anyone know about post traumatic stress disorder?

Question

I am 25 years old I have 3 children and the last year and ahalf have been really hard I have been struggling with depresion panic attacks and anxiety about 5 years ago I had twin boys who were born 4 months early and the smaller one Trea at just 14 oz.passed away shortly aflter birth, and our bigger baby Jordan at 1 lb 7 oz was in the hospital for 8 months and was ventalator dependent but doing well so they sent him home with us and 24 hour nursing care his body shut down and he passed away. I saw everything that happened and as they tried to bring him back and then had to tell my 3 year old that his brother was not ever coming back. I did ok for a while but I never got counseling or anything and I am just wondering if the problems I am having now are from PTSD or its just something else it is now summer and it seems worse but I am out of college for the summer so I have more time on my hands and have no breaks from my kids so if anyone knows about it I would appreciate some advice

Answer 1

Hi! I’m so sorry to hear you’re feeling bad. Yes, it could well be PTSD, but the treatment is the same for depression, anxiety and panic attacks. Try the following steps will help you:

1.Breathe properly - if you control your breathing, you control panic. As soon as you notice the signs of anxiety, check your breathing: breathe in slowly through your nose pushing your tummy out (to the count of 5 or so). Breathe out slowly and for a bit longer (to the count of 7 or so) through your mouth. Do not breathe rapidly or shallowly (in the chest area). This will soon restore the balance of oxygen and you will feel a lot better.

2. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy! CBT is proven to be the most effective thing for panic attacks, PTSD, depression and anxiety. It takes a bit of work, but it is super effective. You can speak to your doctor about taking a course or you can take a course for free online at: http://www.livinglifetothefull.com/ It has been funded by NHS Scotland and has had great results thus far.

3. Try relaxation exercise tapes (progressive muscular relaxation). They really help if you practise often enough. This site has instructions on how to do it without the tapes (and other useful info): http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/minipax.cfm?mini_ID=23

With each of these steps, practise makes perfect. I hope this helps and you feel better soon. Don’t give up hope! Best of luck!

Answer 2

Most of the time they diagnose PTSD if something causes you to relive the trauma and you have body reactions to the re lived trauma. Almost all PTSD sufferers have depression and generalized anxiety.
Just putting a label on it will not in any way make it go away or become tolerable.
You must get professional help.
You mentioned college. Most have counselors or referrals at no or low price.
I am a sufferer, my trauma was long term and involved the investigation of multiple child deaths over many years.
I have been helped tremendously by a combination of drugs, Welbrutin in my case, cognitive therapy, which trains you to cope and EMDR therapy which helps to reprocess the traumatic memory. The memory of the trauma remains but the way your body reacts to the memories change to a more healthy mode.
Since you had a recent pregnancy also make sure you eat or supplement with something , cold water fish is good, that has high omega 3 oils.
This is not a substitute for getting professional help, just an addition.
Good luck.

Answer 3

I have had PTSD for a year now, after going through a life-threatening situation with my husband. I have (seriously) overwhelming anxiety and major depression. I tried Zoloft for a month, it helped the depression some but did nothing for the anxiety (which would trigger horrific flashbacks). My doctor switched me to Effexor, which has dramatically decreased both the depression and anxiety to manageable levels (no more flashbacks!). This is the drug from hell, however--side effects can be severe (I had some bad ones for about three weeks); I took it for about 7 weeks last year then quit cold turkey (thinking I was okay). The withdrawal was unbelieveable! There is no way to describe how awful it was. This time, when my doctor says it is time, I will definitely wean off the proper way (which I understand is still bad). Even with the negatives, Effexor pulled me back from the brink of suicide. My advice: do a lot of research on PSTD and alternative drugs & treatments, talk to your therapist and/or psychiatrist about everything, and above all, don't give up! I may not have overcome PTSD yet, but I am determined to do so. I think that is a major part of the battle. Good luck to you!

Answer 4

What I've been taught about PTSD occurs when the Nero saps stopped firing because of a traumatic exposure.that causes the mind to recall and focus on that event. No one knows exactly why some people began suffering PTSD, but it does occur. From what you were stating the actual lost of someone very close to you may cause PTSD. Man I suggest that you seek a professional person, i.e. a consular that has a background in PTSD, I believe these folks could provide you with some relief. If you allow this to continue on without seeking help,this could become a dis abler to your life.

I hope that you will seek help, and that you will get the help that you need and you may find peace and tranquility in your life. Terry

Answer 5

Trauma (psychological) is anything that you have difficulty coping with. Obviously, you've suffered trauma; no one loses a child without being traumatized. Also, 25 yo with 3 children and, like you say "no breaks from my kids" - that can be very difficult, too. I do think counseling would be helpful but counseling that will help you really feel your feelings, process them so that you can actually have a better life not in spite of your problems but because of your problems. You'll never "get over" the loss of your babies but you can learn to integrate it, weave it into the pattern of your life, and maybe do something for others who are going through the same thing. There are support groups for people whose children died and these can be very helpful, too. You see that you're not alone in your grief. I wish you peace.

Answer 6

There could be some post traumatic stress reaction to what you are feeling, and you also could have arrested grief as well. I would recommend you get some counseling. Call your local hospice chapter, they should be able to refer you to counseling services that could help you. There are many grief support groups out there especially regarding the loss of children that could help you. Even though your children were not on hospice, your local hospice chapter may have services that would help you. The hospice I work for has a summer camp for children that have lost significant others (parents, siblings etc) and it is really awesome what the counselors do for these families. We offer the summer camp to the community, not just to families that were on our service.

I also understand being a mom and going to school. You may be able to find grief support groups that are gratis.

I am so sorry for your loss. Good luck to you and your family.

Answer 7

I'm really sorry for your lost and I don't think that it matters what it's called as long as you get help for it. You're probably in a depression due to the lost of your sons. I remember that my mother went into a depression after each of my siblings died. So I'm not surprised that you're feeling the same feelings. Call your doctor he/she should be able to direct you to some help. You could also be experiencing along with depression over their deaths post partum depression so I think that you really need to get the some help. If your doctor can't help you go to the school where you're enrolled and ask at their counseling center, I'm sure that they will be able to direct you. All colleges offer counseling because they know how hard it is for some students to get through college.

Answer 8

Grief counseling would be an excellent option.
You may have become "stuck in the process" and need a little help to move you through.
Call your local mortuary, mental health, or church for a referral.

You don't need to put a name to your problem. Let the counselor diagnose what's going on.