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  • Shared Experiences

    Depression / Post-Traumatic Stress & Suicide

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    Depression Mental Health Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
    I've been dealing with depression & post-traumatic stress since April 2010 due to being assualted & robbed, I never thought I'd exprienced both problems at once until the assault & robbery, I've got family & friends that have been there for me but I try & hide my emotions of being depressed & thoughts of harming myself (that not everyone knows), these thoughts of harming myself have come quite close of me doing them .. i've had a bit of a rough time growing up at a young age where my parents slpit at the age of 5 / being teased at school because of my weight & now the incident, its so hard to overcome & its always on my mind as I just want to be normal before the incident happen where I use to get out of the house & not always look over my shoulder plus never be scared being home alone for more than a few days
    • 2 comments
    • Jennifer Porter
    • Dr Dona Biswas
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    Jennifer Porter

    HealthShare Member

    I have been personally dealing with depression for over five years with only receiving help in the past year after I tried to kill myself. But now I know that as well having depression. I also have complex ptsd as a result of being sexually abused from 11 to 16. Every day is a struggle but I get through because I don't want him to win. Which I think will happen if I give up. Every day is a challenge and I would give anything to live a normal idealised 21 year old life. Without being scared to do anything or go anywhere. Stay strong and hopefully everything will get easier for both of us!

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    Dr Dona Biswas

    Psychiatrist

    Dr Dona Biswas is an integrative psychiatrist and a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. She trained in Psychiatry in … View Profile

    Hi Marty and Jennifer, Thanks for sharing your stories, it requires incredible courage to open up and seek help. PTSD, and developmental trauma are modern-day 'silent epidemics', in the words of trauma expert, Bessel van der Kolk. A lot of people suffer in silence, trying to bury the memories which will not stay buried. Traumatic memories are encoded in the emotional brain, or the limbic system, which does not respond well to words and talk therapy. We have to remember that a lot of trauma occurs during childhood, a period when the frontal lobes are still developing and trauma can play havoc with this development. On a positive note, there has been great progress recently into treatment of complex developmental trauma. I'd encourage you to read Bessel van der Kolk's book 'The body keeps the score' to begin with, to get to know about strategies which might work. A lot of the techniques he describes use the brain's neuroplasticity to heal the trauma. Therapies like EMDR and neurofeedback have an impressive evidence base. Working with a deeply empathic psychiatrist and psychologist experienced in this field would be the cornerstone of your recovery plan. Talk to your GP and get in touch with the right professionals to help you on your journey of recovery.

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