Thank you to everyone for the responses. Seems we all agree, and at the very least we are all talking now! The board is a lot quieter than it used to be and I believe many of those who used to come here don't any longer, though I'm not certain why. Perhaps Jim and I are guilty too of not being so quick to respond to the threads of others in here, we were discussing that this morning over tea. It's not due to a lack of care, we care tremendously. Rather we often feel uncertain what to say. Most here are relating to a spouse or partner. Jim and I had problems early on in our relationship, but they were not due to PTSD, and that was over 30 years ago, so we sometimes have trouble remembering what it's like to be so at odds with your partner. We are very close now and have been for some time. To return to the point I was trying to make, our PTSD sufferer is our niece whom we consider as a daughter, and also our son who recently passed away. So we are parents rather than spouses, and the dynamics of that are definitely different, as those of you who are parents I'm sure are aware. So, we sometimes feel a bit out of place and that we don't have the right to comment at times.

Nicolette, welcome to the forum, it is certainly pleasant to see you here and participating. I do so appreciate your attitude, you are quite right, we do need to look to ourselves and allow our family members to heal on their own. That is my feeling also. In any event, my husband and I will now endeavour to participate more often, if only to offer words of support.