In search of a second opinion.

[club1234]

Hi there,

I'm a 19 year male. I was in a car accident in Sept 2005. I was fully consious throughout so it had a big effect on me. I steadily got worse and worse and started having strange & disturbing experiences. I did some research on the internet and paranoid schizophrenia and similar conditions seemed to match my experiences.

I decided to take note of what I was experiencing and present it to a psychologist. 20 minutes later he basically told straight out 'You don't have schizophrenia, dellusional disorder and you're not going crazy' and just said I had mild PTSD and referred me to a psychiatrist in 3 wks. While he did recognise I had a serious problem his blaze attitude and downsizing of my problems has got me confused and I'm searching for a second opinion before I see the psychiatrist in 3 weeks time.

Here is the exact print out of what I gave the psychologist :

http://www.freewebs.com/club1234

Hoping to hear your thoughts....

 

[ThatLady]

Hi, Club, and welcome to the forums.

There's no way anyone can diagnose someone over the internet. It just can't be done, even by our glorious David!

I will say that the feelings you're describing must be frightening for you. I can understand your concern and dismay. PTSD, in and of itself, can cause some really bizzare thoughts and reactions...from what I've learned of the condition. The high levels of anxiety are very difficult to deal with, I'm sure.

When you had your car accident, were you injured in any way? If so, how were you injured? Have you recovered completely from any injuries you might have sustained?

 

[club1234]

Hi ThatLady,

Thanks for the quick reply,

Yeah, I'm not looking for a diagnosis over the web, I'm just looking to see if there is something there so I can get it out of my mind if I have one of those conditions or not.

My car accident occured when I was crossing the road. It was a 4/5 lane one-way road and I did not notice the cars coming towards me when I stepped on the road. When I saw them it- didnt concern me as they were some distance away. So when I was in the middle of the road, I noticed a car speeding very fast in the outer lane on the other side of the road. By that time it was too late to turn back and so I started running to the other side of the road. However by that time I remember having the thought 'One of these cars is going to hit me'. The speeding car did eventually hit me just inches from the footpath. The other thought I had was 'This is it' as the car's bonnet was at my thigh and I was flung back into the windscreen's top left corner (from the drivers point of view). I was then flying through the air and landed in a row of bushes which I travelled through on my back before coming to a stop.

An ambulance was called and I was brought to hospital. I didnt hit my head so I was fully conscious but in shock. The injuries I sustained were deep gashes on my left thigh and 2 scars down my back. Amazingly, I didnt break a single bone and was released from hospital a few hours after getting stiched up.

 

[ThatLady]

Wow! From the sounds of it, you were incredibly lucky not to have sustained far worse injuries. We can certainly be thankful for that! I'm not surprised, however, that you're having problems coping with the horror of it all. To see a car coming at you and have no way to avoid being hit has to be a mind-boggling experience, hon.

You've got an appointment with a psychiatrist in three weeks, I believe you said. If I were you, I think I'd concentrate on hanging in there until you can see that psychiatrist and talk to him/her about the thoughts and feelings you're experiencing. The internet has a huge amount of data. Some of it is great, some of it is dubious; but, even with the "good stuff", it's impossible to ascertain exactly what might be going on just through reading it and trying to apply it to your symptoms. You'll be much better off by seeing the psychiatrist "up close and personal".

I can identify with some of the things you said you imagined before the injury...like your grandfather being the King of Portugal. I was a pretty imaginative kid myself, and the vivid imaginary images hung on for quite awhile. While I didn't believe my family to be royalty, I had some pretty grandiose ideas about myself. With time, they passed. Over the years, I've come to believe that I was just a dreamer who kinda hoped that dreaming would make it all come true. Overall, it was harmless in the long run.

I hope you'll stay with us and let us know how you're getting on and how your appointment with the psychiatrist goes. If the diagnosis does turn out to be PTSD, there's so much that can be done to mitigate and control the symptoms. That's a good thing to remember.

 

[sunset]

Hi Club,
I am sorry you had an accident and are troubled now. I am no Dr, so I cant offer anything other than it probably cant hurt to go see the psychiatrist.
Please let us know how you do, and I am wishing you all the best!