"What I mean is I feel like I have to act like I am doing better than I am or it will piss people of or irritate them....or maybe land me in the psych ward if I am completely honest about how I feel. Its not an attempt to try and get everyone to understand I just wish those who didn't would get off my back about it...instead of acting like they are in some position to criticize how i handle the symptoms." quote Hellion

Yes Hellion, I hear you, but just so you know? I have struggled with this challenge as well, it is a part of PTSD that people can't seem to understand. I have even had others here say things like "I had lots of trama too, but I do ok" as if I am "choosing" to be a baby or need to sit on some kind of pity pot throne. It was the "few" that took time to be "supportive" to me that "really" helped me, which really saved me because at home/IRL it was "really, really" hard. Honestly?, that is why I try to give back here as much as I can, I honestly know how hard and lonely it is and how having access to someone who understands and is supportive can make all the difference in the world when it comes to finding the strenth and will to work through it.

For myself, I was just so taken back by it, because I never imagined having to deal with the kind of challenge PTSD presents, lets face it, it can be very scary and confusing. As bad as I was when I first joined PC, well, the PTSD got alot worse, it was hell trying to explain it to my family, hell. I can't blame anyone for "isolating" at all, I had to do it. However, even though I was so bad, I still did jobs and tried to run my small business and my farm as well as deal with my attorney who was truely the wrong match for me and he still is. What I will say however is the one good thing about my business is that no one knew me and the jobs were not something I had to keep doing over and over with the same people. But the teaching end of my business, I could not do, I was not able to deal with that scenario at all, plus the animals I used for that were destroyed.

Hey, just so you know Hellion?, those challenges that you talk about with your family members, ditto, I had those challenges too. The only time that began to change for the better was when my husband talked to my therapist who explained to him that I was really challenged and he had to stop "pushing" me. And this therapist took me a while to find. I am lucky because he has a lot of experience working with PTSD patients and he knows how to "slow down" and follow the pace of the patient. And the other thing my T has experience with is he has battled "depression" himself so he can relate to the "challenge" of "mental illness".

I am very sorry that your family environment is not more "supportive" it would be nice if you could get to the point where your "therapist" could talk to your mom and advise her on how to be "more supportive" to you.