couldn't cope anymore so went to my GP, a clinical psychologist and then a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist developed a treatment plan for me which included a couple of different drugs for my different issues. I have had incredible success with this combination. My anxiety is essentially gone and my bipolar is under control. The drugs don't fix everything I did have to change a few things in my life to keep me well, but the medication gave me the head start in sorting myself out.

I would suggest if you have not already seen one, see a psychiatrist for their opinion if possible. I have had a lot of misdiagnoses and incorrect prescriptions in the past before I saw one.

I'm 24 and my partner is the same, he doesn't understand why I don't talk to him about these things. Places like this forum where you can find people who understand is going to be the best place for you to talk in my opinion.
My partner means well but if I have to hear him tell me one more time that I stress too much and to calm down when I'm having an anxiety attack.

I am thankful for his sake that he doesnt understand, but it definitely is challenging.

-n

[Decadian]

I agree with @Nikolai

Talking with people who have not been through all this can often be traumatic in itself

It's frustrating - and in all the years of my life I have eventually realised trying to tell someone who doesn't see or understand what is happening to you is pointless

Yes - you need to let them know you are having difficult emotional moods swings or whatever - and you are seeing someone about it

And labels do not help either - they are little more than a signpost that one practictoner writes for another

Keep in touch with us Joe - we already get it - some of us have had that label - sometimes the label was wrong - but it seems to me that the people here really do understand the complexities

Decadian