[cookie00]

I am wondering, if you have ptsd, are you able to function at an 8 hour job?

Has anyone been dismissed from their job because of the trigger of PTSD?

[splitimage]

In my case yes - I have PTSD and am perfectly capable of working. i'm currently unemployed, but that's the economy and has nothing to do with my mental health. I'm actively seeking employment which to me is actually far more stressful, than working.

If your PTSD symptoms are so severe that they interfere with your function, then i believe you have an obligation to seek treatment, to learn to manage the symptoms and ultimately deal with the underlying trauma so that you become totally a-symptomatic. The difficulty is in finding a good trauma therapist.

splitimage

[Open Eyes]

Cookie00,
Splitimage is right, it depends on the person to be honest and the way they are responding to therapy as well, and as was mentioned the right therapy is very important.

I think some people have it worse than others myself. It also depends on how stressful a job is as well. I should think certain jobs that provide a healthy outlet can actually help someone who is struggling. Everyone is a bit different depending upon what caused the PTSD to establish in that person.

Open Eyes

[lostmyway21]

Yes it does! I work security, and one time I was reprimanded and put on a three month probation, because I got into an angry triggered fight with the cops. That was in the VERY begining of my diagnosis though, and I was all over the place. I also tend to disociate ALOT at work and miss small details, and get complaints about that. It's really annoying.

[Open Eyes]

((((((lostmyway21)))))),
Oh I am sorry you went through that. Yes it is hard when first diagnosed and confused.

I find that one thing that many who suffer from PTSD have is a real struggle with boundaries. Because there is such a sensitivity that comes with PTSD, often any threat on a boundary can present frustration and even a lot of anger. Becoming more aware of that and discussing it in therapy can ease that aspect of PTSD up a bit. However if someone is employed with a boss that is insensitive and mean and disrespectful, that can really irritate the disorder. It is especially important that when someone suffers from PTSD they are not put into any kind of toxic atmosphere where they have to constantly address others who can bully or pick on them.

I think that it would be better if the job was related to assisting other people who struggle, even dealing with children as from what I have gathered, people with PTSD do like to and thrive from being helpful and productive.

How are you doing now lostmyway?

((((Hugs))))
Open Eyes

[lostmyway21]

My job is a constant sterssor on my PTSD because everyone is always hostile. Not co-workers but the people we are paid to babysit. I have learned since that incident that I need to notice when my emotions are getting elevated and do something about it. I can recognize when I am starting to react to a trigger much more easily now. Physically my throat always gets tight and I get a pain in my shoulder, in reaction to my anxiety which is a big cue...to go take a break. Other than that I only struggle with the dissociation at work.

[Open Eyes]

Oh, it sounds like your getting better at understanding the PTSD and your working on not feeding into it, thats good. I think that is one of the biggest hurdles is understanding how you react and controling it. Oh, I understand, do you always babysit the same group of people? Or does it change? Do you still like the job at all?
Open Eyes

my ptsd evolved from being based on childhood abuse to more of a work based abuse. before it did not impact my work. however towards the end of my career it did..handling terrorism based law enforcement on a daily basis for 15 years eventually took it's toll..working a bomb dog, doing sweeps, dealing with & finding known terrorists caused my stresws level to reach enormous levels. plus most of what i encountered was not to be shared with the general public. we were told to prepare our wills, etc & be ready to meet our makers. time & time again.

so actually my work did impact my ptsd which impacted my ptsd which impacted m7uy work etc..

plus the bombings of the wtc & ok city didn't help as well as flight 800 & other incidents.

i am now out on disablity because of that & other conditions.

[cookie00]

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this discussion. I really appreciate your openess and detailed info in helping me to understand some of the issues that affect individuals with PTSD.

