ptsd Psychiatrist Finally Got It

[huskerfanfl]

I have been going to the VA psychiatrist for two years now. This whole time I have been telling her that I do not like to be around people and have anxiety attacks when I get around too many people. In fact, sometimes it takes everything I got to leave the house. She has asked me before if I have thought about suicide (yes) thought about hurting others (yes). I also do not sit where I can not see what is going on around me and keep my eye on everybody when I do sit. At one time I told my psychologist that I cannot watch certain kinds of movies because they make me physically ill. I guess I confused them when I just applied for compensation for anxiety/depression, but my psychiatrist looked at me last week and asked if I had seen active combat (which I had and had seen even more people killed in training. I was in the first Gulf War so it was not as bad as the current one or Nam, at least in my humble opinion. She asked if I wanted to attend counseling for PTSD to learn how to live better with my ailment, but I told her that I already plan things so that I am not around people if I can help it. Shopping late at night, or early in the day on days when there are not people at the store, when we eat at a restaurant we go when it is not the normal mealtime.

I know that the good folks here on the board offer such great advice and I appreciate it.

[huskerfanfl]

Thank you all for your replies. I do understand how refusing treatment would look bad. I have been to behavioral health in Evansville in July for an appointment with my psychiatrist, in August for a C&P in September for an appointment with my psychiatrist and another appointment with the psychiatrist in October. I also attend Non VA group sessions twice a week (Al-Anon and Adult Children of Alcoholics) where I can share my feelings. As far as my psychiatrist knows I attend these sessions to support my wife but use them to get things off of my chest. Is this the ideal treatment plan, probably not, but members of both Al-anon and Adult Children tend to suffer from PTSD or Anxiety as well as depression so while I may not be talking to other veterans I am talking to fellow sufferers and have explained this to both the psychiatrist and the ate up psychologist who was treating me. By the way, the answer I gave to the psychiatrist was more along the lines of not at this time, leaving the possibility for future treatment open.