Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (complex PTSD, sometimes abbreviated to c-PTSD or CPTSD) is a condition where you experience some symptoms of PTSD along with some additional symptoms, such as difficulty controlling your emotions, and feeling very angry or distrustful towards the world.
Understanding Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, PhD, PsyD — By Gary Gilles — Updated on Sep 29, 2018
Symptoms
Causes
Risk factors
Diagnosis
Treatment
Support
Outlook
Most people are familiar with PTSD, an anxiety disorder that results from a traumatic event, such as a natural disaster or car accident.
However, doctors have recognized a similar condition called CPTSD more widely in recent years. Read on to learn more about the symptoms, causes, differences from PTSD, diagnosis, treatment, and more.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of CPTSD usually include those of PTSD, plus an additional set of symptoms.
Symptoms of PTSD
Reliving the traumatic experience
This can include having nightmares or flashbacks.
Avoiding certain situations
You might avoid situations or activities, such as large crowds or driving, that remind you of the traumatic event. This also includes keeping yourself preoccupied to avoid thinking about the event.
Changes in beliefs and feelings about yourself and others
This can include avoiding relationships with other people, not being able to trust others, or believing the world is very dangerous.
Hyperarousal
Hyperarousal refers to constantly being on-alert or jittery. For example, you might have a hard time sleeping or concentrating. You might also be unusually startled by loud or unexpected noises.
Somatic symptoms
These refer to physical symptoms that don’t have any underlying medical cause. For example, when something reminds you of the traumatic event, you might feel dizzy or nauseated.
Symptoms of CPTSD
People with CPTSD typically have the above PTSD symptoms along with additional symptoms, including:
Lack of emotional regulation
This refers to having uncontrollable feelings, such as explosive anger or ongoing sadness.
Changes in consciousness
This can include forgetting the traumatic event or feeling detached from your emotions or body, which is also called dissociation.
Negative self-perception
You may feel guilt or shame, to the point that you feel completely different from other people.
Difficulty with relationships
You might find yourself avoiding relationships with other people out of mistrust or a feeling of not knowing how to interact with others. On the other hand, some might seek relationships with people who harm them because it feels familiar.
Distorted perception of abuser
This includes becoming preoccupied with the relationship between you and your abuser. It can also include preoccupation with revenge or giving your abuser complete power over your life.
Loss of systems of meanings
Systems of meaning refer to your religion or beliefs about the world. For example, you might lose faith in some long-held beliefs you had or develop a strong sense of despair or hopelessness about the world.
It’s important to note that symptoms of both PTSD and CPTSD can vary widely between people, and even within one person over time. For example, you might find yourself avoiding social situations for a period of time, only to start seeking potentially dangerous situations months or years later.
If you’re close to someone with CPTSD, it’s also important to remember that their thoughts and beliefs might not always match up with their emotions. They might know that, logically, they should avoid their abuser. However, they might also hold onto a sense of affection toward them.
What causes CPTSD?
Researchers are still trying to figure out exactly how traumatic stress affects the brain and lead to conditions like CPTSD. However, studies on animals suggest trusted source that trauma can have lasting effects on the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. These areas play a big role in both our memory function and how we respond to stressful situations.
Any type of long-term trauma, over several months or years, can lead to CPTSD. However, it seems to appear frequently in people who’ve been abused by someone who was supposed to be their caregiver or protector. Examples include survivors of human trafficking or ongoing childhood sexual abuse by a relative.
Other examples of long-term trauma include:
ongoing physical, emotional, or sexual abuse
being a prisoner of war
living in an area of war for long periods
ongoing childhood neglect
Read more at https://www.healthline.com/health/cptsd#diagnosis
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