Wednesday, June 13, 2012
My Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
By
Emma,
June 2011
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that is triggered by memories of a traumatic event, an event (generally one) that directly affected you or that you’ve witnessed. The disorder commonly affects survivors of traumatic events, such as sexual assault, physical assault, war, torture, a natural disaster, an automobile accident, an airplane crash, a hostage situation or a death camp. You may avoid things that remind you of the traumatic incident, avoid discussing the incident, and keep yourself occupied with other activities to keep the upsetting thoughts at bay. It is important to note that symptoms of PTSD vary greatly from person to person. Some people experience strong intrusive thoughts and nightmares, while others experience less intrusive memories but more severe anxiety and stress symptoms.
For me, my PTSD has lead to my high anxiety levels around men. I had always been a care free happy girl, the life of the party, with lots of friends, the social butterfly. I was eighteen years old when this all came crashing down around me when I was sexually assaulted. I didn’t tell any one as the shame attached to this was just far too great. As an 18 year old and this being my first sexual experience, locking it away in my head was all I knew. After all, this was what I did when things got violent at home and it was an effective way to keep going. Now as a 43 year old woman, I know that locking things away in your head can cause leakage.
After the attack, I started to drink heavily as it was the only way I could go out. When I met a man and he started to kiss me or even hold my hand, I would freeze and from then on act very coldly to put him off. I also spent a lot of time at work and playing sport, anything to keep busy. I had a lot of depressive episodes when my friends or family were getting married and having children, as having a family was my ultimate dream. I was desperately trying to work out what was wrong with me. I wanted to have a family and even a relationship with a man but the terror was paralysing. I attempted suicide three times by the time I reached 31. I had also started eating a lot and was putting on weight rapidly.
I suffered from debilitating migraines which would render me sick for days. I was clueless to what was happening. I never associated these feelings with what happened, I just thought I was mad, insane, even perhaps a lesbian. I was sabotaging myself from any physical attention. I let myself go with gained weight and avoided all types of interaction with others. I have sought help seeing therapists and contributed to many hours of personal and social development whilst volunteering in helping others with their anxiety, so why can I still not allow myself to concur my fears?
It is not uncommon for a person to develop PTSD from rape or some other type of sexual assault. With the help from therapy and meeting some amazing people who knew I needed to peel back each layer very slowly, holding my hand, showing me that not all men are out to hurt me, they made it safe for me to experience a hug from a man that had no evil intentions. I’m still a little cautious around men. I accept that I need to suss out a man first before I let him in, and that’s okay. I now see myself as a work in progress, and I’m able to have some insight into my behaviour, I quite like learning more about myself and others. I still have my ‘meltdowns’ and at times feel the fear, but I’m able to manage the situation. For me it’s the management of my anxiety, understanding where it comes from, and most importantly not making it wrong or bad. That’s the key.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that is triggered by memories of a traumatic event, an event (generally one) that directly affected you or that you’ve witnessed. The disorder commonly affects survivors of traumatic events, such as sexual assault, physical assault, war, torture, a natural disaster, an automobile accident, an airplane crash, a hostage situation or a death camp. You may avoid things that remind you of the traumatic incident, avoid discussing the incident, and keep yourself occupied with other activities to keep the upsetting thoughts at bay. It is important to note that symptoms of PTSD vary greatly from person to person. Some people experience strong intrusive thoughts and nightmares, while others experience less intrusive memories but more severe anxiety and stress symptoms.
For me, my PTSD has lead to my high anxiety levels around men. I had always been a care free happy girl, the life of the party, with lots of friends, the social butterfly. I was eighteen years old when this all came crashing down around me when I was sexually assaulted. I didn’t tell any one as the shame attached to this was just far too great. As an 18 year old and this being my first sexual experience, locking it away in my head was all I knew. After all, this was what I did when things got violent at home and it was an effective way to keep going. Now as a 43 year old woman, I know that locking things away in your head can cause leakage.
After the attack, I started to drink heavily as it was the only way I could go out. When I met a man and he started to kiss me or even hold my hand, I would freeze and from then on act very coldly to put him off. I also spent a lot of time at work and playing sport, anything to keep busy. I had a lot of depressive episodes when my friends or family were getting married and having children, as having a family was my ultimate dream. I was desperately trying to work out what was wrong with me. I wanted to have a family and even a relationship with a man but the terror was paralysing. I attempted suicide three times by the time I reached 31. I had also started eating a lot and was putting on weight rapidly.
I suffered from debilitating migraines which would render me sick for days. I was clueless to what was happening. I never associated these feelings with what happened, I just thought I was mad, insane, even perhaps a lesbian. I was sabotaging myself from any physical attention. I let myself go with gained weight and avoided all types of interaction with others. I have sought help seeing therapists and contributed to many hours of personal and social development whilst volunteering in helping others with their anxiety, so why can I still not allow myself to concur my fears?
