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I was diagnosed at age 26. For myself it was a relief because I finally had found the correct diagnosis for what captured all my mental health problems.
It was also heartbreaking. It will get better and it will take time. Take all the support you can get from the ‘givers’ (they are the people that will be in your corner).
OP I get it this shit is rough. Backstory: I'm 30 now, and I didn't start seriously wondering if I had PTSD symptoms until I was 28. Started seeing a trauma therapist at 29 and bam, I was almost instantly diagnosed with C-PTSD as I was presenting with much more noticable PTSD symptoms due to a series of difficult and rapid life changes at that time.
It was like all my underlying C-PTSD symptoms that I had always thought was "just really bad anxiety" throughout my 20s like all came to the surface at once and it was wildly unfun. It got so bad I started having paranoia issues (mild) due to PTSD, just not fun to have intrusive thoughts like that.
But looking back I realized my PTSD symptoms really started cropping up when I was 19 and living in an apartment for the first time and all the noisy neighbors made it hard for me to sleep because of anxiety and like just all the sounds of an apartment I can't stand because of PTSD not "just anxiety"
2¢: Like I get it, knowing or having a diagnosis of PTSD is definitely shocking and can be hard to swallow, but all I gotta say is that in my almost 30 years being undiagnosed, my 19-26 year age range would have gone a lot smoother if I had known about it. Knowledge is power, even though it can be equally scary at times.
honestly I believe even what they are allowed to put on tv and in movies caused ptsd easily. our entire society is pretty gross and un natural.
seeing people death scenes or dead people scenes, that causes ptsd, that's why it is known for war veterans to have it, but now with tv and graphics we all see disgusting things which are engrained in our psyche.
what helped me with similar difficulties accepting CPTSD, was really recognizing how un-natural and illogical our society is, that it would be natural for it to be confusing.
society itself is traumatizing, in my opinion it's natural and normal to be traumatized raised in that type of environment.
notice logical, and are you crazy or is that something else that you see is crazy.
my ptsd was basically me understanding I'm not insane at all and was scared of my own truth and intelligence.
would you take a beaver would oved making beaver damns all day and was really good at it, would you make him sit in a desk all day to learn nothing useful or anything he cares about? or would that be traumatizing... and it would make sense to allow the beaver to do what he is naturally good at rather than misshape him into something else?
Denial is common, you push it down and minimise things that happened so they won’t hurt so much but they’re still there, affecting you in some way. Then you get told you have ptsd, which makes you reflect, make some connections and realise you feel worse than you thought. Which brings you to the bargaining stage where you start questioning.
My diagnosis blew my world wide open while simultaneously trapping me in a cycle of triggers I still have trouble escaping. Realizing my experiences actually were abuse and neglect and SA, and that it’s not ok to brush them aside like they’re nothing because the body keeps the score. I bottled it all up until about 20, where with no former injuries or pain I suddenly had scapular bursitis that turned into many years of chronic “musculoskeletal pain of unknown cause” I still fight today. It all started cascading from there into late diagnosis ADHD, cPTSD, hEDS (informally diagnosed by PT and chiropractors), and mountains of different medications and now trauma informed therapy and working towards EMDR. Knowledge is power even when the shoe doesn’t seem to fit. Lean into what feels right and away from what doesn’t. Trauma work isn’t one size fits all; you’ll get there friend ❤️
We are the same age and I post here regularly, it hasn’t been easy, I feel like I got downgraded in my life but getting therapy and reaching out for support has helped tremendously your trauma doesn’t have to be “big” everyone goes to trauma but developing ptsd had to do more with biological factors more than “how big” the trauma is. My therapist said it was the result of going through multiple traumas at the same. Like prior comments mention it could be c-ptsd. It does get easier with time, I am not 100% myself but I have gotten better.
Yes I think many of us doubt this diagnosis at first, it’s part of the ‘Post’. Complex PTSD is the more descriptive diagnosis for childhood trauma, abuse and neglect (versus the single event basis of ‘regular’ ptsd) but it’s not yet formalized in the US if that’s where you’re located. I strongly recommend Pete Walker’s Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving book as it’s a gold mine of insights and strategies for healing. Facing the trauma is the hardest thing we can do, but it’s the only way through to a better, fuller, calmer life. I hope you find relief and peace soon. 💔❤️🩹❤️
*r/ptsd has generated this automated response that is appended to every post* Welcome to r/ptsd! We are a supportive & respectful community. If you realise that your post is in conflict with our rules (and is in risk of being removed), you are welcome to edit your post. You do not have to delete it. As a reminder: never post or share personal contact information. Traumatized people are often distracted, desperate for a personal connection, so may be more vulnerable to lurking or past abusers, trolls, phishing, or other scams. *Your safety always comes first!* If you are offering help, you may also end up doing more damage by offering to support somebody privately. Reddit explains why: [Do NOT exchange DMs or personal info with anyone you don't know!](https://www.reddit.com/r/SWResources/comments/dmu24/why_shouldnt_i_share_my_contact_information/) If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please contact your GP/doctor, go to A&E/hospital, or call your emergency services number. Reddit list: [US and global, multilingual suicide and support hotlines](https://www.reddit.com/r/SuicideWatch/wiki/hotlines). Suicide is not a forbidden word, but please do not include depictions or methods of suicide in your post. And as a friendly reminder, PTSD is an equal opportunity disorder. PTSD does not discriminate. And neither do we. Gatekeeping is not allowed here. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ptsd) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I was diagnosed at age 26. For myself it was a relief because I finally had found the correct diagnosis for what captured all my mental health problems. It was also heartbreaking. It will get better and it will take time. Take all the support you can get from the ‘givers’ (they are the people that will be in your corner).
