On a regular basis I post information on the symptoms of PTSD.  I lived with it for over 40 years not knowing that my reaction to life had a name and I wasn’t alone.  I am fascinated that when I decide I want to write a certain post and within days I get links to articles that share similar information.  Roland Bal shares his experience as a counselor in defining terms referring to PTSD.  He gives a layman definition of terms like victimization, emotional flooding, and other terms used when talking about PTSD.

I also get updates from US VA department.  I was never in the military but their research is excellent and many of the articles are helpful to anyone with PTSD.  Tonight they shared a link on how to talk to your doctor about symptoms of PTSD.  Military style they created a check list you can check off then talk to your health care provider.  The first time I did one of the check list I got 100% with many at severe levels.  I am less than 100% now and many of the symptoms have reduced from severe to annoying.  I measure progress in years not days.

http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/assessment/trauma-symptom-checklist.asp

I started asking my doctor when I was 15 years old about why I reacted so different than other teenagers.  I finally found my answer when I was 45 and a counselor guided me through the labyrinth of my mind.  Accepting my symptoms was the first step to learning to manage PTSD.