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.
Complex PTSD is one (sometimes referred to as “Disorder of Extreme Stress”), is the most severe form of the condition, requiring the most support of the five sub-types.
People who experience PTSD may have persistent, frightening thoughts and memories of the event(s), experience sleep problems, feel detached or numb, or may be easily startled. In severe forms, PTSD can significantly impair a person's ability to function at work, at home, and socially.
It is generally related to a single traumatic event. Complex PTSD, on the other hand, is related to a series of traumatic events over time or one prolonged event. The symptoms of complex PTSD can be similar but more enduring and extreme than those of PTSD.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be an extremely debilitating condition that can occur after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened.
Yes! PTSD is a disability that may entitle you claim your TPD insurance benefit.
Complex PTSD can make it difficult to trust others. Some people stay in unhealthy relationships because the situation is familiar. If their trauma involved abuse, their feelings about their abuser may be complicated. Or they may obsess about their abuser or focus on revenge.
If left untreated, complex PTSD can become life-threatening. It raises the risk of developing anxiety, depression, addictive behavior, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts. Chronic pain, fatigue, and changes in eating and sleeping patterns are all possible physical health problems.
Exposure to complex trauma in early childhood leads to structural and functional brain changes. Structural changes alter the volume or size of specific brain regions.
Alterations in arousal and reactivity: Arousal and reactive symptoms may include being irritable and having angry outbursts; behaving recklessly or in a self-destructive way; being overly watchful of one's surroundings in a suspecting way; being easily startled; or having problems concentrating or sleeping.
A PTSD episode is characterized by feelings of fear and panic, along with flashbacks and sudden, vivid memories of an intense, traumatic event in your past.
PTSD results from and extreme trauma such as what happens in a hurricane, earthquake, trauma experienced in war. PTSD is bad enough but DESNOS is even worse than that. DESNOS results from repeated and long term trauma. In other words, the negative experiences are prolonged and repeated.
In the fourth stage, you begin to enter into recovery from PTSD. It is called the “transition” stage because you begin to move into a new level of acceptance and understanding of what happened and how it has been affecting your life. This is the stage where healing finally starts to occur.
Also, since people living with complex post-traumatic stress disorder qualify for a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, the Social Security Administration will consider them disabled.
A large genome-wide association study (GWAS) has identified a collection of genes associated with PTSD, and these genes overlap with those identified as increasing the risk of developing schizophrenia.
Therefore, it is possible that post-traumatic sequelae more complex than PTSD – i.e., cPTSD – may lead to nuanced psychotic symptoms, such as cognitive/excitative symptoms.
Living with Complex PTSD can create intense emotional flashbacks that provide challenges in controlling emotions that may provoke severe depression, suicidal thoughts, or difficulty in managing anger. C-PTSD can also create dissociations, which can be a way the mind copes with intense trauma.
As people age, their PTSD symptoms may suddenly appear or become worse, causing them to act differently. It may be unsettling to see these changes in a loved one, but it's nothing to fear. Changes are common and treatment can help.
' In some cases, C-PTSD symptoms can have a cumulative effect and can get worse rather than better over time, which is why some C-PTSD sufferers 'manage' for such a long time without help, but they then worsen over time and eventually the symptoms become unmanageable.
There are four medications currently recommended as first-choice options to treat PTSD. Zoloft (sertraline) and Paxil (paroxetine) are FDA approved to treat PTSD. But Prozac (fluoxetine) and Effexor XR (venlafaxine) are also good first-choice options, even though they're not officially approved for PTSD.
What makes CPTSD so hard to recognize? Because it happens in the formative years, complex trauma impacts your ability to understand and maintain emotional stability. You may struggle to find a sense of safety and trust throughout your life, and therefore, it is difficult to regulate emotions in relationships.
NDIS covers PTSD when it is classified as a psychosocial disability. Those with a significant disability that is likely to be permanent, may qualify for NDIS support.