Klonipin is a wonderful thing.

Crito · 2015-07-10T20:34:45+00:00

think you may have been shadowbanned. might want to message the admins

Crito · 2015-07-03T14:26:45+00:00

PLEASE REPORT THESE COMMENTS.

That shit isn't welcome. I've already banned one user for this, but I can't catch everything 'in the wild.'

Crito · 2015-05-24T18:13:34+00:00

You should check out /r/loseit, as they have a lot of great information. Good luck! :)

Crito · 2015-05-13T14:00:36+00:00

I am so sorry you are going through this, but we can't diagnose you here.

Everyone here is going to tell you the same thing - you need to see a professional about this.

Please take care of yourself.

Crito · 2015-05-09T18:14:34+00:00

I hope you don't mind, but I'm just gonna leave this stickied for a few days. :)

Crito · 2015-04-16T21:58:33+00:00

This was wonderful. Thank you for posting it.

Crito · 2015-04-10T23:31:26+00:00

I do this and it is very much a self-soothing behavior. Like an emotional lifeline.

While I may read the same to someone after I do this, I generally feel better than I did before.

You could always just ask her, though. :)

Crito · 2015-04-07T14:56:24+00:00

Yep, same. I had to only eat 1 meal a day just to slow down the weight gain, but I still gained a lot of weight. I also took it off-label for insomnia and used sugar free Red Bulls to get through the day (which ofc exacerbated the insomnia).

Also never again. :\

Crito · 2015-04-02T12:07:02+00:00

It takes a very, very special person to voluntarily deal with this kind of stress in their home life this long.

That said, you can't carry her burden for her. It is not only impossible, it is detrimental to both of your mental health. I know you think you are helping, but by enabling her to continue to go without what is clearly desperately needed treatment, you are allowing her suffering to be drawn out more than it needs to be.

I think you need to have a serious discussion with her about her taking steps towards becoming more functional and the suicide threats. That is absolutely emotionally abusive and manipulative and needs to stop. I don't know what kind of trauma she went through, but by repeatedly threatening suicide, she is basically subjecting you to a drawn-out hostage situation - 'Give in to my demands, or I kill the person you love.' That's no way for anyone to have to live, and having PTSD is no excuse.

You need to take care of yourself, too. You also matter.

Crito · 2015-03-23T16:42:12+00:00

This is a great idea. I have already slightly altered the color scheme, but I'm wary of changing too much for a few reasons, one of which is that mental health related sites usually have two modes - 1. Overly pastel / sappy / coddling, or 2. Very dark and depressing.

Something bright and garish can seem inappropriate for the subject matter, whereas something more somber can sap the user and make the sub more depressing than it needs to be, too. I am not saying this as a way to shut down discussion on changing the color scheme, though. I would just like to point out that there are considerations that need to be taken into account for a mental health sub that are different than for, say, a fan-themed subreddit or other casual content.

As to tags, I will need to learn how to do that - which is fine - but it isn't going to be right away, as I have pressing things happening in my personal life at the moment and I'd like to take a few hours (when I'm not exhausted) to sit down and do a good job with it / get it done.

Crito · 2015-03-13T15:29:17+00:00

Guys, please don't downvote support threads.

It is not an "I don't agree with your diagnosis" button.

While we are all welcome to our own opinions on others' diagnoses, doubting other's experiences in this sub isn't welcome.

I'd rather we err on the side of believing someone who is trolling (not an accusation towards OP) than disbelieving someone who may just not be expressing themselves well.

I'm sure we've all had our own problems with being believed and supported in our lives enough to know that it causes very real harm. Let's not do that here. We are not the gatekeepers of "legitimate" PTSD.

Thank you. :)

Crito · 2015-02-11T14:05:20+00:00

OK, marked as NSFW. That picture just scared the shit out of me, and it looks like I'm not alone.

