Could this be PTSD?

[meganprather]

I started having anxiety problems about a month ago. It started with a extreme panic attack and then I got this fear that I would continue to have them again.  I now get this nervous feeling everyday throughout the day.  I was thinking more of general anxiety disorder.  However, I tried to think of WHY my panic attack even happened.  Then it occurred to me that the day I had my panic attack was the day after I was raped three years ago.  It never crossed my mind and I wasn't even thinking about it anytime surrounding the panic attack.  Could it be my subconscious mind finally dealing with it?? Could I have PTSD after so many years? I don't really have many huge attacks anymore but I have found that one of my triggers is when I am watching movies..does that happen to anyone else?

[chrisdrd]

It sounds just like PTSD megan.  i suffer from ptsd and havent been able to work more with my therapist yet, to fix it.  The GAD has taken front seat at therapy.  PTSD can be cured.  Its not easy by any means.  You have to relive the situation with help and guidance from your therapist and then cope the proper way.  I hope this has helped.

[rudra]

Megan,

This sounds like PTSD to me. If the anxiety started right after you were raped that is a clue. What sorts of movies trigger you? If you're like me, with the base issue that triggered PTSD being childhood abuse, scenes that involve child abuse or childhood sexual abuse, or rape will trigger me. Having PTSD makes it easier to get additional things that trigger one in their own ways.... I've picked up another one or 2 as an adult through medical situations or medical abuse.

I had a therapist recommend that I watch one particular movie that triggered me over and over when I was WITH someone with whom I felt safe - until it didn't bother me anymore.

Going through it has not made mine go away since it was first diagnosed about 25 years ago. However, I have found a number of things that help me to keep focused on when, where, and with whom I am, rather than slip into a flashback of something that happened a long time ago. If I can stay focused on the city I'm in, the person I'm with, the date, or even the year (like printed on a newspaper), or the sound of someone's voice - a SAFE person, or on an object that didn't exist/wasn't invented when the abuse occurred, I can nearly always prevent a full-blown flashback, or when I awaken from a nightmare re-orient myself to knowing I'm SAFE. Or, there's the option of knowing that I'm dreaming, and choosing to wake up if it's going badly. That took a lot of work with a therapist to do, but well worth it!

[learning to cope]

First of all I am really sorry to hear that happened to you. I can understand your pain and also know first hand that if you don't deal with it correctly it can cause panic and anxiety. My anxiety issues are directly related to PTSD as well. I have been in therapy for two years and I am slowly, and I do mean slowly working through all of this.