It is not uncommon for a person to develop PTSD from rape or some other type of sexual assault. With the help from therapy and meeting some amazing people who knew I needed to peel back each layer very slowly, holding my hand, showing me that not all men are out to hurt me, they made it safe for me to experience a hug from a man that had no evil intentions. I’m still a little cautious around men. I accept that I need to suss out a man first before I let him in, and that’s okay. I now see myself as a work in progress, and I’m able to have some insight into my behaviour, I quite like learning more about myself and others. I still have my ‘meltdowns’ and at times feel the fear, but I’m able to manage the situation. For me it’s the management of my anxiety, understanding where it comes from, and most importantly not making it wrong or bad. That’s the key.
SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE FOR SOCIAL ANXIETY
Anxiety Support at New Social Network
Crippled by social anxiety? Does the thought of
your next Facebook update evoke a panic attack? Now, there’s a social
networking site for you.
Queens, NY, May 09, 2012 --(PR.com)-- AnxietySocialNet
(ASN) was launched earlier this year as an interactive hub for people
suffering from social anxiety, agoraphobia, obsessive compulsive
disorder or any other form of anxiety. People with health conditions
seem to be fairly passionate about using online social networks to find
information and get support, but big health organizations are lagging
behind in social media adoption.
Much like Facebook, users can update their statuses, post photos and chat with each other — but the common thread here is anxiety. The site, which bills itself “the first anxiety social network,” acts as both a community forum and a health resource, encouraging users to complete diary entries and provide updates on their mental stability. “The whole idea behind ASN is to allow people to share their emotions in a ‘safe place’ and learn from each other’s experiences,” said Salomon Ptasevich, Israel-based site founder and former anxiety sufferer.
“I am on Facebook and Twitter as well, but I feel so much safer here, because I know people understand, and I don’t have to go into depth about what I am going through, everyone already knows this reduces the stress level.” - Mary Jones (ASN User)
As social networks like Facebook reach near-ubiquity, their scope can lead to entirely new anxieties. As opposed to a one-to-one interaction in real life, when updating your status to Facebook you are broadcasting yourself to potentially hundreds of people at once. The fear of being judged by that many people in a single moment can be stifling and force people to withdraw into themselves even further.
ASN is more than just a social network, but a support system as well. There is no pretense since everyone on it is suffering from similar issues of anxiety. Based on a short questionnaire, people’s moods are evaluated and published on their profile page. Using this information other people can reach out to them to offer them help or someone to talk to. It’s a place where people can not only share their problems but also be comfortable with themselves knowing everyone in the network is going through similar situations.
ASN (Anxiety Social Net) is growing at a fast pace, with a strong presence also shaping up in the "mainstream" social networks. In just 4 months, ASN has garnered a popular Twitter and Facebook following, which is unique for a niche social network. Over 4,000 people have joined ASN’s facebook fan page and over 8,000 people are following ASN on twitter. Such jumps in the mainstream social networks bodes well for ASN’s concept of providing peer-to-peer anxiety support.
Much like Facebook, users can update their statuses, post photos and chat with each other — but the common thread here is anxiety. The site, which bills itself “the first anxiety social network,” acts as both a community forum and a health resource, encouraging users to complete diary entries and provide updates on their mental stability. “The whole idea behind ASN is to allow people to share their emotions in a ‘safe place’ and learn from each other’s experiences,” said Salomon Ptasevich, Israel-based site founder and former anxiety sufferer.
“I am on Facebook and Twitter as well, but I feel so much safer here, because I know people understand, and I don’t have to go into depth about what I am going through, everyone already knows this reduces the stress level.” - Mary Jones (ASN User)
As social networks like Facebook reach near-ubiquity, their scope can lead to entirely new anxieties. As opposed to a one-to-one interaction in real life, when updating your status to Facebook you are broadcasting yourself to potentially hundreds of people at once. The fear of being judged by that many people in a single moment can be stifling and force people to withdraw into themselves even further.
ASN is more than just a social network, but a support system as well. There is no pretense since everyone on it is suffering from similar issues of anxiety. Based on a short questionnaire, people’s moods are evaluated and published on their profile page. Using this information other people can reach out to them to offer them help or someone to talk to. It’s a place where people can not only share their problems but also be comfortable with themselves knowing everyone in the network is going through similar situations.
ASN (Anxiety Social Net) is growing at a fast pace, with a strong presence also shaping up in the "mainstream" social networks. In just 4 months, ASN has garnered a popular Twitter and Facebook following, which is unique for a niche social network. Over 4,000 people have joined ASN’s facebook fan page and over 8,000 people are following ASN on twitter. Such jumps in the mainstream social networks bodes well for ASN’s concept of providing peer-to-peer anxiety support.
- Contact Information:
Anxietysocialnet
Salomon Ptasevich
+972 052 2542547
Contact via Email
anxietysocialnet.com - Click here to read the full story: Anxiety Support at New Social Network
- Press Release Distributed by PR.com
Article from:
Inspirational Quotes
If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative. – Woody Allen
The talent for being happy is appreciating and liking what you have, instead of what you don't have. – Woody Allen
Dost thou love life?
Then do not squander time,
for that is the stuff life is made of – Benjamin Franklin
If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning. – Gandhi
Don't let the fear of striking out hold you back. – Babe Ruth
I am prepared for the worst, but hope for the best. – Benjamin Disraeli
Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible'! – Audrey Hepburn
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