You may be wondering what exactly is CPTSD. It is a relatively new term in medical diagnosis. 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:
- constant feelings of emptiness or hopelessness
- difficulty controlling your emotions
- feeling very angry or distrustful towards the world
- Feeling as if you are permanently damaged or worthless
- feeling as if you are completely different to other people
- feeling like nobody can understand what happened to you
- avoiding friendships and relationships, or finding them very difficult
- often experiencing dissociative symptoms such as depersonalisation or derealisation
- physical symptoms ; headaches, dizziness, chest pains and stomach aches
- regular suicidal feelings
Now to have CPTSD, you do not require to have all above mentioned signs/symptoms, but just some.
What causes complex PTSD?
Traumatic events that can cause complex PTSD are as follows:
- childhood abuse, neglect or abandonment
- ongoing domestic violence or abuse
- repeatedly witnessing violence or abuse
- being forced or manipulated into prostitution (trading sex)
- torture, kidnapping or slavery
- being a prisoner of war.
More people are more likely to develop complex PTSD if you:
- you experienced trauma at an early age
- the trauma lasted for a long time
- escape or rescue were unlikely or impossible
- you have experienced multiple traumas
- you were harmed by someone close to you
What can be helpful for CPTSD?
When you have PTSD, or CPTSD it might feel like you’ll never get your life back. But it CAN be treated. Short- and long-term psychotherapy and medications can work very well. Often, the two kinds of treatment are more effective together.
With CPTSD, treatment and therapy tend to last longer. Therapy will help improve your symptoms, teach you skills to help deal with it, and restore self-esteem.
Talk to your doctor, therapist, social worker or another medical professional to get help with CPTSD, ANXIETY, PANIC DISORDER AND DEPRESSION to get the help you deserve today!
Check out some more of our articles on our blog!