Question:
I have been told by a friend that I have the classic symptoms of PTSD.
Anybody here been diagnosed with PTSD after witnessing a critical
incident? I would like to hear from anyone who has this added component
to to their grief. I will be meeting with a doctor soon for therapy and
am wondering what "goes on" and if the therapy helped you.
Answer:
I have heard about it a lot. I can try to contact a friend of mine who has
information about it, if you like. I know one method of treatment some
people have had success with is described at http://www.emdr.org/ I
think. EMDR is supposed to help lessen the traumatic effects of visual
memories of the scene. Anyone can get PTSD in loss, but those most likely
seem to be persons who witness a death, or find their loved one. I had
symptoms of PTSD in the early stages, even though I did not see my son
until the funeral. To me, I felt like I was in a heightened state of
awareness, very easily startled. The phone ringing would almost cause me
to go into convulsions, leaving me shaking uncontrollably for a period of
time. Another common symtom is to continually "see" the memory over and
over. I created my own memory, and visualized it obsessively over and
over. My symptoms subsided rather quickly, but I was so much less
traumatized than others who continue to suffer long periods of time.
I have been told by a friend that I have the classic symptoms of PTSD.
Anybody here been diagnosed with PTSD after witnessing a critical
incident? I would like to hear from anyone who has this added component
to to their grief. I will be meeting with a doctor soon for therapy and
am wondering what "goes on" and if the therapy helped you. -- Michael
Michael,
Yes it is entirely possible that witnessing a critical incident or being part
of one can cause PTSD. There are many signs and symptoms and PTSD loves to
mimic several different kinds of disorders. My best friend, whose entire
family was murdered, was the one who found them. She is also showing signs of
PTSD and will be recieving help in reconciling what she saw. There are very
few few words to describe what she saw and even fewer to help her deal with it.
Go to a doctor and get a full physical and make sure that there is nothing
physically wrong and then request to see or be referred to a therapist or
counselor who has experience with PTSD.
I suffer from PTSD. I witnessed my fiancé, Debbie Pinkston, being
dismembered and killed in a motorcycle accident in April, '96. She crossed
the centerline and hit a car head on. I was following her and saw the whole
thing. Her right leg was "traumatically amputated" (ripped off) at her
pelvis. Her left leg was broken in numerous places, and her liver was
severed. I was the first one to her, and did what I could to try to stop
the bleeding until the EMS folks arrived. She only lived for a short while,
and died from blood loss and shock.
Since the accident, I've seen two counselors over this issue. The counselor
I'm seeing now (and have been seeing since last spring) has been treating me
using EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprogramming). There is much
controversy over it, but it has been helpful for me. Other people I've
heard from have experiences that range from similar to mine, to claims that
it made the PTSD worse, and everything in between. I'd advise staying away
from counselors who claim it's a miracle cure. It's not. It's also taken a
lot of hard work on my part. My counselor uses it with conventional therapy
as well as hypnotherapy. Another factor in this may be that I've known and
trusted this counselor for a long time, and had seen for unrelated issues
several years before.
My experience, and what I've learned from other PTSD folks and from reading
is that everyone experiences PTSD differently, with some people being
affected more than me over accidents much less severe than the one I
witnessed. It's not something that you "get over". I don't know what you
went through, but if you are truly suffering from PTSD, you'll never be the
same. You have to learn to live with a new reality, but I've found that it
is possible to get some healing and serenity. It's not easy, but it is
possible.
The PTSD obviously makes grief harder. Not only do you have to deal with
the loss and the sorrow, but also the trauma. If you need it, get some
help - don't try to do it on your own. I had periods where the difference
between sanity and insanity was a thin, nebulous line. If you'd like to
talk about it, I am willing to listen and/or talk with you about this.
