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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by zonked on February 18, 2014, at 19:13:41
Sorry it's been awhile.
you guys will remember my Mom is sick. Well, she has maybe weeks to months to live. I returned to California unprepared - that is - I never imagined that I'd have PTSD-like feelings coming back here. Yet, I am going to have to have an uncomfortable (for me) phone call with the insurance provider (I have a Medicare Advantage/Medicaid provider with a network in the Puget Sound area, only.) I am gonna have to ask for a special exception.
Never thought I might have PTSD until I came back here - I am afraid to leave the house, that people are "staring" at me or "judging" me, even though I know they're not. I remarked to several people that the metro area my mom lives in, and I lived in until a year ago, has been "ruined" for me by off and on homelessness in this area for years.
I am afraid to tell a shrink all of this, because I do not want my irrational fears mistaken for paranoia that requires antipsychotic medication, something I do not want to put in my body. I have no familial support with this.
No amount of Xanax ,BTW , seems to reduce or calm my fears much about leaving the house, being in crowds or on public transportation, etc. I wake up in a terror and it does not cease.
Yet, if I return to WA, my mom will likely die without me around and I am afraid that will do me in. Sorry about this. very scared.
-z
Posted by Phillipa on February 18, 2014, at 22:53:19
In reply to Worried: PTSD or ..psychosis?! .. agoraphobia etc., posted by zonked on February 18, 2014, at 19:13:41
Hi Zonked so sorry about you Mom. What a horrible time for you both. Since you returned your fears and PTSD, agoraphobia have reared their ugly head. What are you currently taking med wise? What removed these fears when you moved from the area and when living there you had a pdoc? If so could you see same doc again? Phillipa
Posted by zonked on February 19, 2014, at 10:20:07
In reply to Worried: PTSD or ..psychosis?! .. agoraphobia etc., posted by zonked on February 18, 2014, at 19:13:41
I sort of wonder if being homeless for awhile can create some weird phobias - like, the inherent lack of privacy can create a sense of being looked at, or being unsafe/"not at home" anywhere.
I need to get over this for my Mom...
I feel a little better this morning, a little. My Mom's neighbors seem to be quiet - one of them had been working on his unit with power tools and the others slam the door to the complex all the time, wracking my nerves... all weekend. When they are gone, and all I hear is birds chirping in the morning, I do feel better.
I hate being so sensitive sometimes. And trying to get family to understand has proved impossible..
> Sorry it's been awhile.
>
> you guys will remember my Mom is sick. Well, she has maybe weeks to months to live. I returned to California unprepared - that is - I never imagined that I'd have PTSD-like feelings coming back here. Yet, I am going to have to have an uncomfortable (for me) phone call with the insurance provider (I have a Medicare Advantage/Medicaid provider with a network in the Puget Sound area, only.) I am gonna have to ask for a special exception.
>
> Never thought I might have PTSD until I came back here - I am afraid to leave the house, that people are "staring" at me or "judging" me, even though I know they're not. I remarked to several people that the metro area my mom lives in, and I lived in until a year ago, has been "ruined" for me by off and on homelessness in this area for years.
>
> I am afraid to tell a shrink all of this, because I do not want my irrational fears mistaken for paranoia that requires antipsychotic medication, something I do not want to put in my body. I have no familial support with this.
>
> No amount of Xanax ,BTW , seems to reduce or calm my fears much about leaving the house, being in crowds or on public transportation, etc. I wake up in a terror and it does not cease.
>
> Yet, if I return to WA, my mom will likely die without me around and I am afraid that will do me in. Sorry about this. very scared.
>
> -z
Posted by hyperfocus on February 20, 2014, at 7:43:16
In reply to Worried: PTSD or ..psychosis?! .. agoraphobia etc., posted by zonked on February 18, 2014, at 19:13:41
I know exactly how you feel. There are several places that I feel have been "ruined" because of past erratic behavior or failure due to MI. In these places I have overwhelming feelings of people judging me or staring at me despite knowing they are irrational.
I don't know what the label is to attach to your feelings`: social phobia or dissociation or PTSD or ...but I know how terribly debilitating they can be. I don't think one label can suffice to describe and diagnose these feelings. It's a very pervasive and complex psychological abnormality.
The benzos did zero to help these symptoms long-term, apart from short-term relief that required escalation to maintain and necessitated a prolonged withdrawal.
Have you tried alpha or beta blockers? For me they had a similar effect to benzos but without the negative effects. They have been suggested for long-term management of PTSD-type symptoms.
Posted by phidippus on February 23, 2014, at 16:27:49
In reply to Worried: PTSD or ..psychosis?! .. agoraphobia etc., posted by zonked on February 18, 2014, at 19:13:41
>I never imagined that I'd have PTSD-like feelings coming back here.
What sort of feelings are those?
>I am afraid to leave the house
This is better known as agoraphobia.
>people are "staring" at me or "judging" me, even though I know they're not.
This can bean anxiety component of PTSD
> I am afraid to tell a shrink all of this, because I do not want my irrational fears mistaken for paranoia that requires antipsychotic medication, something I do not want to put in my body.
Small dosages of antipsychotics can be helpful in treating some of the symptoms of PTSD. I don't think your shrink will think your paranoid in a psychotic way-he should understand the symptoms of PTSD.
> No amount of Xanax ,BTW , seems to reduce or calm my fears much about leaving the house, being in crowds or on public transportation, etc. I wake up in a terror and it does not cease.
Agorophobia is often best treated through behavorial therapy, specifically ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention). It is best to find a therapist who treats agoraphobia and meet with them to outline a course of treatment.
Another group of medications which may help you more is SSRIs, which will reduce your anxiety and panic.
Eric
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