in the past 4 years first my mother dies within a week from several heart attaches and strokes, followed by my sister dying of cancer (my family and i cared for her for 4yrs until she died), then one of my twin boys marries and the other feels left by him and tries to kill him self, followed a year later by a house fire that almost took my sons life as well as mine, than followed 8 months later by the death of my only aunt? i feel i have no one left to go to for comfort, and both my husband and son are feeling the stress of it all. WHAT CAN WE DO?!!!!! GAIL
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Answers
Hi Gail!
Post traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to terrifying events or ordeals in which physical harm occurs or is threatened.
It is a severe and ongoing emotional reaction to an extreme psychological trauma.
This stressor may involve someone's actual death or a threat to the patient's or someone else's life, serious physical injury, or threat to physical and/or psychological integrity, to a degree that usual psychological defenses are incapable of coping...some of which sounds like it has happened with your family members.
The DSM-IV (a manual that helps diagnose mental illnesses and disorders) states for PTSD, these things need to have taken place or are taking place:
A. Exposure to a traumatic event
B. Persistent reexperience
C. Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma (such as trying to stay away from a house that you almost died in when a fire happened)
D. Persistent symptoms of increased arousal (e.g. difficulty falling or staying asleep or hypervigilance)
E. Duration of symptoms more than 1 month
F. Significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning
I would definitely try to contact a therapist or a medical doctor to help you out with this issue. It does sound like that is what it is, but please seek help with a therapist or doctor.
Best of luck!
Clyde