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ihateit · Feb 28, 2009, 03:28 AM

Ok, more confusion...

In my first post I stated, "Her "T" won't lable her with PTSD because he said there are only two ways you can get PTSD, "If you have been to war, or if you have seen someone close to you die a horrible death."

I now found out the he also gave her some sort of diagnosis "test"...for lack of a better term, that apparently had a load of questions and/or statements, and you had to have a minimum of a "45" ticked, yes answers, whatever, on it to be condsidered PTSD.

So, this morning I did more research. No where did I find that this was a way to diagnose PTSD. Again, what I found was, and all the sites I went to basically all said the exact same thing (with very few varriations):

Do You Need All of These Symptoms for a Diagnosis of PTSD?
To be diagnosed with PTSD, a person does not need to have all these symptoms. In fact, it is quite rare that a person with PTSD would experience all the symptoms listed below. To receive a diagnosis of PTSD, you only need a certain number of symptoms from each cluster. Additional requirements for the diagnosis also need to be assessed, such as how the person initially responded to the traumatic event, how long the symptoms have been experienced, and the extent with which those symptoms interfere with a person's life.

Diagnosis

Criterion A

A person must have experienced a traumatic event where both of the following occurred:

The person experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event where there was the threat of or actual death or serious injury. The event may also have involved a threat to the person's physical well-being or the physical well-being of another person.
The person responded to the event with strong feelings of fear, helplessness, or horror

Criterion B

The person experiences at least one of the following re-experiencing symptoms of PTSD:

Frequently having upsetting thoughts or memories about a traumatic event.
Having recurrent nightmares.
Acting or feeling as though the traumatic event were happening again, sometimes called a "flashback." (This occurrs to her during sex)
Having very strong feelings of distress when reminded of the traumatic event. (see the next line, which happens when she is with her "T" going through what happened)
Being physically responsive, such as experiencing a surge in your heart rate or sweating, to reminders of the traumatic event.

Criterion C

The person experiences at least three of the following avoidance symptoms of PTSD:

Making an effort to avoid thoughts, feelings, or conversations about the traumatic event. (for 32 years she didn't speak of it, until she told me one day...I was first to know)
Making an effort to avoid places or people that remind you of the traumatic event. (She has not lived near where it happened for many years now, but when asked, she wouldn't live near, or even in the same city, as where it happened...this in my book would be avoiding the place...)
Having a difficult time remembering important parts of the traumatic event.
A loss of interest in important, once positive, activities.
Feeling distant from others. (To include me and our children, and her parents)
Experiencing difficulties having positive feelings, such as happiness or love. (Happiness...you know when you get a new car, how you feel, all happy and excited and can't hold back the excitment...she bought a new Mustang GT, but ... nothing, not even a real smile, that is just one of many examples I could give)
Feeling as though your life may be cut short.

Criterion D

The person experiences at least two of the following hyperarousal symptoms of PTSD:

Having a difficult time falling or staying asleep.
Feeling more irritable or having outbursts of anger.
Having difficulty concentrating.
Feeling constantly "on guard" or like danger is lurking around every corner. (She hates it when men walk up to her, her first thought is what do they want? She's constantly guarded against them, and even me at times.)
Being "jumpy" or easily startled. (She can't stand loud noises)

Criterion E

The symptoms described above must have lasted for more than a month. If the symptoms have lasted for less than a month, you may have another anxiety disorder called Acute Stress Disorder.

Criterion F

The symptoms described above have a great negative impact on your life, interfering with work or relationships. (If you know my story from other posts, you know our marriage almost ended because of this)

Ok, so, as you can see, the basis for PTSD, and being diagnosed with it, I have listed above. Everything in red is what my wife has experiecend, or is experiencing. My comments are in blue, I know these things because she has told them to me, or I have experienced something with her. I am not making conjectures here...I have been with her for 11 years, I have seen everything.

Her initial repsonse to the event - she shut down, built an immediate wall between her and her parents, and anyone that wanted to be close to her. Anything else that happened immediately after I don't know, and I am not inclined to push her for answers.

For the 11 years we have been together, I now realize, as she does, that this has affected her. She now realizes that it actually has affected her since day one, so for 34 years...she has had this problem.

How they affect her life...wow, so many ways. She's detached from her family (Me, kids, parents, etc.). She won't make close friends. Family life can be very difficult, not so much now as I understand and am trying to help her and support her, but before, wow, ouch. Work, because she isn't social, she gets marked down on performance reports (particitpating in social activites are huge in the military).

I don't know what to think or do. I really don't trust this "T" with my wife's life. I don't know if the military has diff criteria, if they don't keep up with what's going on in the "real world", or if I missed something in all my research. Yet again, I am very uncomfortable with him, and if he's not treating her correctly, she's back at the start, not helped, maybe worse off...ahhh, it's driving me nuts!

Help lol!

Thanks for listening (reading) to my rants!