The Unique Features of Complex PTSD

“If we could somehow end child abuse and neglect, the eight hundred pages of DSM (and the need for the easier explanations such as DSM-IV Made Easy: The Clinician’s Guide to Diagnosis) would be shrunk to a pamphlet in two generations.” – John Briere The term Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) was first used in 1992. It originates in the observation that many of the symptoms exhibited by sufferers of PTSD are also found in those who experienced prolonged periods of abuse or neglect as children, including flashbacks, nightmares, insomnia and feelings of fear, often unrelated to any present source of danger. What differentiates C-PTSD from PTSD, apart from its origin, is that is that it involves a much more fundamental disturbance in the individual’s personality. These disturbances produce symptoms that are similar to those produced in other mental health conditions, most notably bipolar disorder.1 The effective treatment of C-PTSD presents perhaps the most pressing challenge in the field of mental health care. The central problem is that accurate diagnosis of C-PTSD is simultaneously crucial and extremely difficult. Diagnosis and treatment An accurate diagnosis of C-PTSD is important because the proper method of treatment is very different from other mental health disorders with which it is often confused. The need for different treatment methods is a function of the underlying differences in the nature of C-PTSD. All mental health symptoms and di...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: PTSD Trauma Treatment C-PTSD Child Abuse childhood neglect complex posttraumatic stress disorder complex trauma Traumatic Experience Source Type: news