[cookie00]

Originally Posted by stumpy

my ptsd evolved from being based on childhood abuse to more of a work based abuse. before it did not impact my work. however towards the end of my career it did..handling terrorism based law enforcement on a daily basis for 15 years eventually took it's toll..working a bomb dog, doing sweeps, dealing with & finding known terrorists caused my stresws level to reach enormous levels. plus most of what i encountered was not to be shared with the general public. we were told to prepare our wills, etc & be ready to meet our makers. time & time again.

so actually my work did impact my ptsd which impacted my ptsd which impacted m7uy work etc..

plus the bombings of the wtc & ok city didn't help as well as flight 800 & other incidents.

i am now out on disablity because of that & other conditions.

Stumpy, sorry to learn about all that you went through, I could only imagine how difficult these events were for you.

[Penny T. StDuhnam]

Wow, a lot of great posts. I'm a case by case thinker too. . . it would depend upon the person and what types of symptoms you have if triggered or if some sort of abuse, accident, etc happens.

This summer I was beaten by now ex-boyfriend and it affected my performance at home and at work. But having some sort of abuse/violence/witnessing occurance, I guess, would take on a different set of symptoms or reactions.

Personally, I'm severly bothered by reoccuring thoughts. They have been with me since age nine and it seems everthing that happens on a daily basis can lead MY mind into those thought patterns.

Even looking at the different responses, you can see the differences. Some say no effect, others. . . yes.

[Rosie23]

I suffer from anxiety almost every day on my job and sometimes I have panic attacks. Dealing with people is a trigger. But I need my job to survive so I deal with it and go on. Sometimes I wish I could find another job.

[Open Eyes]

Cookie00,

Perhaps this information will help you understand some of the deep issues that some PTSD sufferers struggle with. It was the one thing I read that touched on my own issues. Especially page 9 thru 12 which identified how I perceive things.

http://www.bullyonline.org/stress/ptsd.htm

For me, my real issues began when I was just a toddler under the contol of my two siblings. My sister was the MAJOR control in my family and insists on that position TO THIS DAY. This fact has been a major issue that has caused me to struggle with certain kinds of interactions. I honestly have a hole and I still struggle in certain situations that trigger my experience with my sister. My sister will NOT give up control NO matter what, it is always HER WAY, even if she is WRONG. Unfortunately for me IRL there is NO MONITOR that has been there to intervene. The monitor figure in my home, MY FATHER, response was to PUNISH if we don't get along somehow. I guess that is WHY I never told how MUCH I was being abused.

The worst time is the holiday for me, that is when my sister throws her CONTROL around, everything has to be at HER home, she controls the holidays. As long as I allowed that to happen things were fine. And I managed that for many years until my sister insisted that she KNEW how to be the doctor for my mother, insisting on HER diagnosis of demensia, which I knew was wrong. She frighten my mother by her insistance. In the end it was not dimencia, it was a stroke.

It is hard to explain to my family what I suffer from. My sister wants my family to believe HER diagnosis, which is WRONG again. I cannot tell my 86 year old parents the truth now. The truth will only cause them to be very upset. So I guess they will never really know WHY I struggle. I think that was set in stone when I was so little.
I honestly don't have the answer to this deep issue I live with day in and day out. I can deal with it by avoiding my Toxic sister. But that gets to be a challenge during the holidays where she has everyone over her house and because I can't be around her (I suffer terrible flashbacks) she tells everyone it is my fault, I am just trying to get attention. She convinces everyone to look at me the wrong way, it hurts me to the depths of me.

Could I work a job where anything like that happens? No, I can't to be honest. I can't be in any kind of situation where that occurs. I try to overcome it, but I always seem to fail somehow. The only person that has been able to see the depths of that is my husband and ofcourse my therapist. It has only been recently that my therapist has been able to see that. Unfortunately I was not really able to get to the root of my PTSD with him because I was emerced in too many situations where I was dealing with that every day. I could not address the root last year because it would have just sent me over the edge.

PTSD can arise from different kinds of trama's. It can be very difficult to understand someone who struggles unless the root of their issues is brought to light. I would have to say that pages 9-12 the hypervigilance column describes me to a T all my life, that is who I was/am. I am sure others will be able to relate as well.

Open Eyes