I know I can never fully understand PTSD as others experience it, but I am watching my partner suffer, and I am desperate to at least try and understand some of what he is experiencing. He has been able to tell me some of the things that he finds challenging now, and has tried to articulate how PTSD is affecting his life, communication, and his ability to process emotions. I am very curious to hear from others, how PTSD has manifested in their everyday lives, and what you'd want your loved ones to know about it. Thank you.

(Not sure if it is relevant, but my partner's PTSD is due to a traumatic workplace accident a few months back. He is also suffering from depression, and while the doctors have confirmed that he needs help, they can do nothing yet because we are trapped in the mess that is worker's compensation.)

Hello honeystyx and welcome to NeuroTalk.

By reading your post I cannot determine if your Partner has actually been diagnosed with PTSD or if he and/or his doctor thinks he might have PTSD.

There is a criteria for diagnosing PTSD. Although the link I am providing is the VA the diagnostic criteria is the same for anyone with PTSD
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/...teria_ptsd.asp

If he in fact has been diagnosed with PTSD and is not on medication and in Psychotherapy he is not getting proper treatment and his Doctor are remiss in doing their jobs. Proper and timely treatment is very important.

The link below explains PTSD:

http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Sec...ontentID=68535

PTSD can literally be a living hell. PTSD can encompass every aspect of your life.

It can cause anxiety/panic attacks, thoughts of suicide, distancing yourself from family and friends, fear, flashbacks, insomnia, agoraphobia, unable to feel emotion, depression, lack of trust, feeling unsafe, your fight/flight/freeze reaction is always on or exaggerated, unable to relax, Dissociation, cognitive difficulties such as processing, an exaggerated startle response, and so much more.

very good advice, it may be hard to understand PTSD if you don't have it. if your partner does, love,patience,and just being there is a big help for us that have PTSD. just remember to keep "yourself" safe and don't take on so much that you ending up draining your life. Ask for help from friends and family, or a community outreach center for caregivers. take time for yourself first or you will not be any help to your partner or yourself. best of luck.

Thank you Snoopy for your response and for providing those resources - any information at all helps.

He has been diagnosed with PTSD, however his medical "care" is subject to the whims of worker's comp insurance. His injury happened at work, and the insurance company has no interest in providing him with appropriate medical care within a reasonable time frame. This adds to his fears of never recovering, and adds to our stress as every option for treatment seems just out of reach. His primary physician is working to pursue various assessments and treatment options, but every request they make has to go through a gauntlet of insurance company nonsense, and most things are denied as a matter of policy, and we are told simply to request them again.

"PTSD can literally be a living hell. PTSD can encompass every aspect of your life.

It can cause anxiety/panic attacks, thoughts of suicide, distancing yourself from family and friends, fear, flashbacks, insomnia, agoraphobia, unable to feel emotion, depression, lack of trust, feeling unsafe, your fight/flight/freeze reaction is always on or exaggerated, unable to relax, Dissociation, cognitive difficulties such as processing, an exaggerated startle response, and so much more."

This rings painfully true...

My partner is an exceptionally articulate and intelligent man, and he has on many occasions described nearly everything you mention. I've personally observed anxiety/panic attacks, distancing behavior, fear, flashbacks, insomnia, agoraphobia...the list goes on. He used to be an extrovert, always happy to be out and about, socially engaged. Now he is fearful of social situations, and he has tried to explain to me how he feels that he is not processing/feeling emotion. We are painfully aware of the effects of this on our relationship, and I am trying to keep these things in mind as we cope with the day-to-day.

I'm afraid he is very good at masking his symptoms/mental state at any given time however, and I often misjudge his frame of mind or ability to engage in conversation or problem-solving. I am struggling to maintain a sense of connection with him, and I am at a loss most days as to what, if anything, I can do to help.

Thank you, Rabbit. I have never been very good at asking for help, and I think just posting here is good practice. I am trying to be patient, and to be loving even when I am feeling overwhelmed and stressed. It is hard to know where those limits are, as we never want to stop helping the ones we love, even at the cost of our own emotional and physical health.

Hi honeystyx,

It's called numbing and is common with PTSD.

He needs help from a professional (Psychotherapist) to help him process what has happened. Unfortunately, I don't know how you deal with workmans comp on this

Also very common. I learned to "fake it" and did so quite a bit, but I could only do so for a short amount of time before I closed myself in my room.

You might try the PTSD forum at: http://forums.psychcentral.com/ It is the sister site to this one. You might find more help as well as more people to talk to on psychcentral than here.

You are still welcome to post here also

Take care

Thank you for your kind response. It is strangely comforting to know at least that the numbing and "faking it" that I am observing in my loved one are common with PTSD, and that others have experienced these things too.

I am determined to remain optimistic that these things can be addressed, and with professional help that he will be able to process what has happened, but workmans comp makes it nearly impossible to gain access to the resources he needs in a timely manner.

I am wondering if there are any resources I might be able to pass along to him that he might explore while we wait for the insurance company to approve the professional help that the doctors have requested...

Some days he speaks of wanting to give up on everything, but there are other days when he seems quite motivated to learn more about what he can do to manage how his PTSD affects him and his daily activities. I don't want to push him in any way, but being able to offer him some resources he can look into if he wants to might be a place to start. Any thoughts or suggestions?

I have also been a little active over at psychcentral, and I appreciate your encouragement, I'll definitely be continuing to learn what I can there as well.