Anybody else struggling with stress or PTSD? The combo of this with moving out for the first time and school has been very traumatic for me.

I have to say, it sure seems like I am but I only hit my head on the freezerdoor so I don't think I'm eligible. Sorry you are going through that.

lindberg,

Your question is very vague. Can you explain it further, please?

PTSD is becoming the catch word for any unexplained anxiety or other symptoms. It is grossly over-used.

Stress also has many aspects. Some are external. Environmental or other toxins, sensory stressors, etc. can be avoided in many situations. Others are internal, meaning they come from withing the person. Many internal stressors can be reduced or resolved with proper understanding and choices in thoughts (CBT Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)

For me, it is mostly internal factors. My obsessive worrying about how I feel and constant self-analysis is driving me crazy. I find it difficult to describe. I am starting to think that what I have isn't really PCS. Most of the problems I am having seem to stem from emotional stress. Worrying is very taxing on the mind but I find it so difficult to control. On top of health anxiety, I have the stress of living on my own for the first time and attending a new college. I have been seeing a psychiatrist who specializes in EMDR and I think I will try it. I am also getting a physical next week, hopefully with blood test. I'm also going to ask about referral to an endocrinologist to check for hormonal issues.

If you are interested in hormones, you might want to find a specialist who uses a higher standard than a generic endocrinologist or gyn. Check out https://www.womensinternational.com/..._referral.html

Some therapy to learn to accept what you can't change, etc. may help you with your anxiety. Stay away from caffeine. It supports anxiety. Getting caught in repetitive worry issues is a waste of time and exhausting. Find some help. It will be worth it.

Do some research into EMDR. It can have some negative effects for some people. Go into it with your eyes open to the risks. It was suggested to me years ago. I declined it.

I am struglingwith both PCS and PTSD. I think its hard sometimes to separate them. The Drs havent been very helpful with assisting with either one.

I have SSI to help with the anxiety and have to see a counselor. Luckly I got into a TBI program that has a neurotheropist who specializes in TBI counseling.

My opthamologist tells me that my anxiety was very likely from my visual/spatial discrepancies. (Sensory stressors as Mark put it.) She told me if I went to a neurologist, they would have likely given me drugs and told me I was crazy. : )

I have probably had PTSD my entire life due to abuse I survived as a minor, but never realized it until I was diagnosed a few years ago by a PHD. At first, I thought she was a quack, but after reading about it my eyes were opened!

I acquired an mTBI in the summer of 2010 and to me, although the mTBI certainly increased the symptoms of the PTSD, especially for the first six months and possible dues to some additional complications, I see the two as completely different.

I don't know if that's just because I've had the symptoms of PTSD since I was a child, so it feels "normal" to me.

Because the auto accident I was in was so bad, wicked scary and I was injured, I certainly had a huge increase in PTSD symptoms. I had a lot more nightmares and flashbacks of the accident in but I also started to freak out while riding in vehicles and I mean freak out like a screaming, scared two-year old. And this behavior was coming from an adult who was completely competent, independent, and successful socially and financially before the accident.

I also think the loss of my reasoning and cognitive functioning had a large part to do with that. As my brain has healed, I've been able to reduce my anxiety by reasoning with myself and being able to meditate - which was an impossibility the first 6-10 mos. after the accident and something I missed greatly during that time because I've been practicing meditation for years.

The cognitive impairment and speech problems I have experienced has only been since I acquired the mTBI. I've never had most of these problems before the accident, except one time several years ago I had very minor and somewhat similar, but nowhere near identical to these for a few hours and then greatly reduced for about two weeks that I now believe was my first concussion. (I work in a very physical field and most likely hit my head and then didn't remember doing so.) Actually, I'm kind of glad I finally solved that mystery.