[Ad Intra]

Like, did you know before being diagnoses, or were you surprised when you were diagnosed?

[catlover1]

Didn't know, but wasn't surprised due to the symptoms

[Nammu]

The Pdoc told me. Yes I was surprised. I thought I was going crazy, it was nice to find out that what was wrong had a name and I wasn't alone.

[Hellion]

I suspected it before I was diagnosed...but then no mental health professionals or whatever I talked to seemed to take my suspicions/concerns seriously so I kinda put it on hold....Decided to just get on with my life and not worry about it. Well after a while I found you can only really ignore/suppress it for so long before it starts effecting various aspects of life and how you feel/react to things.

Before I was diagnosed I acknowledged I'd been through traumatic events, but at first I didn't think I actually had PTSD. I didn't think my symptoms were severe enough for that. Then when I looked up the diagnostic criteria it startled me that I fit just about every one of them and I began to think of it as PTSD, not just trauma. A short while after that I heard my therapist or psychiatrist (I've forgotten which one) use it.. not in a diagnosticing "you have PTSD" way but in a casual "that's your PTSD talking" way.. as though I already had been informed I had PTSD.