Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

an0maly33 t1_j94f46g wrote

Reply to comment by tamaoiah in Reflexive fear responses tend to linger in people with anxiety disorders, study suggests by chrisdh79

Growing up and through my 30’s I never had an issue with anxiety or depression. Dealing with a divorce and subsequent issues with my kids had traumatized me to the point where I need meds to function. Without them I feel like I’m on the verge of a panic attack (which I didn’t even know what that really was until a few years ago.) I hate to diminish the significance of what PTSD is but I really feel like I have what I would call PTSD.

64

DinoDonkeyDoodle t1_j94u8gj wrote

You likely do. Ive worked in the legal field around divorce, partner and child abuse, neglect, abandonment, and a whole host of much, much worse things. Also had my own traumatic af divorce. Wanna know the weird thing? I see the same kinda of trauma responses coming out of bad divorces as I have cases where say, massive trigger warning btw, >!a kid was deliberately tortured.!<

Be gentle with yourself and take it slow. Believe it or not, there can be an after to the after that destroyed your before.

41

avgustevitch t1_j96uphy wrote

Trauma responses to events like a bad divorce can be similar to those from more severe trauma. Be gentle with yourself and take it slow.

3

5ol5hine t1_j96j98u wrote

To me it seems like you might have CPTSD. The C stands for complex, and has to do with how it is difficult to pinpoint the exact point where the situation became traumatic. It is used about situations that last longer than those that creates PTSD, and that for some reason seems impossible to get out of. A divorce proceeding and subsequent issues with kids sounds like it might check all the boxes, including how you seem to maybe have some sort of impostor syndrome regarding your trauma.

My own situation started making a lot more sense when I realized that I had CPTSD instead of PTSD. Maybe it will for you too.

4

an0maly33 t1_j97j60p wrote

You mention imposter syndrome - that’s actually something elseI developed. I work in IT and always had the attitude that I could handle anything that was thrown at me. These days I feel useless and out of my element.

2

5ol5hine t1_j99r1kl wrote

I only know that it is common among people that struggle with mental health to worry that their issues aren't serious or severe enough to deserve the status of the actual diagnose. It does seems likely to me that issues from one part of ones life can affect another. Did your current struggles at work start after the traumatizing divorce?

3

rplaisted t1_j990wpm wrote

Trauma from divorce and issues with kids can also lead to anxiety disorders, and it's important to seek treatment.

1