[Ankh231]

I wanted to ask a veteran who has been in many firefights, and combat in general. I feel like I may have symptoms of PTSD, and it may be similar to Combat PTSD that veterans experience. Normal daily activities for me, like walking to the store... Is hellish for me. I've experienced something that I cannot talk about, otherwise I'd be considered crazy. But I feel like I've been sensitized to a lot of everyday normal things. Whenever I'm walking around the neighborhood, and a person pops out, I expect someone else to pop out, and I look in almost every direction looking for the other person, then suddenly someone or a couple of other people pop out of an area that I could not see. I feel like whenever I'm approaching a corner that I cannot see around, I feel as though someone might be there just waiting... Cars popping out of street corners makes me look around as well, then I'll see another car pop out... So basically whenever I see a person, or car, I feel like it's a distraction, and that there's an imminent "ambush" coming... I don't feel comfortable walking around at all. So in general, my triggers are people popping out, cars popping out, loud sounds... I feel like I'm constantly on guard, and whenever I let my guard down, I regret it because something happens where I feel like I should have had it up. Veterans... Whenever people pop out, or cars pop out, or whenever you're back to civilian life... Do you even feel comfortable? Does it bother you at all whenever people pop out from nowhere, or cars? I'm about to ship out to basic training soon... Like every single person out there I have to asses them if they're trying to harm me.

[Open Eyes]

Your question is not clear. Have you been in training or in combat? I dont think that a vet can help you if you didn't experience the same issue.

If you have been attacked in this way as a normal civilian, well, yes being hypervigiallant about corners and people in a similar situation can be cause for concern and it be PTSD depending on the event you were in.

I think you need to talk to a therapist before going into basic training, you certainly don't want to be misunderstood or further traumatized do you? That could happen.
Try to scedule an appointment with a therapist and talk about what makes you feel this way.

Open Eyes

[bebop]

I agree you should rethink basic training at this point but generally cars coming out or people coming out of places is not really combat related type ptsd. ptsd is from some sort of traumatic event. combat obviously but civilians is different normally.