PTSD by kidnap attempt?

Some people tried to kidnap me when I was 15, they pulled me out of my car and took me to theirs, i struggled at the for around 2 minutes, gun to my face, holding on to the side of the car to avoid being pushed inside. Another car passed by and I got away when they got distracted.

When it was over I didnt feel anything inside me had changed, i felt relieved of course, somehow became a bit more of a thinker (than i was).

How do I know how much it really affected me? is it possible i may have ptsd sequels?

Hello MrBrightside,

I am sorry that happen to you but you did just what you needed to at the time.

yes ptsd can cause nightmares,
you could also be triggered by things
that remind you of your attack.

Some people do not get ptsd(army vets) and others get ptsd that will always be with them.

Have you seen a doctor or therapist about what happened to you?
That would be my humble opinion.

Peace.
red

I go to therapy for some other issues, but i just talked about this last week, it didnt seem important before, or now for that matter, i am just wondering if I simply assumed i got better and nothing changed, but the truth is I became isolated at that time, i did horribly in school, lost interest, etc.

Thanks, Red, ill keep digging.

MrBrightside wrote:Some people tried to kidnap me when I was 15, they pulled me out of my car and took me to theirs, i struggled at the for around 2 minutes, gun to my face, holding on to the side of the car to avoid being pushed inside. Another car passed by and I got away when they got distracted.

When it was over I didnt feel anything inside me had changed, i felt relieved of course, somehow became a bit more of a thinker (than i was).

How do I know how much it really affected me? is it possible i may have ptsd sequels?

Definatly hon, an attempt like that can indeed start PTSD, because it was a traumatic event in your life...

PTSD can show up days, weeks, months or even years after the trauma happened...

Do any of these symptoms describe you?

sleep problems including nightmares and waking early
flashbacks and replays which you are unable to switch off
impaired memory, forgetfulness, inability to recall names, facts and dates that are well known to you
impaired concentration
impaired learning ability (eg through poor memory and inability to concentrate)
hypervigilance (feels like but is not paranoia)
exaggerated startle response
irritability, sudden intense anger, occasional violent outbursts
panic attacks
hypersensitivity, whereby every remark is perceived as critical
obsessiveness - the experience takes over your life, you can't get it out of your mind
joint and muscle pains which have no obvious cause
feelings of nervousness, anxiety
reactive depression (not endogenous depression)
excessive levels of shame, embarrassment
survivor guilt for having survived when others perished or for not having done more to help or save others
a feeling of having been given a second chance at life
undue fear
low self-esteem and shattered self-confidence
emotional numbness, anhedonia (inability to feel love or joy)
feelings of detachment
avoidance of anything that reminds you of the experience
physical and mental paralysis at any reminder of the experience


Of course there could be more added to the list...

Anything you can relate too?

sleep problems including nightmares and waking early - yes
flashbacks and replays which you are unable to switch off - no
impaired memory, forgetfulness, inability to recall names, facts and dates that are well known to you - no
impaired concentration - yes
impaired learning ability (eg through poor memory and inability to concentrate) - yes
hypervigilance (feels like but is not paranoia) - yes
exaggerated startle response - no
irritability, sudden intense anger, occasional violent outbursts - no
panic attacks - no
hypersensitivity, whereby every remark is perceived as critical - yes
obsessiveness - the experience takes over your life, you can't get it out of your mind - no
joint and muscle pains which have no obvious cause - yes
feelings of nervousness, anxiety - yes
reactive depression (not endogenous depression) - yes
excessive levels of shame, embarrassment - no
survivor guilt for having survived when others perished or for not having done more to help or save others - no
a feeling of having been given a second chance at life - no
undue fear - no
low self-esteem and shattered self-confidence - yes
emotional numbness, anhedonia (inability to feel love or joy) - yes
feelings of detachment - yes
avoidance of anything that reminds you of the experience - no
physical and mental paralysis at any reminder of the experience - no

.. the thing is I have no idea which of this happened after the trauma, most of them I had them already. :p

I always felt i never thanked my friend enough for sticking there with me, he was being pointed with a gun told to run away and he didnt, he stood there screaming and shouting for them to let me go, i always get emotional when i think of that. I wouldnt have survived if he had ran away because the others would have come and help the guys trying to put me isnide the car. I am constantly making myself the victim everytime i can when im around my friends (or was), i have this need for someone to save me, so i can thank them i guess, in compensation. I just want to do something so great for him or someone so i can stop being the victim.

I have a AvPD tendency or style, so a lot of those symptoms are mixed with that, and also that wasnt the first trauma i had, so its just a big mess, at least i can tell now i am looking to thanks someone over this as compensation, but I am also subconciously looking for the hugs and tears I didnt get from my parents after the event.

Thanks.

The fact that you are saying yes to more then one could mean that yes you could be suffering from it.

The best is to talk about it with someone so you can get the dianosis and get the proper treatment.


Have you thought about PTSD/trauma books?


Have you ever dealt with anything before the attempted kidnap?

Also you could be dealing with some of those symptoms like anxiety being anxiety intead of PTSD etc.. it's hard to tell.

I don't see you as being a victim, you survived it, you got away, and t here for you are a survivor...

Thanks, Faerie. I am an anxious person inside, i hide it very well sometimes.

I always tend to think words are just words, but I can feel you are sincere, its hard to explain but hey... thanks again. I am working on a lot of stuff right now, the victim feeling is a recurrent story of my personality, and the anxiousness is fading away everyday.