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Therapist keeps insisting I have PTSD. Pretty sure I don't.

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Posted 7/10/2012 11:39 AM (GMT 0)
Hi guys. Long time, no post. Anyway as I was saying my therapist in DBT keeps saying he thinks I have PTSD which I think is a load of crap. It seems to be the new fad diagnosis these days and he's stuck on it. I promised him I would do some research on it to check it out but honestly just having him go on about it kinda makes him question his judgement as a qualified therapist. Everyone has had crappy stuff happen to them, doesn't mean you have post traumatic stress. It's not like I lost an entire platoon in Vietnam. But really everyone seems to be obsessed with that these days just like they where with Borderline personality disorder a few years back. It's like a bloody race to see how many ppl you can diagnose before the end of your shift. It's really starting to piss me off. I describe exactly what is going on, with evidence of it being a hormonal and hereditary madness and all I get are people trying to cram me into these pre-made molds of recognized mental illness. It doesn't fit!!! None of it fits! My family is just insane. Fix me! That is all.
Posted 7/10/2012 1:22 PM (GMT 0)
I'm sorry you are feeling upset over this.

I always say try to keep an open mind when it comes to the professionals; for the most part ;) they know what they are talking about. But as long as you research it and then feel it doesn't fit, just accept that all that matters is what you know and feel and you are ultimately the one who chooses how you cope with any or all of it.

I almost always find researching helps point me in the right direction.

Best,
M.
Posted 7/10/2012 5:57 PM (GMT 0)
cat - I'm always in denial over how strongly I am affected. I think I function better than I do.

I had/have PTSD from not-that-much trauma. It wasn't that the experience was so bad, it was that I was so fragile at the time. What happened doesn't matter towards diagnosis, the symptoms that follow count.

Women can have PTSD from childbirth. How many women give have kids? Billions. It happens to "everyone." That doesn't mean the rare woman who gets PTSD from it doesn't have PTSD.

Don't be afraid to ask your therapist WHY he thinks you have it. He might see something you miss. He might be wrong.

A good DBT therapist is hard to find. It might be worth staying with him anyway.

Good luck! I am curious what you decide to do.
Posted 7/10/2012 9:23 PM (GMT 0)
I agree with Tortoise11, don't be afraid to question your therapist. Therapists are usually asking all the questions and because they're in that position, it can be a tad bit intimidating to question them. We, as normal people, try to act appropriately in society and most times we fight our own aggression and impulses to rebel against those who we're coming to for help. Most commercials show it quite well, we're willing to talk as human beings, but we don't want to really say anything to doctors and that's what a therapist is, they're a doctor to our mental health. If they're saying something's wrong, ask them why because if you don't want to be told that, that's the best thing you can do. Tell them that you just don't see what they see and they'll explain it.
Posted 7/11/2012 2:38 AM (GMT 0)
Well I spoke to him today. Told him what I researched and why I don't think it fits me. But I do and did admit that exposure therapy seems like a very useful tool in treating panic/anxiety and such related or unrelated to trauma. So we are putting that to the side for now and working on some techniques to treat BPD, which I also rallied against until he told me it was less of a title than a summery of combined behaviors. Behaviors he listed off and which described me well. There is still some crazy crap agoing on in this noggin but I suppose we can start small and work our way up. I must be patient.
Posted 7/11/2012 12:39 PM (GMT 0)
I'm proud of you! I don't think I'd be brave enough to have that conversation!
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