Friends of mine know I have it, yes.

Hi Ladybug,
I experience the very same symptoms, and I am new as well.
Nice to meet you.

Yes, and they shy away from me. I had a few just getting to know friends and after freaking out they now don't talk to me much when they see me around.
sunnydaze

Hiya

my hubby knows and my boss at work. There are others that know about my trauma but they dont know I have ptsd. My hubby wants to help but doesnt understand much about it. He does care though and wants to help me - he just doesnt know how.

I guess the difference though is, "I don't freak out" as such anymore. That is what you can achieve with your own hard work.... plenty here have achieved it already, why not you sunnydaze?

Anthony,
The freaking out is from PTSD but it is the depersonalization aspect. I did not know this was happening till it was all over with. I sat down and tried to figure out what just happened. Who was doing all that talking? Later, I would find out from someone else or figure out that it was me. I thought I was listening to someone else and everything sounded muffled and hard to hear or understand. As I stated in one of my threads the T gave me anxiety pills and if or when I become aware of what I am doing to take some. Trouble is I figure it out when it is too late so far. I do not mind critisism or helpful suggestions from you or anyone else.
By the way Anthony my first 2 marriages were men with the name Anthony. My 3rd obviously is not. Hope you enjoyed that!

ladybug,

I have been reluctant to tell very many people.

My 2 best friends know, and they have been supportive as best they know how. No one else at work knows. I told my parents and sister, and of course my wife. None of these folks is exactly sure how to respond, as the diagnosis is new to all of us and a very unknown thing.

All of these people have known for a long time that I am prone to depression, sometimes moody, high achieving but slow to show myself the compassion I show others...

Now that I am talking about old traumas with a psychologist I have been fragile, edgy. At one point I was so weary of being cared about, fretted over, talked about...I got very ashamed, angry at myself, guilty...so I went camping in the woods and drank and smoked and gave myself pneumonia. I know now that that was very wrong, and symptomatic of my unhealthy thinking/feeling patterns.

I am trying to respond better now to the idea of actually having a support network, to actually opening up to people instead of mistrusting, running away, feeling guilty...

Have you told very many people? How does it feel to share? How have people responded?

Welcome when i joined i felt the same as you but then i found this site and all thease wonderfull people

I just wanted to say you are not alone we all know what its like and we all try and help each other your in the right place

Regards John

hi ladybug. how did you know that you had PTSD? i am a concerned spouse of a army sgt and i want to help him as much as i can. I will never know what he went thru, but I know that I can always lend a ear, and i will never judge him or be mad at him for what he HAD to do.

Pastrychef, the only way to find out for certain if one has PTSD is to be properly assessed and diagnosed by a heathcare professional, such as a psychiatrist.