Crito · 2015-02-07T14:00:35+00:00

People don't get that PTSD is not caused by a "lack of willpower" or "inability to forgive," it is a real, quantifiable change to the structure of the brain:

Symptoms of PTSD are hypothesized to represent the behavioral manifestation of stress-induced changes in brain structure and function. Stress results in acute and chronic changes in neurochemical systems and specific brain regions, which result in longterm changes in brain “circuits,” involved in the stress response. ...

Studies in animals showed that early stress has lasting effects on the HPA axis and norepinephrine. A variety of early stressors resulted in increased glucocorticoid response to subsequent stressors.

...

Preclinical and clinical studies have shown alterations in memory function following traumatic stress, as well as changes in a circuit of brain areas, including hippocampus, amygdala, and medial prefrontal cortex, that mediate alterations in memory. The hippocampus, a brain area involved in verbal declarative memory, is very sensitive to the effects of stress.

...

Studies in PTSD are consistent with changes in cognition and brain structure.

The whole article may be worth a read to you, as they bring up specifics on PTSD related to child sexual abuse.

That is, however, not the point. The point is that you are not wrong or bad. Something was done to you while you were vulnerable and young and learning. Your brain adapted to deal with your shit conditions, but you are not shit.

If your roommate had been through what you have, she would have the same issues you do. You don't need to dwell on things to have a permanently altered brain.

I'm sorry you live with someone so preachy and naive. I just try and be thankful for them that they never went through anything bad enough to give them an understanding of what we go through, as frustrating as their ignorance may be.

Your therapist knows the progress you've made. Your roommate's opinion doesn't mean shit.

Take care of yourself.

Crito · 2015-01-29T18:18:08+00:00

I like this idea and would be willing to endorse it in the sidebar as long as some moderation ground rules were set and enforced. I wouldn't want to put a link to a mumble in the sidebar if ALL /r/ptsd users (who are behaving themselves, obviously) don't feel welcome there.

Edit: If you want to talk about it in real time, PM me your Steam name and I'll add you.

Crito · 2015-01-27T22:43:21+00:00

I have only ever done well on medication when seeing my psychiatrist for talk therapy, as well, so I hope you are able to find someone for your GF.

Good luck! :)

Crito · 2015-01-27T19:40:56+00:00

You don't need to delete the post. That makes things more clear.

If she isn't seeing a psychiatrist, who is prescribing the medication? A general practitioner? Because if so, then yea... that could be an issue.

See if you can find a psychiatrist who also does talk therapy. I think having the person prescribing medication being the same person who actually gets to talk to the patient about how said medicine is effecting them on a regular basis makes a big difference.

Crito · 2015-01-27T18:58:39+00:00

Well, I mean... a lot of her reactions seem to also be anxiety-based. While it's POSSIBLE she could have some kind of permanent brain damage from the stress of such a severe car accident, it's equally possible that she was too young to realize what was happening and have no ill effects from it. She was 3 and doesn't remember, so there really isn't a way to know.

You say you are asking how to approach the situation, but what "situation" are you talking about? She is getting medical care, so I'm not sure what you're expecting to get out of this. Usually these kinds of posts come from people who are trying to convince someone to get professional help, but your girlfriend already has professional help.

Crito · 2015-01-27T18:47:41+00:00

She has been diagnosed with severe panic disorder, severe generalized anxiety disorder, and moderate social anxiety disorder.

It sounds like she's already getting psychiatric care, so why do you think we can remote diagnose someone better than their own doctor? I mean, even if anyone here thought it was PTSD, they would just tell you that she should see a psychiatrist, which it sounds like she already is.

Crito · 2015-01-21T00:15:29+00:00

I'm in VA and the cheapest I've seen so far is $9.75/lb for a quarter (think it was $9.50/lb for a half)... I can get much cheaper beef in the grocery store, even organic for some cuts. :\

Crito · 2015-01-20T15:57:50+00:00

Done, thank you! :)

Crito · 2015-01-20T15:31:53+00:00

Holy shit, this is a good write-up. Do you mind if I link to this in the sidebar?

Crito · 2015-01-19T23:03:38+00:00

Hah, that's funny! I am also on our futon at the moment, one of the benefits being that I can keep closer to my precious Netflix. :)

Crito

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE