PTSD?

Hi NAS71595, I feel the for confusion and sorry your feeling that way. The fact your asking about it shows strength on your part.  Whilst it is good to have an advocate in family I think what matters most, is what you think about yourself. It is easy for advocates and peers to get also get confused when identifying symptoms from more than one label/condition/diagnosis. Despite our perceived level of understanding as others may think of us, no one knows us better than our self.  

It's not uncommon for many individuals to have multiple labels that intersect each other such as PTSD & ASD.  The list is actually extensive.  

Mark makes some really great points.  That was a good read.  My first post here was on the topic of multiple complex diagnoses.  Many people have more than one condition.  People in general are complex beings and rarely can be boxed into one label.  This is why the system continues to reassess as children get older and or time and events pass for those much older.  Whilst some conditions are deemed permanent nothing stays the same.  Think of the labels such as ASD - PTSD - GAD - and so on as no more than the names of suburbs within a big city called 'Health & Wellbeing'  Let's break it down more by attributing all the streets within each suburb with symptoms so that we end up with Nervousness St, Agitation St, Hyper St, Sensitive St, Sad St, Angry St, Confusion St.  We can put in parks that are also referred to as disorders such as the well known Depression Park.  The longer you stay at it the more likely council will be to come along with another sign called 'Clinical'  Let's not forget an even more famous Park called Anxiety.

It's easy to get lost in the City regardless of what part of it we identify with.  In fact the identification process is very much the part many of us struggle with.  Felling lost and alone in all that confusion it's only natural to want stay in one area where we feel less vulnerable and things are seemingly familiar.  The trouble with that is we become bogged down with limited mindsets.  May as well set up camp at Agoraphobic Park! 

All the above is my attempt to unravel the Signpost Analogy. My experience is that in order not to get lost in the bigger picture or scheme of things is not to identify with prescribed or proposed labels like how we do with Sport teams, Flags, Cities, right down to the Clothes, Car, Bicycle or type of Phone one attribute themselves too.  You see the other side of the coin to all this is that many of these labels have become no more than accessories themselves in a sea of commodities/industry. Whilst that is another story in itself my point here is the two fold.  We now live in a society that fashions labels like clothes with an inherent need to favor one over the other.  The latter playing more to our competitive conditioning. Always competing.

Hence this is why many of us find ourselves struggling with more than one label. It's not understanding that the labels themselves are no more than guides within a bigger picture which leads people to becoming bound and subject to their labels.  I'm this! I'm That!  No you can't be...!  ... and thus the confusion reigns from there.  However, the more mindful we become of how easily we ourselves struggle with attachment issues, but more over, how that in itself leads to such a strong desire in wanting to belong with either one or the other and that being the case as much with our prescribed/proposed diagnoses just as it is with our advocates, family and peers. 

Life is complex. People are complex.  Take it from this Chronic Complex Case of whatever with a dash of yadda yadda.  The (Not MY) autism label recently attributed to me has greatly assisted me to find my way through that above City  - yet it's only one part of the landscape. 

In reference to finding a concrete answer. Whilst there can be undisputed facts, I tend to accept the reality that there are often no concrete answers.  At least I find life offers a lot more breathing space if I leave doors open.  

I hope some of the above helps.

Hi NAS71595, I feel the for confusion and sorry your feeling that way. The fact your asking about it shows strength on your part.  Whilst it is good to have an advocate in family I think what matters most, is what you think about yourself. It is easy for advocates and peers to get also get confused when identifying symptoms from more than one label/condition/diagnosis. Despite our perceived level of understanding as others may think of us, no one knows us better than our self.  

It's not uncommon for many individuals to have multiple labels that intersect each other such as PTSD & ASD.  The list is actually extensive.  

Mark makes some really great points.  That was a good read.  My first post here was on the topic of multiple complex diagnoses.  Many people have more than one condition.  People in general are complex beings and rarely can be boxed into one label.  This is why the system continues to reassess as children get older and or time and events pass for those much older.  Whilst some conditions are deemed permanent nothing stays the same.  Think of the labels such as ASD - PTSD - GAD - and so on as no more than the names of suburbs within a big city called 'Health & Wellbeing'  Let's break it down more by attributing all the streets within each suburb with symptoms so that we end up with Nervousness St, Agitation St, Hyper St, Sensitive St, Sad St, Angry St, Confusion St.  We can put in parks that are also referred to as disorders such as the well known Depression Park.  The longer you stay at it the more likely council will be to come along with another sign called 'Clinical'  Let's not forget an even more famous Park called Anxiety.

It's easy to get lost in the City regardless of what part of it we identify with.  In fact the identification process is very much the part many of us struggle with.  Felling lost and alone in all that confusion it's only natural to want stay in one area where we feel less vulnerable and things are seemingly familiar.  The trouble with that is we become bogged down with limited mindsets.  May as well set up camp at Agoraphobic Park! 

All the above is my attempt to unravel the Signpost Analogy. My experience is that in order not to get lost in the bigger picture or scheme of things is not to identify with prescribed or proposed labels like how we do with Sport teams, Flags, Cities, right down to the Clothes, Car, Bicycle or type of Phone one attribute themselves too.  You see the other side of the coin to all this is that many of these labels have become no more than accessories themselves in a sea of commodities/industry. Whilst that is another story in itself my point here is the two fold.  We now live in a society that fashions labels like clothes with an inherent need to favor one over the other.  The latter playing more to our competitive conditioning. Always competing.

Hence this is why many of us find ourselves struggling with more than one label. It's not understanding that the labels themselves are no more than guides within a bigger picture which leads people to becoming bound and subject to their labels.  I'm this! I'm That!  No you can't be...!  ... and thus the confusion reigns from there.  However, the more mindful we become of how easily we ourselves struggle with attachment issues, but more over, how that in itself leads to such a strong desire in wanting to belong with either one or the other and that being the case as much with our prescribed/proposed diagnoses just as it is with our advocates, family and peers. 

Life is complex. People are complex.  Take it from this Chronic Complex Case of whatever with a dash of yadda yadda.  The (Not MY) autism label recently attributed to me has greatly assisted me to find my way through that above City  - yet it's only one part of the landscape. 

In reference to finding a concrete answer. Whilst there can be undisputed facts, I tend to accept the reality that there are often no concrete answers.  At least I find life offers a lot more breathing space if I leave doors open.  

I hope some of the above helps.

It does help, thanks David - I like the city analogy and it probably would benefit me to not cling onto these diagnoses so tightly. Reading through other people’s perspectives on this has been helpful