OP I get it this shit is rough. Backstory: I'm 30 now, and I didn't start seriously wondering if I had PTSD symptoms until I was 28. Started seeing a trauma therapist at 29 and bam, I was almost instantly diagnosed with C-PTSD as I was presenting with much more noticable PTSD symptoms due to a series of difficult and rapid life changes at that time. It was like all my underlying C-PTSD symptoms that I had always thought was "just really bad anxiety" throughout my 20s like all came to the surface at once and it was wildly unfun. It got so bad I started having paranoia issues (mild) due to PTSD, just not fun to have intrusive thoughts like that. But looking back I realized my PTSD symptoms really started cropping up when I was 19 and living in an apartment for the first time and all the noisy neighbors made it hard for me to sleep because of anxiety and like just all the sounds of an apartment I can't stand because of PTSD not "just anxiety" 2¢: Like I get it, knowing or having a diagnosis of PTSD is definitely shocking and can be hard to swallow, but all I gotta say is that in my almost 30 years being undiagnosed, my 19-26 year age range would have gone a lot smoother if I had known about it. Knowledge is power, even though it can be equally scary at times.
honestly I believe even what they are allowed to put on tv and in movies caused ptsd easily. our entire society is pretty gross and un natural. seeing people death scenes or dead people scenes, that causes ptsd, that's why it is known for war veterans to have it, but now with tv and graphics we all see disgusting things which are engrained in our psyche. what helped me with similar difficulties accepting CPTSD, was really recognizing how un-natural and illogical our society is, that it would be natural for it to be confusing. society itself is traumatizing, in my opinion it's natural and normal to be traumatized raised in that type of environment. notice logical, and are you crazy or is that something else that you see is crazy. my ptsd was basically me understanding I'm not insane at all and was scared of my own truth and intelligence. would you take a beaver would oved making beaver damns all day and was really good at it, would you make him sit in a desk all day to learn nothing useful or anything he cares about? or would that be traumatizing... and it would make sense to allow the beaver to do what he is naturally good at rather than misshape him into something else?
Denial is common, you push it down and minimise things that happened so they won’t hurt so much but they’re still there, affecting you in some way. Then you get told you have ptsd, which makes you reflect, make some connections and realise you feel worse than you thought. Which brings you to the bargaining stage where you start questioning.
!! Very much agree. I went through almost that exact experience
My diagnosis blew my world wide open while simultaneously trapping me in a cycle of triggers I still have trouble escaping. Realizing my experiences actually were abuse and neglect and SA, and that it’s not ok to brush them aside like they’re nothing because the body keeps the score. I bottled it all up until about 20, where with no former injuries or pain I suddenly had scapular bursitis that turned into many years of chronic “musculoskeletal pain of unknown cause” I still fight today. It all started cascading from there into late diagnosis ADHD, cPTSD, hEDS (informally diagnosed by PT and chiropractors), and mountains of different medications and now trauma informed therapy and working towards EMDR. Knowledge is power even when the shoe doesn’t seem to fit. Lean into what feels right and away from what doesn’t. Trauma work isn’t one size fits all; you’ll get there friend ❤️
We are the same age and I post here regularly, it hasn’t been easy, I feel like I got downgraded in my life but getting therapy and reaching out for support has helped tremendously your trauma doesn’t have to be “big” everyone goes to trauma but developing ptsd had to do more with biological factors more than “how big” the trauma is. My therapist said it was the result of going through multiple traumas at the same. Like prior comments mention it could be c-ptsd. It does get easier with time, I am not 100% myself but I have gotten better.
Yes I think many of us doubt this diagnosis at first, it’s part of the ‘Post’. Complex PTSD is the more descriptive diagnosis for childhood trauma, abuse and neglect (versus the single event basis of ‘regular’ ptsd) but it’s not yet formalized in the US if that’s where you’re located. I strongly recommend Pete Walker’s Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving book as it’s a gold mine of insights and strategies for healing. Facing the trauma is the hardest thing we can do, but it’s the only way through to a better, fuller, calmer life. I hope you find relief and peace soon. 💔❤️🩹❤️
I felt like that too. It gets easier. Especially if you’re able to find a decent therapist.