Some women simply have periods worse than others... hence why tampons come in different methods depending on how much a person bleeds, ie. light or heavy during their period cycle. The mood swings are much the same... yes, the symptoms produced by PTSD can most certainly affect their mood, but thats not PTSD itself. For example, if you heal all your trauma, thus your symptoms will also disappear, then PTSD by itself being present doesn't alter the mood of the female during menstral cycle. It is more that the symptoms of anxiety and depression are present, so that just kind off puts the iceing on the cake so to speak.

Ok, This is tough.

My wife has attempted suicide twice in the last six weeks. I find out after the first that she was diagnosed 10 years ago with PTSD. She has never sought consistant help with the PTSD. She would see a therapist once or twice a year, never more than a half dozen times. She was Raped by her Dad, and a High School Sweetheart.

Secondarily, her self esteem comes from a scale ever morning.

Our relationship has gotten so that I agree to see a therapist with her together. At therapy, she agrees that 90 % of the issues are hers to deal with, and she feels terrible about what she is doing to me, and our kids, and accepting that her behavior (based upon what my Dr is saying, her Dr is saying, and is spot on with with Anthony's secondary PTSD diagnosis).

They now want to "medicate her more", where I feel she is overmedicated to begin with. They feel that she has BiPolar disorder, or maybe severe PMS.

They want to stat her on HRT immediatly, I am cautious os to the cancer risks. They expect HRT to fail, and I think the next step is Lithium, which scares me even more. I am an Actuary, and would like to take things one step at a time.

I love my wife to death. I want to support her, and will. I have also learned that I cannot help her unless I am whole myself. As part of this therapy, I do not respond to her in the same ways, as I have learned that I cannot always heal her, and should not try to. I find that she has sought comfort from our kids more, and has become more hostile, which I wont allow also.... What to do?

I am being forced to pick (don't worry, I wil pick my kids always), thinking my wife will "come around". This is so tough. Our Dr's have all but said they think she is Bi-Polar.

I am full of self pity tonight. Al I ever wanted was a woman to love, for her to love me, and us to have a family. Now I feel I am forced to choose.....

It just sucks. I will have a drugged wife, and normal kids. I could leave my wife, and have dysfuntional kids, and a wife I am sure will kill herself, which i can't fix, or live with as I can make a difference.

I wish their was a normalcy pill.

David, I read what you've written, and my heart goes out to you and your wife and kids. It's very, very hard and sounds most difficult, and I wish I could help and I'm feeling powerless just knowing. I'm no expert and can't help, but I can respond just to remind you that though one minute we may not know what's what, ...a short time, or sometime later we do find real answers. This can and does happen, so david hold out hope in all of this and in your search for some real answers.

I relate with having been raped by my father, as was your wife, (mine was OS), and again later raped at 19. I've suffered a myriad of mental and emotional difficulties relating to these suppressed traumas as well as further trauma.

Just out of highschool I read a significant amount on abnormal psych. and as I sat and read I was clearly identifying with so many of the symptoms of varied illnesses, but then when I read that the student often will identify and not to worry, too much that it was normal, I let it go at that.

I do however, believe I had undiag. PTSD yrs. prior to my offic. diagn. in 1993, I also know that I had been diagnosed with anorexia/bulimia, acute alcoholism, genralized anxiety disord. and borderline personality disord., and then severe PTSD. I don't regurlarly take any medic., as I'm scared awful of it and simply don't like it. All I'll ever take is librium once in a blue moon, and suspecting that this might increase when I deal with my sexual abuse. As it is enorm. painful and debilitating to me to look at. I did try prozac before and what if effectively did was create hostile impulses to suddenly destroy something and outbursts of anger, but this was just me. I know my experience is mine and not the same as others.

I will say it does take experience and time to get real answers, as it did with me and what I've discovered is that I now have alcoholism secondary to complex PTSD, and nothing more. or vice-versa I don't know, what I'm saying is Primarily yrs. of supressed traumas and untreated PTSD.

Also, I have a sister who suffers deeply from PTSD, is agoraphobic and seldom if ever has left home over many, many yrs. She has been to doctors and diagnosed with many labels, and she has been medicated and re-medic., heavily for many yrs. for her symptoms of depression, anxiety, explosive temper, mood imbalance and insomnia. What I don't think my sis has ever yet to discuss, or come near accepting, TTBOMK, is her actual trauma.

Well, hoping that during your search and all your actions taken in your attempts to find your answers and solutions that you david hang in there and remember to be good to yourself. Take good care of you too, being especially good to yourself.

Hope

I just thought of something, my sister she has the severe PMS and PTSD symptoms together resulting in her uncontrollably becoming suicidal, emot. abusive and explosive.